To Bude in the Nude
Rollerskating 120 miles from Bristol to Bude, because it rhymes
UK, 2013
Sometimes we do things for no rhyme or reason. Just ‘because’ we want to. But not in the case of when I rollerskated to Bude in a nude suit. There were rhymes a plenty. In fact, that's why I did it. I'd recently taught myself to rollerskate, whilst en route to Paris. A beautiful new cycle path had just been built, connecting Paris to London. I call it beautiful because it really was for a novice skater. The path was straight, flat and followed the canals, which meant there were very few cars. Great news for someone who couldn't stop on roller skates.
Inevitably, I felt quite proud of traversing across France with wheels on my feet, so I wanted to show off my new sport somewhere else. And when an old friend from Bude called for a catch up one day, she would be the destination. That same weekend, at a festival, an actor friend emerged from his tent wearing a nude suit that he uses for stage. The suit was a bit like what ice speed skaters wear in the Winter Olympics, only it was skin coloured. My speeding was unfortunately capped at 4mph, which my cycle support would later find slightly frustrating. I went so slow once, he fell off his bike. But, I love a rhyme, so for me, it was off to Bude in the Nude.
