A boy from Stanley is finding out what it would be like to cycle round South Korea - but he’s making his 1200km bike trek without leaving Scotland.
Tavish Tares (13) is one of 10 Scouts from Perth and Kinross who has been selected to go to the World Scout Jamboree held in Korea next year.
Like all the other participants, he and his family are needing to raise the eye-watering fee of approximately £4000 to cover the cost of the international trip.
So Tavish, who attends Morrison’s Academy and is part of the 7th Perthshire (Methven) Scouts, came up with his own personal fundraising plan.
He set out in March on his bike to cycle a total of approximately 1200km, the distance around the edge of South Korea.
To do this he split the mileage up into around 30 bike rides, mainly round Perthshire, but some taking him on an adventure to Scotland’s west coast.
For each ride on real Scottish roads, he looked at the map of Korea. After a day’s pedalling, he blogged his progress.
While actually cycling around Scottish roads, Tavish’s mind was thousands of miles away as he researched the places he’d visit if he were really biking round this part of Asia.
For instance, take his ride on May 29, which was a rainy trip to Little Glenshee with Tavish’s friend Euan – and virtually to an ancient Buddhist temple.
Tavish noted: “Total distance to date: 646km. Real ride: 39km ride with my best friend Euan and his dad, round Little Glenshee.
“A wonderful sunny evening, with biblical downpours. Once you’re wet you really can’t get any wetter.
“Virtual Tour: to the Haeinsa Temple which is home for the Tripitaka Koreana, the whole of the Buddhist Scriptures carved onto 81,350 wooden printing blocks, which it has housed since 1398.”
On June 1, Tavish was on a school trip to the islands up the west coast.
This day’s ride saw him getting the ferry to Islay with his classmates. However he was also experiencing the virtual adventure taking him to a forest park in Korea.
“Ride 27: Total distance to date: 782km. Real ride: 48km cycle on Islay, from Port Ellen to Port Askaig, past some world famous distilleries. Just a day trip to Islay, got the ferry there and back.
“Virtual Tour: To the Geumbong Recreational Forest, a holiday park in the forest with accommodation to rent, and lots of walks, swimming and relaxation.”
The next day, June 2, Tavish was actually cycling up the Kintyre Peninsula heading to Oban.
He entered the details into his online blog: “Ride 28: Crinan Canal and Kilmartin in the rain – and virtually to a traditional Korean village, temple and a wee grotto.
“Total distance to date: 878km. Real ride: 96km cycle further up the Kintyre Peninsula, through the Crinan canal and up to Oban.
“Virtual Tour: (blue line on map for today’s route) to three places: Gyeongju Gyochon Traditional Village from the Silla dynasty. This is a ‘living village’. Here you can experience some traditional Korean craft activities, eat traditional food, and see people wearing the Hanbok traditional costume. There is also the Woljeonggyo bridge across the Nam river.”
Tavish has almost completed the full distance, bringing his exciting Scottish/Korean sponsored biking adventure to a close.
The start date of March 1 and aim of finishing on June 6 were chosen as they are meaningful in the South Korean calendar.
His mum Kirsteen told the PA: “I asked him what were his favourite places in South Korea which he’d found out about and he said ‘the Trick Eye museum is really cool because of all the interactive bits, and the Ice Museum looks fun.’
All being well, in 2023 he’ll get to see some of these places for real when the Scouts head east for the 25th World Scout Jamboree, a gathering of 40,000 young people from around the world.
Read more of Tavish’s adventure cycling at his personal blog https://pedalkoreauk.wordpress.com/
He would appreciate donations towards his big trip to Korea in 2023. See https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-tavish-go-to
