Health

Experience: I cycled the length of the UK on a wooden bike

December 26, 2025

Kidus Tesera: ‘It caused a stir wherever I went.’ ark Chilvers/The GuardianKidus Tesera: ‘It caused a stir wherever I went.’ ark Chilvers/The GuardianExperience: I cycled the length of the UK on a wooden bikeWith no plans, I set off from John O’Groats to travel down south to Dover. Friends and family didn’t think I’d last a mileSince coming to England from Ethiopia eight years ago, I’ve lost parts of my cultural identity. I was stuck in a monotonous, isolated routine studying for a biochemistry degree at Imperial College London, without the family-centred lifestyle I was used to.

Experience: I cycled the length of the UK on a wooden bike

Credit: Theguardian

Key Highlights

Back in Ethiopia, I’d be surrounded by my aunt, grandparents, friends. So this year, I took 12 months out and moved to my uncle’s house in Leeds.
The change helped me try new things, like cycling: as a child, I had never ridden a bike.
I bought one in a charity shop.
My friends told me that it was made for a 10-year-old and donated an adult-sized bike to me. The bike had spent two years in my friend’s garden, so it was in bad shape.
I spent a month taking it to a repair shop.

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Experience: I cycled the length of the UK on a wooden bike

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Experience: I cycled the length of the UK on a wooden bike

Key Highlights

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