A cyclist who embarked on a 4,000 miles journey around the coast of mainland Britain and then wrote a book about her experiences will be a little closer to her roots at a Hitchin Festival event on Thursday night.

Anna Hughes grew up in the town and went to Highfield School in Letchworth and Knights Templar School in Baldock before being bitten by the long-distance bike bug.

Anna, who now lives in London, spent much of her childhood exploring the cycle routes around North Herts.

Her marathon journey was undertaken over 10 weeks in 2011, and soon afterwards she retraced her tracks, sailing around the same coastline.

Tickets for Thursday’s session at the Sun Hotel are £5, which is redeemable against the cost of the book.

You’ll also be able to get a copy signed by the author, and Anna will be exhibiting a gallery of photographs taken during the ride as well.

Other Hitchin Festival events coming up over the next few days include Summer At Woodside, a musical presentation from the Hitchin Thespians which opens on Thursday and runs until Saturday night at Woodside Hall, and Hitchin TV-sponsored Haunted Hitchin On Film, which is being staged at the British Schools Museum in Queen Street on Friday evening from 7.15pm.

Programmes containing full details of the festival programme, which continues until July 26, are widely available in town and you can download the brochure online from hitchinherts.co.uk.