Cyclist takes guitar on travels to record experiences in song

But one young traveller is taking it a step further - by taking his guitar to record his experiences through song.

Despite the fact Robbie Sage is making his round-the-world trip on his bicycle, the 24-year-old knew he could not leave his beloved guitar behind.

Mr Sage is hoping to make several albums about the culture and environment of each place he encounters as a way of "capturing" the trip.

He set off on his global cycle last week, and believes he will complete the 30,000km route in a minimum of three years.

Mr Sage, from Torphichen in West Lothian, is having to transport his guitar on a trailer attached to his bike, making the trip even more of a challenge.

The talented guitarist - who records acoustic folk music - has been playing since he was 14. As he says he is "not a singer", he is planning to get some people to collaborate with him along the way, as he takes inspiration from countries including France, Turkey India, Pakistan, North Korea, Australia and the US.

He then plans to sell his music to raise money for the Hear the World Foundation.

Speaking to the Evening News during an early stop in Kendal, Cumbria, Mr Sage said he has been planning the trip for several years.

He said: "I always knew I wanted to travel but never thought about cycling - I didn't even ride a bike before.

"But I spoke to someone who had done something similar and he made it out to be the ideal way to travel.

"It's so cheap and you take in much more of the country than you would otherwise.

"I bought a bike and started cycling every day. I knew straight away as soon as I came up with the idea that I needed to take my guitar with me. If I'm without it for more than a few days I get a bit tetchy.

"The norm is for people to take photos, film themselves, write a blog and on completion write a book. I want to capture my trip musically.

"The thought of having a musical documentation of this trip and to be able to listen back to the music and recall is incredibly exciting for me and I'll be interested to see how the music evolves through the different countries and cultures."

Mr Sage studied physiology at university but decided it was not his "cup of tea" and has spent the past couple of years working to save money for the trip. He hopes to be able to get by with what he has saved, but may need to stop his travels to work from time to time. He will spend most nights camping, particularly in warmer climes.

He admits the first few days have been tough. He said: "I'm still getting used to the weight and cycling all day, every day.

He added: "My mum doesn't really understand at all why I'm doing it."She thinks I should be getting a career.

"Some people are just kind of happy where they are but I haven't found that so I guess I'm travelling to find other places that might be better suited to me.

"I like the idea of the basic way of life and it's nice to take a step back from modern living.

"I will hopefully come back a different person."