Peter Wright is celebrating his 78th birthday with a year of active challenges to raise funds for a charity close to his heart. Pete’s Pedalling Plus 2025 will see him cycling, walking and bike-camping – with a plan for each month – in aid of the Maasai Girls Education Appeal.
Pete, of Linlithgow, West Lothian, has enjoyed many different adventures over the decades, including a long hike that led to his book Ribbon of Wildness – Discovering the Watershed of Scotland. He has also raised funds for a range of different charities.
Now, after undergoing major heart surgery and an ankle reconfiguration, he prefers cycling and bike-camping.
This month’s challenges include a 24-hour, non-stop 200km bike ride across the Central Belt and a bike-camping trip along the Speyside Way and Dava Way in the Highlands.
In May, he will bike-camp in the Scottish Borders and in June he plans to do a 30-day bike-camping trip via the Six River Valleys of the East Coast of Scotland. Another cycling outing is South Scotland Coast to Coast.
So far, Peter has completed three walks, including two hill walks and a walk along the Water of Leith in Edinburgh in January, February and March.
Peter said: “I have two bike-based challenges for this month, so I’ve been doing quite a lot of cycle training, especially on the canals. A few weeks back, I did Linlithgow to Glasgow and back in a single day .
“Another big one for me was Stirling to Balfron, then around the south side of the Campsies, and home. I have also done a beautiful Forth bridges loop.
“I feel I’m getting quite fit in preparation for both the 24-hour event and the Six River Valleys of the East Coast in June through to July.”
Fundraising for Maasai Girls Education Project
Peter explains the reason for raising money for the Maasai Girls Education Project. The charity aims to empower vulnerable Maasai girls and young women from rural Kajiado in Kenya to receive all the benefits of secondary and higher education.
Through fundraising programmes and partnerships, they strive to break the barriers to this, whether by cultural or economic constraints.
The Maasai Girls Education Project is the main focus for the Joseph Thomson Maasai Trust, of which Peter is the founder and general secretary.
He said: “I’m a descendant of Joseph Thomson, an African Explorer, who is regarded a ‘goodie’ among the wider cohort.
“A peacemaker, he is lauded to this day by the Maasai in rural Kenya. But it’s the provision of funding for girls education that drives us. The work of the Maasai Girls Eduction Project is truly life-transforming.”
I have done many cycling and bike-camping adventures to raise money for the charity, as well as other causes, such as supporting young people with mental health problems, enabling disadvantaged young people to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh programme and the restoration of the Crown of Thorns, atop the tower of St Michael’s Church in Linlithgow.
He added: “As well as the important aspect of fund-raising, there is also the enjoyment of the journey for me. I feel all of the seasonal joys and enrichment that self-powered engagement with the natural world brings.
“I often stop to admire a plant, tree or vista, hear all the sounds, and be conscious of whatever the weather may bring. I love it all, deeply. My heart is in it.”
- To donate to Pete’s Pedalling Plus 2025 for Maasai Girls Education Appeal see Paypal or scan the QR code with your phone camera.