From Vicky Palethorpe….

In Glorious sunshine we met at the Starley Memorial outside the building that once was George Eliot’s school. We were joined by Mary Creagh MP for Coventry East and Minister for Nature. And a few of our club guys joined us for the send off too.

Marina gave us a full history of International Womens day which provided a wonderful context.

We all took a reflective moment to think of women, here and across the world, who could not enjoy a day like this due to wellbeing, freedom or fortune.

The riders were heading north along the Canal Basin towards Bedworth and Nuneaton, and Mary provided lots of tips on what to look out for along this amazing green corridor, including a kingfisher and otter pooh. The route had a good number of stops to recognise places meaningful to George Eliot’s Life and the group was joined by Juliet Hopper from the GE Fellowship who provided help in developing the route and shared plentiful relevant information.

The group progressed to lunch, at The George Eliot Pub in Nuneaton. (They gave us access to a lockable shed too!)

Around the corner is the most beautiful statue of George Eliot

Other stops included the Museum at Riversley Park, Astley Castle and Chilvers Coton. And the route also can’t avoid the wonderful hills around Corley Moor !

All afternoon the women’s WhatsApp buzzed with shared photos, admiration and gratitude, especially to Terry who devised and led the ride, and also Carla, Marina and Bríd who had the original idea and helped to develop and support the event.