If

If
you’d asked me for some meditations on life 12 months ago,
I’d probably have replied by saying something about living with
intention and seeking out adventure. Though the past year has
provided its fair share of obstacles, strapping my core camping
essentials to my trusty bicycle rig and pumping my pedals out into
the dreamy nothingness of Yorkshire’s moors has kept me sane.
Living through a pandemic has been an adventure in itself – and I’m
not alone in thinking that way.

So-called “doorstep adventures” have become a phenomenon, and
the massive uptake in cycling is testament to this. No doubt many
people rekindled relationships with old bikes for the fitness
benefits – with gyms and local clubhouses around the country
shuttered – but cycling provides so much more than that, namely the
discovery of natural beauty within a local radius. Through
bikepacking my way around Yorkshire, I’ve discovered new routes and
places I’d never have stumbled upon otherwise – spots that I now
seek out for moments of tranquility amid the ongoing chaos.

From desolate sunrises on the North York Moors to wild
flower-strewn vignettes taken in the rural suburbs of York, the
following photo journal is a capsule of the time I spent cycling in
pursuit of total seclusion. En route, I realised that adventure
needn’t mean flinging yourself to the top of some far-flung
mountain peak; it can also simply mean approaching something from a
different perspective.

@getwildmatty | mattywaudby.com