Exeter student cycles from Land’s End to Scotland

A University of Exeter PhD researcher has set out on a 1,200-mile cycling tour of England to explore how women in farming imagine the future of food and agriculture.

Veronica White, a doctoral student in food systems and sustainability, departed from Land’s End on 12 April and is gradually making her way to the Scottish border.

Along the way, she’ll be stopping in farming communities to interview women living and working on farms, gathering insights into their hopes, challenges and visions for the sector.

Dubbed her “PhD by bike”, the project is both a form of immersive research and a sustainability statement. “I don’t drive – cycling has always been my main mode of transport, and it allows me to feel the landscape in my legs,” said White. “It’s a way to really experience the farming environments I’m studying.”

Born in the US and raised in the Netherlands, White is no stranger to pedal-powered living. But her journey across England’s rural heartlands is as much about representation as it is about resilience.

“Women in the UK cycle a lot less than men – and farming remains male-dominated,” she said. “This tour is a way to put women at the centre of conversations about food, farming, and the future.”

Throughout spring and summer, White will meet participants in person, spending several days at each stop to talk about life on the land, sustainability, food security, and the changes they would like to see in UK agriculture.

“I know this won’t be easy,” she admits. “It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done – but that’s what doing a PhD is about. You commit, you dig deep, and you go all in.”

The project is also raising funds for the Farming Community Network, a charity supporting farming families through tough times. Readers can follow her journey via her Instagram and support the initiative through her JustGiving page.