Prior to the Battle of Bosworth, Richard III spent the night in Leicester and then rode – on his horse – to the site of the battle.  Swap Richard’s horse for a bike and you can follow in Richard’s footsteps – though probably with a less drastic outcome – and take part in a bike ride, which will be the start of this year’s Sky Ride events.

The Church of St James, Sutton Cheney (photograph by D Preis)

Planned is a 35-mile (approx. 56km) round-trip starting off at Leicester Town Hall Bike Park.  The tour will pass the car park, where Richard’s remains were discovered, then on to St James’ Church in Sutton Cheney, where Richard is said to have attended his last Mass, before dying in battle, and the battlefield itself.   Then riders will return to Leicester, where the ride finishes at the Guildhall, where the Richard III exhibition is being shown.

The Guildhall in Leicester (photograph by D Preis)

The ride is classified as ‘Challenging’, but suitable for anyone, though I expect you would have to be reasonably fit and experienced.  The trip is scheduled for 4 May, participation is free.  It starts at 9h00 and is expected to take 4 hours 20 mins (3 hours 20 mins cycling), so you can expect to be back in Leicester by about half past one in the afternoon.

More information:

Tom Mack, ‘Sky Ride event to trace Richard III’s last days‘, This is Leicestershire (25 April 2013).

‘The Richard III Ride‘ on the Sky Ride website.

Tags: Bosworth, Leicester, Richard III