A local cycle campaign group are planning to give something back to the town this summer by adding a ‘two minute cleanup’ to their regular weekly summer rides. As well as encouraging cyclists of all ages and abilities to join the on their rides to local beauty spots such as Lincluden Abbey and Heathhall Forest, they will be bringing bags to do a quick litter pick during the ride break to help keep Dumfries tidy.
Cycling Dumfries are joining forces with Sustrans Scotland and Keep Scotland Beautiful for the #2MinuteCleanup campaign. As part of their regular summer family rides, which take place every Saturday in July and August, they will be bringing along bags and gloves with their bikes to briefly clean up unsightly rubbish at the spot where the group usually stop for a break (and some home baking) during their rides.
Cycling Dumfries convenor Sally Hinchcliffe said, “We love introducing people to the cycle paths and hidden places of Dumfries during our summer rides – but far too often they are disfigured by discarded litter, and this warm weather has made the problem worse. We thought we’d give a little something back this year by not just taking our own rubbish home, but also some of the other litter we find. Dumfries and Galloway is such a beautiful area, something we often forget day to day, and we’d like to help keep it that way. From a bike we constantly see just how much rubbish there is discarded by the wayside.”
The free rides will start from Dock Park at 2pm every Saturday and are open to everyone. They start very easy and build up gradually from 3 miles to 11 miles, but always on cycle paths and lightly trafficked rural and residential roads. Even long term residents of Dumfries have found they discover something new on these rides, which explore the town’s cycle path network as far out as Mabie Forest.
Rides start 2pm at Dock Park on Saturday 7th July and continue until 25th August.
More information at https://cyclingdumfries.wordpress.com/summer-rides/
Contact details: [email protected].
