Yorkshire cyclist’s hit book with homemade bike
Added: (Tue Nov 03 2020)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
The country’s only bricklayer with an MA in Classical Civilisation has pedalled his way towards becoming the Samuel Pepys of his day.
Compulsive diarist David Ramsden has been jotting down his motor- and pedal-bike adventures for more than three decades.
The former soldier, builder, history teacher and motorcycle mechanic from West Yorkshire has plenty of tales to tell.
But it was only after embarking on a two month challenge around Britain on a homemade bicycle that his entries have finally gone to print.
And As the Crow Flies has already reached the top three in Amazon’s book charts.
During the spring of 2019, David’s unsupported cycle challenge took him to the first place listed under each letter of his 1998 AA road atlas.
From Ab Kettleby in Leicestershire to Zeal Monachorum in Devon, with the likes of Kaber in Cumbria, Valtos on the Isle of Skye, and Y Felinheli in Gwynedd in between, the 63-year-old clocked up more than 2,500 miles ticking off the 26-place list.
As well as being a fascinating and highly entertaining travelogue, As the Crow Flies is also one man’s historical, social and political exploration of the country we live in.
David said: “For a travel book to be worth reading it has to be more than a travel book.
“This cycle trip diary is a journey through Britain and a journey through history as well as an exploration of the mind of someone freed from everyday concerns to dwell on the bigger questions of life and collective existence.
“Travelling alone with what you can carry is a liberating experience, removed from the concerns of obsessive consumerism, internal combustion engines, mortgages, insurance, etc.
“On the way I got wet, wrote poetry, experimented with porridge and talked to people.”
David, who grew up in Bradford, left school at 15 to join the Royal Engineers - completing two tours of Northern Ireland, as well as being stationed in Cyprus, Germany and Sudan.
Since leaving the army he has worked as a bricklayer and builder, a park warden, a school behaviour support assistant and a motorcycle mechanic.
He returned to education in his late thirties, achieving an MA in Classical Civilisation, before becoming a history and religious studies teacher.
In his spare time David has competed in speedway and sidecar racing, as well as undertaking marathon bike challenges all over Europe.
He added: “I started writing when I discovered I’d got opinions and had something to say.
“I have kept a detailed diary for 30 years and have written up all my motorcycle and cycle excursions and bound them myself.
“I am currently editing my teaching diaries, to be published as The Rest is History.”
Since the publication of As the Crow Flies, it has reached the top three in Amazon’s travel and transport charts.
David, who has previously published two anthologies of poetry, has also been rewarded for his first published diary with a string of five-star reviews from captivated readers.
For more details, visit Amazon and search for David P Ramsden, where the paperback and Kindle formats of As the Crow Flies are both available.
Notes to the editor
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