Cycling violist tours UK with environmental message

A musician has completed a 10-week cycling tour of Great Britain with her beloved viola de gamba strapped to the back.

Sarah Small, from Brixworth, Northamptonshire, plays the viola da gamba - or viol - and undertook the journey to raise awareness of the environmental impact of traditional touring in the arts sector.

The viola da gamba is a 4ft-tall, seven-string instrument that was popular with English aristocrats during the Renaissance period.

Ms Small, 31, said: "It feels like the only way I can travel without feeling guilty."

Frustrated by the reliance on air and car travel for performances, she strapped the instrument – affectionately named Roger – to her bike and cycled to every concert.

Ms Small had previously cycled to a concert in northern Germany.

Her journey, which included a three-week round trip to one venue, sparked curiosity and important conversations.

"It's quite a large instrument and people ask me why I'm doing it," she said.

"When you think about the way we tour and travel, it's incredibly destructive, and so much of the music we play is inspired by nature, yet we bring it to audiences in a way that doesn't make any sense. It destroys our inspiration.

"It provokes those conversations. It's been great to connect the programmes that I play with the changes in the environment we're experiencing," she added.

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