Family cycling in Grizedale forest

We camped over in Hawkshead in the Lakes at the weekend and we took the bikes. On Saturday we went to the cycle hire place at Grizedale forest and hired a tag-a-long to get our youngest mobile.

We picked a nice easy route of maybe 9 miles and set off. We rode the purple dots on the map on the left. The cycling was on forest tracks and the first climb up for maybe half an hour or so was steep in places. Steeper if you were towing a four year old who worked out pretty quickly that his dad couldn't see if he was peddling or not.

We were with another family and it was their first time on mountain bikes off road I suspect. There was some swearing, some muttering at "gears" and some glum, pale, grim faces. By the time we stopped for sweets there was that "leave me with the gun you go on" look from Mr Other Family.

The sweets worked and by lunch we were well up the side of the valley at Moor Top. Its was cold in the thin cloud but with some cheese butties inside we were all a bit more perky, so we zoomed round the fun blue loop in half an hour or so. It was all little hills and little descents if you kept the bike moving it was more roller-coaster than road.

The afternoon was spend whizzing down the other side of the valley getting rid of all the height we had put on in the morning. You got views down to the valley floor in between gaps in the trees and a deer lept across our path to add a touch of the exotic to the day.

The two older boys had a ball, there were many grins and behind me all I could hear from my youngest was "Faster, faster." I was trying to provide the best high quality adrenaline experience, without dropping the bike and turning him off cycling for life. It worked and my wrists will stop aching soon.

Mrs Cycle Harrogate was all grins too and having just got rid of her last mountain bike for her current city bike, she is now shopping for a replacement once more. Mrs Other Family was secretly having the time of her life but was finding the saddle on her bike a little unfriendly. We zoomed on finally descending steeply to Bogle Crag were we picked the road up and followed it back to the start.

We were back at the visitors centre in about 3 hours from setting off, after as good a days cycling as I have had since I got to blast some trails in California,  long before children were even a vague idea.

So if you are looking for some family friendly cycling and you find your self that side of the Pennines you could do much worse. We are going to have a look at Dalby Forest next and I'm hoping for as good a day.