This has simplicity, beauty and European cycling written all over it. Or rather, printed all over it. It’s nice. I received an email from a chap called Laurence this week. This is what he said;
“We’re a small not-for-profit letterpress print company located in Bristol and two members of our team are planning to take cycle from Bristol across Europe to Mainz, Germany, the home of letterpress. The twist is that we’ve made a cargo bike made with an Adana printer attached to the back, planning to visit poets, artists and other craftspeople and printing something they’ve made or written and sending it to various contributors of the project.”
Here’s a video (also very beautiful as well as hypnotic – I could watch printing presses all day long!) that explains more;
Isn’t that just so simple yet so fantastic? The initiative is looking for funding via KickStarter and there is a Twitter feed as well as a presence on Instagram. Well worth a look, a little bit of your time and perhaps even a bit of your cash… Here’s the route that the press will be taking to Germany:
Categories: Cycling
Thanks so much John, I don’t really have too much knowledge of cycling in France or Germany, so your ideas are brilliant, maybe we will adapt our route based on your advice, thanks again and you can keep an idea on progress at theletterpresscollective.org
Wonderful idea. It took me back a bit because 30 years ago I worked with offset litho presses but they would’ve needed lorries to have moved them! Is the route to Mainz carved in stone? Paris to Metz would by a bit up-and-down and I imagine the press is a bit on the heavy side. At least you get to follow a designated cycle route along the Mosel/Moselle from Metz to Koblenz. Downhill and beautiful! Have you considered going to Dover and from Calais following the coast to the mouth of the Rhine and then following the river all the way to Mainz? Partly it’s because you would pass through some of the great historical cities and seats of art and learning of the past 500 years, but partly it’s because the route is totally flat – Mainz would be the highest place you would visit! Also, just over the Belgian border you come to the town of Veurne. Here you take the cycle path next to the canal and apart from a couple of places in town centres you are on traffic free routes the rest of the way to Mainz. Even then you are in designated (and generously wide) cycle lanes. Whichever way you go I wish you all the best and I hope you have a fantastic time. Bon Voyage and Guten Reisen!