A bridge not too far

Here’s a picture of my Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird with the Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland. I’d been wanting to see the bridge for a long time – a feat of engineering incorporating 4000 tons of rivet – and on this day the forecast was perfect.

I got up at four o’clock in the morning then travelled the 200 miles from my home in Lancashire to the Firth of Forth. By half-past eight I was sat by the bridge eating sandwiches and swigging coffee... It was an awesome ride both there and back. John Hough

Head first

I write regarding your Survival Guide column: Check Your Head (April). I thought it was excellent. I’d had a really hard week at work, dad was about to go in for a heart op, mum with dementia. But the weather looked good one early March Saturday, so I decided to take the BMW S1000XR out for a two-hour blast.

The ride completely refreshed me and cleared my head. It was just me, the bike and the road (and other traffic), with no thought of work or anything else. Riding a bike is better than any mindfulness meditation. Mike Evans