THEY have cycled more than 3,000 miles and performed to over 10,000 people and on Tuesday the cycling Shakespeare troupe The Handlebards will be in Salisbury with Hamlet.

The free event at Salisbury Arts Centre is an outdoor production and will see the quartet having cycled from Petersfield in Hampshire with all their props in bike trailers.

Paul Moss, from Wigan, who helped start the theatre group with a friend three years ago, said: “This summer we are doing Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream on alternate nights so it will be Hamlet in Salisbury and then on to Larmer Tree Gardens for A Midsummer Night’s Dream before heading to Bradford-on-Avon and beyond.

“It’s a slightly abridged version to enable us to get through it with a bit of pace but we still use the original text aiming to make it accessible for everyone.

“It’s a sideways look at it and probably one of the funniest performances you will see. It’s four guys playing around 40 characters. All our projects have a subversive slant.”

Cycling along tracks and roads to get to their venues, some setbacks have included losing their trailers due to rocky terrain and finding themselves on busy A roads.

Venues range from stately homes to castles and open gardens and while the majority of their events are ticketed, the Arts Centre performance is free.

The group rely on the kindness of people en route when it comes to accommodation and also often camp inside the venues before cycling off the following day to their next location.

Paul said: “The idea formed as we finished our degrees and wanted an adventure which would also give some experience of drama for the future but it’s now turned into this full time job going into schools and travelling across the world.

“Shakespeare plays can be seen as something to watch as a sense of duty or because it has a famous person in it like Benedict Cumberbatch who is playing Hamlet later this year but it’s a really good play and we want people to see it."

“We’re looking forward to performing at the Arts Centre and cycling through Wiltshire which is just beautiful.”

Hamlet is on June 30 at 7pm. A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be on July 1 at 7pm at Larmer Tree Gardens. Tickets are £8 children and £10 adults.

For more details visit peculius.com/handlebards