Autumn is a great season to keep up cycling momentum developed over the summer, perhaps whilst doing the odd bit of cycling on holiday or just around and about home while the kids were off school. It's also a great time to get into new routines as everyone settles back into term-time, and perhaps are able to discover how much time can be saved each day through using bikes - going from A to B to C to D without having to worry about parking, and covering the distance twice as fast as walking.
Kids soon warm up pedalling and often a bike ride at the weekend can be just as if not even more enjoyable than a walk as the days get colder - just make sure everyone has warm gloves and socks and away you go.
It's always nice to cycle on off-road cycle paths, but at some point kids need to learn road-sense too. Obviously this should start on the cycle paths, teaching young cyclists about lane discipline, speed control etc and consideration for their own and other people's safety. This means being aware of other cyclists on the path, whether coming from behind and wishing to overtake, or from the opposite direction. Cycling on the left on cycle paths as a general rule can help avoid tangles and worse - as can using bells when wanting to go past other path users (adult cyclists too: it's amazing how many adult cyclists try and squeeze past children who may well not be aware of them, or undertake fast on the left-hand side). Teaching your children the basics in a quiet environment - can
give them a good start for cycling on roads and in traffic. One particularl useful cycling skill is being able to look over their right shoulder and checking what's
behind before moving out to go round pedestrians or an obstacle. It's also well worth helping your kids to be aware of the different surfaces they're cycling on and to look out for hazards such as glass, potholes and loose gravel that may cause skidding (not to mention the inevitable dog mess in some areas).
Weans on Wheels took the chance offered by the Edinburgh September holiday last week to re-visit routes in Mid- and East-Lothian, starting from Dalkeith (just by the entrance to the Country Park) and heading out along the off-road Pencaitland Railway Path to West Saltoun, then back the same way but with a loop across to Whitecraig (via the Sustrans NCN route 1 section), then back through Dalkeith Country Path stopping for lunch in the tea room there. Around 20 miles all in, but generally flat, and we were sheltered from the blustery wind by the trees along the old railway line. Lovely views out over East Lothian to the Bass Rock and North Berwick Law, as well as combine harvesters and the enormous Pencaitland grain silos closer by. The path also has quite a few boards along the way explaining the mining history of the area, as well as lots of brambles for foraging and snacking on! A nice outing for a morning or an afternoon, with lots of scope for extension or shortening depending on needs and wants. The Spokes East Lothian map shows everything clearly, though you can also find it on the Ordnance Survey map. [More info on the Routes page too.] There are various points at which you can join or leave the railway path as part of other loops using the local roads.
Any route suggestions to share would be very welcome - pleas send them in!
