As a dad with two small children my primary cycling with the kids tends to be safe, designated cycling routes. But as a keen leisure cyclist, I like to stretch my legs a little and add some distance while taking in the nature around me.
My house in Sandal, Wakefield is within cycling distance of the Yorkshire Sculpture park. Armed with my rucksack, supplies and my laptop I set off in the hope of spending the morning working from their cafe.
Since we bought a bike rack we spend our weekends finding places where we can enjoy a family cycle. Sometimes they are closer to home, other times a little further afield. One such area we gravitate towards is North Yorkshire. It’s a road cyclist’s paradise and makes up some of the routes of the tour de Yorkshire.
It also happens to have some wonderful trails; perfect for families. We really like the village of Ripley close to Harrogate in North Yorkshire. Not only does it have a beautiful castle but also world-famous ice cream, a lovely little park for the kids and best of all free parking. As far as villages go it sets a high benchmark for others to follow!
I was aware you can actually get from Ripley to Fountains Abbey however the route is over 6 miles which felt a little long for a 6-year-old.
We, therefore, took advice from fellow cyclists to take the path from Ripley to Hampsthwaite where there’s a little cafe to enjoy.
As a family, we always enjoyed spending time outside vs indoors. Over the past two years, this however has been heightened by government lockdowns and the need for micro-adventures on our doorstep.
I spend a lot of time on my bike; both with the family and individually. There’s nothing more liberating than exploring your local area by bike. It’s great for your body and mind too!
One of the primary reasons we moved to Sandal was due to the many walking spots on the doorstep. When utilising a bike this becomes a whole additional arena of enjoyment.
My main goal is to find cycle safe routes to places in the surrounding area. Recently I managed to make it to the wonderful National Trust Nostell Priory while largely avoiding main roads and cars. Not only does this make a more enjoyable ride but also a safer one too.
As a family, we are always on the lookout for new safe cycle paths to explore. With a 5-year-old and a 1-year-old cycling is the perfect activity for the whole family. It’s free, safe and great exercise.
Living in Sandal, Wakefield we try and explore as many places as local to our home as possible. As a former mining area, we are lucky that a number of the former Collieries have been turned into Nature reserves and cycle paths making them perfect for a family afternoon visit.
In the October half-term holidays, we took a trip to Rabbit Ings Country Park in Royston which is 5 miles from our home. With our bikes safely secured on our bike rack, we ventured along to check out the cycle paths.
If you have read some of my posts before then you will know I am a huge advocate of cycling. I tend to personally cycle for my mental health, leisure and for exercise purposes. My favourite type of cycling is off-road cycling through canal pathways and former railway lines. You will regularly find me cycling on the Trans Pennine Trail. A favourite route of mine as it’s easily accessible from my house in Wakefield.
But when it comes to fitness people who are wanting to get into shape always seem to default to running and those who don’t enjoy exercise will struggle to maintain running. The January ritual of showing intent and then losing interest continues.
So I’m here to throw my hat in the ring for cycling and why if you’re a family with young children it makes far more sense to become a regular cyclist than a runner.
As a family, we are always on the lookout for new safe cycle paths to explore. With a 5-year-old and a 1-year-old cycling is the perfect activity for the whole family. It’s free, safe and great exercise. Our little boy Barney loves sitting on the back taking in all the nature as we ride along.
We recently came across the Wetherby Railway Path which is a disused Railway line connecting the village of Spofforth with Wetherby and continues through to Thorp Arch. In the October half term we ventured across to take the bikes on the route.
This route was created by Sustrans who are a charity whose sole purpose is to make it easier for people to walk and cycle. The roads have become hell zones in the past 10 years with cyclists (literally) pushed to the side. The rise in SUVs has compounded this further and made road cycling a less safe place to be.