Teaching a child how to ride a bike is a fun and rewarding experience that can provide many benefits for their physical, cognitive, and social development. Our daughter Matilda was a relatively early cyclist at just 4 years old and we went through a number of steps to make sure she was able to ride her bike and become a competent cyclist.
Helping a child learn how to ride a bike can open doors to so many wonderful opportunities. Not only is it a great skill to have but it also enables you as a family to build social activities around cycling.
This is what we now do and not only has this completely changed how we plan our weekends it also means we are looking after the health of our children as they grow and develop.
Before jumping on a bike there were a number of initial steps to familiarise our daughter with the life of cycling. This is something we’ve continued with our son.
Dalby Forest Cycling for families
Dalby Forest, in the heart of the North York Moors National Park. It’s over 8,500 acres in size and has everything you can want in a wonderful family day out. We visited in the warmer months with our at the time 5-year-old and 1-year-old to sample the cycle routes. I must add it’s an all-encompassing experience which is suitable for those with or without bikes.
From a cycling perspective, it’s geared towards all ability levels with over six cycling trails ranging from family (beginner) routes to advanced mountain biking trails (not for the faint-hearted)
There’s also a cycle skills area where those of varying ability levels can test their ability to determine which route is right for them. It’s great enjoyment for the kids too.
At the time of writing, we have visited Dalby Forest twice and given the expanse nature of this review, will be updated regularly with new information and pictures so stick with us!
We took the Adderstone cycle trail as this was the Green route (suitable for novice cyclists) which with a baby seat and a 5-year-old cycling solo felt like the correct route.
Wentworth Castle Gardens National Trust Review
This National Trust is a go-to favourite of ours. It is situated in Barnsley off junction 37 of the M1 using postcode S75 3EN on maps.
Offering 60 acres of differing beautiful gardens, the park and woodlands surround a grand stately home that is now used for various other uses, including training. It is South Yorkshire’s only Grade 1 registered landscape which is pretty special I would say!
It is quite a pleasant drive up to the entrance passing a nice (it looks nice but we have never been in) pub on the right-hand side. As you go further up the hill you pass many sheep which is lovely.
Whenever we have visited, and we have been many times over the past couple of years, it has never felt too busy. That is what we always feel as we park up. There are always plenty of spaces and it does not feel crowded in any way which I know is important to a lot of people. It feels like you are in the middle of nowhere and there is so much to explore
Roberts Park for Families Review
As a family with two small children, we always look for new outdoorsy things to do on the weekend. The excitement when you discover a new place to visit within a radius of your home is something we love.
Roberts Park is a 14 acres public urban park in Saltaire, West Yorkshire, England. Higher Coach Road, Baildon, is to the north and the park is bounded to the south by the River Aire. A pedestrian footbridge crosses the Aire and links the park to the village of Saltaire.
We ventured to Roberts Park at the back end of the Summer months to meet friends who live locally.
We really enjoyed our visit to Roberts Park. It’s a beautiful park to walk around. Wonderful wildlife throughout, a cafe (overlooking the cricket field) and a bandstand. You can also walk right along the river which is a flat, even surface. Lastly, you can even venture over the bridge into Saltire which is a quirky place with plenty to do. Just over the bridge is the Salt Mills which have been converted into boutique shops and galleries. The building is a relic of Bradford’s industrial past.
Damflask Reservoir walking for families
This is predominantly a family cycling blog but as active travel enthusiasts, we also like to walk too!
We had a quiet Saturday afternoon and decided to grab our spreadsheet of ‘free family fun’ things to do and find somewhere relatively local. Damflask reservoir was on our list.
Damflask Reservoir is popular for angling and water sports, but there’s also a great walk around the water’s edge.
It sits just within the boundary of the Peak District National Park, giving it a beautiful countryside setting whilst still being easily accessible from the centre of Sheffield, just 5 miles to the east.
There are actually a number of other reservoirs in the surrounding vicinity so if walking is your thing it’s a good place to visit. These include Agden Reservoir & Dale Dike Reservoir both of which are managed by Yorkshire Water.
There’s no parking at the reservoir however it’s situated just outside the village of Low Bradfield which has plenty of parking and facilities available. The village for us was the icing on the cake and made the day even more enjoyable than we could imagine. The village has fantastic facilities including public toilets, a village hall, The Schoolrooms cafe, a post office/shop, a village field and a play park. It has everything you could imagine to enjoy an afternoon out.
Skirlaugh to Sutton Village Cycling for families (Trans Pennine Trail)
Skirlaugh is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in an area known as Holderness. It is situated approximately 7 miles northeast of Hull city centre on the A165 road. Originally a farming community, it is now primarily a commuter village for Hull.
We had the pleasure of recently staying in Willow Pastures Country Park in Skirlaugh which is a small holiday lodge site. One of the draws to the lodge park was its proximity to the Trans Pennine Trail. They weren’t lying. The Trans Pennine route is flat and incredibly family-friendly with the majority of the route being on non-car routes.
You can actually travel in two directions. One is towards Hull City centre (approximately 8 miles) while the other takes you to the coastal region of Hornsea. We chose the route towards Hull City Centre but stopped at the village of Sutton. As you can see from the map below the village is in fantastic proximity to the trail. (In the green).
Haw Park Wood cycling for families
Haw Park Wood is situated 4 miles southeast of Wakefield. It’s located next to Anglers country park but can be accessed from both the Anglers country park side or alternatively via Waterton Park hotel. From the hotel, you can access the Trans Pennine trail Barnsley canal route which takes you to Haw Park Wood if you follow signs for Anglers country park.
Haw Park Wood is designated as a local nature reserve and is home to a variety of wildlife including Roe Deer, Crossbill and Great-Crested Newt and important plant species such as the Wild Service Tree.
Although small it’s a fantastic protected place for young children to practice cycling or as a family route if you venture from either the Walton or Anglers country park entrances.
You can actually combine both Haw Park Wood & Anglers Country Park if you utilise the car parking facilities as Anglers.
Anglers Country Park cycling for families
Anglers Country Park is an award-winning Green Flag destination where you can explore the unspoiled countryside, woodland, wetland and trails.
Anglers Country Park is in Wintersett, Wakefield. Once known as one of the deepest open cast coal mines, Anglers has since been transformed into a park which welcomes thousands of visitors a month. It has also flourished into a beautiful haven for wildlife including many migratory birds making it a perfect place to visit whether you are in or from the surrounding area.
We love Anglers because it has a central lake with a 2-mile trail around the edges. It’s a perfect place to cycle with small children as the terrain is flat and child safe. There’s also a Room on the broom trail as well as a playpark for the kids. Parking is completely free for the first two hours but living in Sandal we are able to travel to Anglers on the old Barnsley canal path.
Leeds Urban Bike Park Cycling Review For Families
Leeds Urban Bike Park is a gem of a project by Leeds council, the lottery funded and British Cycling & Sports England. At the top part of Middleton park is a mountain bike trail centre and BMX Track, a bike shop with a workshop and a cafe. The bike park consists of multiple different trails across all difficulty levels.
It’s incredibly family-friendly and is suitable for all ages. Best of all it’s completely free of charge. It connects nicely with the wider Middleton park meaning you can enjoy the facilities available including kids park and much more.
It’s run as a community project meaning it’s not for profit. Parking and the bike park are completely free but you can support them by purchasing items in the bike store or in the cafe.
There’s an abundance of courses and circuits that continue into the woodland. Our daughter absolutely loved it and we could have stayed for hours. Even for non-riders Middleton park has plenty of walking trails for you to enjoy.
Pugneys Country Park cycling for families
Pugneys Country Park is a 250-acre park located on the A636 between Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England and Junction 39 of the M1 motorway. It is a Local Nature Reserve. The area was developed from a former opencast mine and a sand and gravel quarry and was opened to the public in 1985.
As residents of Sandal, we live close to Pugneys park, meaning we’ve visited quite frequently over the years. Best of all it’s accessible via bike for those who live in the local area. If you live in Sandal you can take the route down Milnthorpe Lane and past the Farm that the Castle overlooks. From here you can pick up a public footpath route to Pugneys.
If you are not local it’s still a wonderful place to visit. With watersports, a children’s play area, a cafe and a miniature railway there’s plenty to keep you entertained for the whole day.
Best of all it’s cycle friendly and with a 1.6-mile flat gravel loop around the lake, it’s very much possible for children of all ages to enjoy.