EPIC CYCLING PILGRIMAGE: JONATHAN MAYES, CEO OF CATHEDRALS TRUST, VISITS LANCASTER PRIORY - 21/05/25

Cathedrals Trust CEO, Jonathan Mayes, takes on an epic cycling pilgrimage, visiting over 100 choirs across England and Wales in just 50 days of cycling. This mammoth challenge covers a whopping 2,700 miles, with JJ raising much-needed funds for cathedral music along the way.

So why is JJ riding his bike ride around England and Wales?

JJ writes ‘…the heart of why I’m undertaking this cycling pilgrimage… You don’t need to travel to a world-famous cathedral in London to hear world-class singing from choristers and top-notch organ playing. You don’t have to be in a huge congregation in order to participate in glorious cathedral music. You can do these things right around the UK, and part of the purpose of my ride – as I set off from Durham on Friday, onwards to Newcastle (16 May), Hexham (17 May), Carlisle (18 May), Kendal and Lancaster (19 May), is to demonstrate quite tangibly how geographically accessible this music is on a near-daily basis. On every single one of my fifty days of cycling, I’ll be visiting at least one cathedral, church or abbey where great music is at the heart of everything that happens. I think that’s an extraordinary fact.’

Find JJ’s full route here, read further blog posts as his journey continues and make a donation here: https://www.cathedralmusictrust.org.uk/choral-adventure-cycling/