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I fancy doing some multi-day trips this year with my kids (5,7&10). Ideally off road/cycle paths around Yorkshire, where we live. I want to start with a few 2 dayers then move on to longer ones. To begin with i am thinking of just doing a few short trips in the dales and either biviying or staying at YHA (Malham, Hawes, etc).
Would like to build up to the Hebridean Way eventually.
To begin with thinking: Swale Trail, Cinder track and a few from home into the souther dales.
Anyone think of any others?
Did the Cinder track with the kids then 5&8 camping at the campsite in Fylingthorpe (just short of Robin Hood's bay). 5 year old was on the back of the tandem, 8 year old on his bike. Most heavy gear in a trailer behind the tandem and panniers on my wife's bike.
It's uphill all the way to Ravenscar from either way and downhill away from it.
Left a vehicle in Burniston junt N of Scarborough overnight no problem (just on a roadside). Finished at Ruswarp leaving kids in the soft play and cycling back. Also there is a bus from Whitby to Scarborough every hour.
Boggle Hole YHA is also a good option just off the track. You have to either go on the beach or use a footbridge at high tide to reach it for extra adventure feel.
Also did out and back on Monsal trail a year later riding from Bakewell (car left at roadside by the end of the trail) staying at Ravenstor YHA. All the kit fitted in panniers on the tandem and 1 adult bike for this.
Both great kiddy trips. Have fun.
Love Boggle Hole YHA, went twice last year!! Also have a mate who lives in Scarbrough so am planning on leaving my car there.
Monsal trail is a good call, I will have a llok at that and see it it can be extended,thanks.
first tour we did with the kids was in Holland 20 years ago.
2 weeks camping, stayed 2 days in each place. think we made it to Alkmaar.
never rear touched a road, even all that time ago.
kids went in the sea every day. awesome
think i am gonna take the grandkids on a similar trip in a couple of years, cant wait.
I was just telling the 10 year old about my dream of riding off the ferry in Holland and exploring 🙂
so easy from Hull mrchrist
a perfect place for kids to cycle.
Josie Dew's book and articles may give advice. Or put you off
She sounds v keen.
I was just telling the 10 year old about my dream of riding off the ferry in Holland and exploring 🙂
I want to do the same with my two in a year or two but lightweight camping going up the coast from the Hoek/Den Haag.
I'm pretty sure we did a similar trip when I was a teen at least once albeit staying with friends in Holland and not camping (lightweight gear was not like it is now).
We've done a bit, started with trail-a-bikes in the SE and then couple of days on the Downs Link, last summer spent 4 days tootling around the Dutch coast starting and finishing in Amsterdam.
We've so far always kept daily miles easy, but now the boys are a bit bigger (12 and 15) aiming a bit higher with a trip planned for next Whitsun break, current target Denmark.
The boys carry their sleeping bag, mat, waterproofs and spare clothes in a 13l drybag, the rest of our kit fits in a mix of panniers and bikepacking bags across Mrs Davy's bike and mine.
Will post a pic if I can work out how!
Checked out Josie Dew, she doesn't pack light!!
A couple of friends have done some cool bikepacking trips with their young family:
https://thenextchallenge.org/cycling-shetland/
The mum of that family, Laura runs an annual Cycle Touring Festival and their facebook page is pretty active. If you have any questions you can get a wide variety of experienes ffrom there.
For a short route there is the spen valley greenaway. Surprisingly good given you start in a bradford industrial estate.
One that I did w my 4 and 7 yo, 4 yo on a tandem. Was the North Wales cycle path. We started on the wirral and did the wirral way, and finished near Porthmadog. Its brilliant and largely traffic free and largely flat. Its bit rubbish around flint, which can be partially bypassed and z bit of pavement riding. Then not great thru Bangor but j realised after you can bypass this on lanes. We wild camped it in 5 days. Its about 250km but you could cut it short. Let me know if you more details
BTW you must live pretty close to me
And as a humble brag this is our route from last year.
Thanks @nealc.
Have done a bit of the spen valley when I lived in Pudsey. Live in Ilkley now.
Visit my folks are in North Wales and have cycled in various stages from Talacre to Aber falls.
Was thinking of maybe cycling to Bangor and getting the train back to Rhyl. Maybe we could bivvy angling the way. Kids would love that!!
Those who did Monsal, did you just ride up and back on the old train track? Looking for something to do with my kid but it needs to be a bit more without being too much.