On the 7th of December 1981 my Great-Grandfather, then aged 81, appeared in court to answer for some misdemeanour while driving. He was due to be fined, and possibly lose his driving license, but he had a plan. The court was in Leicester, while he was living, some 50 miles away, in Milton Keynes, and my Great-Grandfather decided he would cycle to the court room as a sign of humility. He duly arrived, to much amazement at his feat, and some time later was dismissed without charge; his plan had worked (apparently).
Outside a reporter, who had heard the story, decided to follow him as he began his return journey. At this point my Great-Grandfather became worried, because he had not cycled 50 miles at all. He had simply driven to Leicester with his bicycle, parked at a suitable distance from the court and then cycled the remainder of the journey. Now cycling away with a reporter on his tail he could not simply return to his car but had to cycle for many miles until the reporter left him, which eventually he did.
Two days later my Great-Grandfather received a letter from a solicitor in Leicester, which I have in front of me and now quote; "I must say that it was not my eloquence which persuaded the court to be so reasonable about the fine, it was your achievement in cycling to and from Milton Keynes which spoke for itself, with an eloquence I could not match."
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