Cycling through nature: Kate’s biodiversity journey along the National Cycle Network

Kate Rawles, environmental writer, adventurer and speaker, cycled the length of South America for her biodiversity-focused expedition on her bamboo bike, later documented in her book The Life Cycle.

This time, her journey began with a train to Barnstaple before joining the Tarka Trail, part of the National Cycle Network, and continuing south through Devon and Cornwall to the festival.

It was a low-impact journey packed with wildlife, wonder and reminders of why nature corridors matter more than ever.

The Tarka Trail: A trail full of surprises

For Kate, cycling to a biodiversity-themed festival on a bamboo bike wasn’t just a way of getting there.

It was a way of demonstrating a different vision of what travel, and life, can look like.

Kate cycled on the Tarka Trail and was amazed by just how much variety it packs into a few miles.

“There was an incredible diversity of habitats,” she says. “Salt marshes, rivers, estuary landscapes, hedgerows, scrubland and woodland. As a cyclist, you get to move through all these different environments and experience them at your own pace.”

One unexpected highlight came while crossing a bridge over the River Torridge.

“I looked down and saw these strange circular shapes in the water. When I looked more closely, they were huge schools of fish moving together. I’d never seen anything quite like it.”

What is biodiversity loss

Kate has spent years exploring one of the biggest environmental stories of our time: biodiversity loss.

“Biodiversity is the web of life that we’re part of and depend on,” she explains. “We’re losing both the abundance of wildlife and the diversity of species at an alarming rate.”

The UN found that one in four species are at risk of extinction; making it around a million species facing extinction, many within decades.

“The diversity is particularly important”, says Kate. “Because the more different kinds of animals and plants you have, the more are going to be able to survive climate change and other shocks. In any ecosystem, each species is playing a different function. So, diversity is key to resilience.”

Why nature corridors matter

Trails like the Tarka Trail are not only important places to walk, wheel and cycle; they are also vital nature corridors. 

Habitat loss and fragmentation are major drivers of biodiversity decline.

Roads, development and other barriers can isolate wildlife populations and make it harder for species to move, feed and adapt.

Nature corridors help reconnect these habitats.

Even features that might seem ordinary, like hedgerows and strips of scrubland, can play an important role.

“Connected habitats are far more valuable for wildlife than fragmented ones,” Kate says. “Along the Tarka Trail I noticed how continuous many of those hedges and scrub habitats were. They help insects, birds and small mammals move through the landscape.”

As climate change pushes species to shift their ranges, these connected routes become even more important.

Here at Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, we’re helping transform towns and cities into healthier, accessible environments where people can enjoy nature close to home everyday.

Reconnecting with nature, one pedal stroke at a time

“When you know you’re on a nature corridor, you slow down,” she says. “You stop to read the signs. You notice a flower. You listen to a bird. You slow down and become curious.”

That sense of connection matters.

Many of us spend our lives moving between homes, cars, offices and shops with often little interaction with the natural world.

The National Cycle Network offers an opportunity to break that pattern.

“A lot of people are disconnected from nature,” Kate says. “Trails like this remind us that we share the world with millions of other species. Even common wildlife becomes extraordinary when you stop and really pay attention to it.”

Her favourite question, borrowed from years of long-distance cycling adventures, is a simple one: Who else lives here?

It’s a question that transforms.

Suddenly you notice every hedge, tree, patch of grass and stretch of water is home to countless other living things.

Better for nature. Better for us.

“There are so many win-wins,” Kate says. “It’s exercise, it’s time outdoors, it’s connection, it’s adventure, and it can help reduce our environmental impact too.”

Kate also believes bike travel offers a powerful lesson in simplicity.

“When you’re carrying everything you need on your bike, you realise two things. First, stuff is heavy. Second, you don’t actually need very much of it.”

With a couple of panniers, a tent and the open trail ahead, Kate found herself reminded that some of life’s richest experiences come from connection rather than consumption.

“Cycling, camping, meeting people, spending time in nature, going to a music festival. That’s quality of life.”

How can I protect nature?

Kate believes the answer starts with something surprisingly simple: get out and experience it for yourself.

"We're not just consumers, we're citizens, communicators and catalysts for change," she says.

"If you're spending time on a trail, enjoy it, connect with it and improve your own quality of life," Kate says. "But also talk about it. Encourage other people to experience it too."

Because every person who falls in love with a local greenway, wildlife corridor or traffic-free path becomes another voice for protecting it.

And when more of us speak up for nature and champion places that help wildlife thrive, those actions start to add up to something much bigger.