Cycling

Cycling the Trans Pennine Trail: Chapelthorpe to Royston Route Review

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Trans Pennine Trail Chapelthorpe to Royston

The Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) is a popular multi-user trail crossing the breadth of northern England, with a mix of scenic countryside, woodland, and picturesque urban sections.

My local haunt is the segment which lies between Chapelthorpe in Wakefield and Royston in Barnsley, approximately 4 miles in length one way (8 miles round trip). I have cycled this route approximately 50 times in my life as in terms of proximity to my home it’s one of the easiest to get to without much road use.

It dawned on me today that it’s actually a brilliant beginners route for those wanting to dip their toe into cycling. It’s relatively flat, wide and traffic-free. Perfect for those stepping back onto the bike after some years off or little people making their first strides.

This review covers the highlights, practical details, and suitability of this beginner-friendly route, offering insights for families and solo cyclists alike.

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The Impact of Sport on the Resilience of Children and Teenagers

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Impact of Sport on Resilience

In today’s world, where technology and social media are ever-present, encouraging our children to stay physically active is more crucial than ever. It’s estimated that UK children spend approximately 6 hours a day on screen time (TV, Tablet, Phone). Couple this with school, then life is becoming more and more sedentary. But why is this a problem,  and what does it have to do with resilience?

At Family Cycling, our mission is to create fun outdoor adventures that benefit our young children, Matilda and Barney. We spend most weekends exploring local parks, National Trust or any outdoor location.

Our priority (and hopefully yours) is to cultivate an environment where being outdoors is the default.  We also make cycling an integral part of our everyday lives. This is our primary means of transport for the school run.  This lifestyle is more than just an activity—it’s a way of improving our children’s resilience, physical strength, and mental well-being.

It’s your natural reaction as a parent to protect your children. But your children will also have situations where they require resilience, strength and the ability to deal with a challenging situation. This is where I believe sport plays a role in modern society. In this post, we’ll explore how sports can impact the resilience of children and teenagers, considering the pressures that technology and social media place on their overall well-being.

We want to highlight the many reasons why getting your children involved in sports can lay the foundation for a happier, healthier, and more resilient life.

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Cycling vs Car Use – You can do both?

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In many parts of the world, the car is king. It’s a symbol of freedom, convenience, and status, and for decades, it has dominated the way we think about transportation. With concerns around climate change, pollution, and boosting health (we have an NHS waiting list of over 6 million people) there has been a nod to more active means of transport.

Like everything, however, they have become gambits in a political culture war. Pick a side and argue until the end. But is that the way it needs to be? Maybe the alternative is that we agree that active travel and using the car both have merit for particular journeys.

This article explores the arguments for and against cars and cycling, and why it might be time to rethink how we travel.

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Cycling to School with Kids in the Winter

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Cycling to school in the winter

The winter months are often when many families reluctantly trade in their walk/cycle to school habits for the warmth of the car. But for many reasons highlighted below it’s the best time to continue cycling.

Cycling to school has become a core part of our identity and our day-to-day life. Since our daughter Matilda started school in September 2020, we have cycled or walked to school every single day, without exception. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Our website is all about the joys of outdoor adventures with young children, and cycling is at the heart of our philosophy.

Today, we’re sharing why we continue to cycle to school even in winter and how you can make it work for your family too.

It’s worth noting that our advice is always aimed at those who have the means to do so. Many now work from home, close to home or work shifts. These can make the transition to cycling in all weather. We are here to promote positive habit changes in the day-to-day lives of ordinary families.

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Staying Consistent with Cycling When You Have Kids

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Staying Consistent With Cycling

Balancing your love for cycling with the demands of parenting can feel like a juggling act. Life with kids is wonderfully unpredictable, and it often seems like there’s always something that gets in the way of a good bike ride.

Yet, staying active is crucial—for both our physical health and mental well-being. Staying fit, getting out in nature and keeping my mind free are just some of the reasons I stay consistent with cycling. It’s not always easy and when the cold months kick in it can become appealing to stay inside where it’s warm.

Here’s how I manage to stay consistent with cycling as a parent, with two young children. 

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Great Places to Live for Cyclists Across England

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Trans Pennine Trail, Yorkshire

We are always looking for new places to visit in England where we can cycle as a family. This sent me down a rabbit hole of research on Great places to live for Cyclists across England.

Like many, we are always wondering if the grass is greener on the other side of the country. Is there somewhere we could live with more cycling infrastructure, does a specific county have more traffic-free trails? or can we find somewhere which is more accepting of everyday family cyclists like ourselves?

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Best Places to Teach Your Child How to Ride a Bike: Parks, Trails, and More

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Best Places to Teach Your Child How to Ride a Bike

Teaching your child to ride a bike is one of those unforgettable moments that brings a rush of pride and joy to both parents and children. For me, it’s up there with seeing your child walk for the first time or say their first word. 

Recently we successfully taught our four-year-old how to ride his bike with pedals for the first time. He’s always been strong on his balance bike and we followed this up with getting him used to a normal bike without pedals (we took them off). Following this and with some pushback from Barney we moved him onto pedals and he could cycle freely with us assisting his start.

He’s by no means the finished article now and we have many days ahead which I why I wanted to pen this article to help you choose the best places to teach your child how to ride a bike.

Our goal with this post is to help other families identify the best places for teaching their young ones how to ride, focusing on traffic-free, family-friendly areas, and encouraging a love of biking. 

Table of Contents

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Nostell Priory National Trust Review For Families

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Nostell Priory is a Palladian house located in Nostell, near Crofton, close to Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, approached by the road to Doncaster from Wakefield. It dates from 1733 and was built for the Winn family on the site of a medieval priory.

Now looked after by the National Trust it’s approximately 6 miles from the city centre. From our home in Sandal, it’s a merely 15-minute drive and is a regular on our visit list.

It is nestled in the small village of Wragby and can be found via Sat Nav at the following address or postcode. Doncaster Road, Nostell, Wragby, Wakefield WF4 1QE.

We are lucky that we can cycle directly from our home to Nostell Priory via mostly off-road cycle routes. We reviewed this route here but this article will focus on the National Trust itself.

Nostell Priory is over 300 acres of parkland and woodland. With a beautiful cafe, shop, play park and of course the main house it’s a fantastic place to visit with the family. 

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Trends in Physical Activity and Obesity in the UK (1980 to 2024)

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Obesity Active Travel

They say your job shapes you. This couldn’t be truer when it comes to the increase in obesity across the UK. As a family, we are huge advocates of active travel, and we practice what we preach. For work, school, and leisure, we cycle or walk as much as possible. But what’s the trend around the UK? I wanted to explore this.

As an 80’s child, I wanted to explore the data and see how things have shifted in the past 39 years of my life. They say people look back to their childhood with rose-tinted glasses. In some ways that’s true but did people really walk or cycle more in the past? The data suggests they did and the impact of going against this has supersized our population.

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The benefits of Resistance Training & Trail Cycling

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Resistance Training & Cycling

For anyone who enjoys staying active and maintaining a strong, balanced fitness routine, combining resistance training and trail cycling can be an ideal approach to achieving peak performance. As a dad, fitness enthusiast, and lover of the great outdoors, I’ve come to appreciate the unique benefits of this combination—improving strength and endurance and promoting mental well-being.

From my perspective, longevity is the key to all fitness: finding a sustainable, enjoyable way to stay healthy while setting a great example for your children. A combination of resistance training and trail cycling is the key to this.

This article explores why I believe integrating resistance training with trail cycling can elevate your fitness routine to the next level while also bringing enjoyment and calm to your life. Combined with outdoor family adventures, I am confident you will feel and look much better, and this will be channelled to your children.

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