I have been struggling to get us out as a family cycling happily due to the contrasting levels of confidence and ability that a 3 year age gap makes. Having to watch one shoot off into the distance whilst the other constantly stops is a nightmare. So I was very happy to acquire a second hand tag a long yesterday to try and make cycling more enjoyable. We took advice from the Go Lakes web site on cycling in Cumbria and headed over on the ferry to the western shore of Windermere:
It adds to the fun to take the ferry and at £4.30 for a car its cheaper than the car park! Once over the water we made use of our National Trust membership to park for free at Harrowslack. Then my daughter and I assembled my son's new mode of transport:
My daughter looked very professional in her cycling gear:
Then we set off (slightly wobbly!) on the cycle path. It starts off fairly flat but once deep into the woods along the shoreline there was a pretty steep hill:
My son was not too keen on the thought of cycling up it:
Of course there was a nice free wheel down the other side... although I was pretty cautious and had the brakes on most of the way down! There were a few more climbs but much of the route is pretty level with a couple of cattle grids for interesting vibrations. We did all have to dismount to get through a gate too:
My son decided that as there was a stile he was going to use it and not use the gate:
Then he held the gate open for us to wheel the bikes through:
As we were back in open country there were lovely views across Windermere (just wish I'd been able to stop and capture the Viking longship we saw...):
We timed our arrival at Wray Castle quite nicely as we still had time to grab a drink in the cafe and then explore our favourite parts of the building. For my children this was the dressing up and sword fighting section:
They did let me have a little time to check out the views through the windows:
My daughter has been studying the Victorians at school so she loved this maid dress up:
Then the castle closed at 5 so we headed back outside. I did pause to take in the view towards the Langdales:
and the mock medieval entrance:
My daughter had a quick practice at using a bike pump as some of our tyres were a bit flat:
The castle is well set up for cyclists with plenty of bike racks:
There is also a little park and some of the 50 things to do before you are 11 3/4 activities. My 2 loved the tyre swing:
My son needed his big sister to help him back out on his turn:
Eventually we saddled back up and headed back south along the path:
My son really loved his tag a long so its proved a good purchase:
I am really hoping that it boosts his confidence this summer so that we all get out on our own bikes having fun. My daughter needs to invest in some decent cycling shorts/trousers as got very uncomfortable on the return leg! We look forward to exploring more of the family friendly cycle routes and having fun getting fit in the fresh air of Cumbria.
