The Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride follows the historical route of the Queen Eleanor Crosses, from Lincoln to London. The event raises funds towards the work of The Connection at St Martins, helping homeless and vulnerable people in central London.
The Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride will happen over the August Bank Holiday weekend (27-30 August 2010) when up to 40 cyclists will cover the 210 mile route in 3.5 days. Beginning in Harby, Nottinghamshire, where Queen Eleanor died, on Friday 27 August, the cyclists will arrive at her final resting place in Westminster on Monday afternoon.
Queen Eleanor of Castile died on November 28th 1290 at Harby near Lincoln. Her grieving husband, King Edward I, arranged for her body to be embalmed and her viscera to be entombed at Lincoln Cathedral before being carried on a funeral bier to London for burial at Westminster Abbey.
Each overnight stop was later marked with an elaborate stone cross in memory of Edward’s beloved wife. The overnight stops, where crosses were built, were at Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford, Geddington, Hardingstone, Stony Stratford, Woburn, Dunstable, St Albans, Waltham Cross and Charing (now Trafalgar Square). An additional cross was built at Cheapside, near where Queen Eleanor's heart had been left with the Blackfriars and where one of her sons was buried.
Only three of the original crosses survive; at Geddington, Hardingstone and Waltham Cross. Other crosses, considered symbols of monarchy, were torn down in protest during the civil war. A replica of the Charing Cross now stands in front of Charing Cross station near Trafalgar Square. Originally, the final cross was built at the top of Whitehall, a stone’s throw from the present day site of St Martin-in-the-Fields.The Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride visits all of the historical cross sites and much of the route that would have been used by King Edward I when bringing his Queen’s body to London. Edward, perhaps better known for leading conflicts against Sir William ‘Braveheart’ Wallace and constructing the magnificent Welsh castles at Conwy, Harlech, Beaumaris and Caernarfon, died in 1308.
The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields is a registered charity (1028201) in central London which provides advice, care and support, to around 5,500 homeless and vulnerable people every year.The Connection offers a range of specialist services – including a day and night centre, outreach for rough sleepers, skills training and career advice, activity programmes and specialist support for complex needs — in a welcoming and friendly environment. For many, contact with The Connection is a catalyst for change. By encouraging each person to address the issues which caused their homelessness, The Connection helps them to gain the skills and confidence to make lasting changes in their lives.