Rides - Matt's Website (Page 2)

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Rides

Adventures on two wheels – near, far and in between.

View of Cheddar town from above the gorge: houses among trees and a reservoir in the distance.

Strawberry Line overnighter

From our viewpoint above Cheddar Gorge, the town stretched out before us and we could see the hostel where we had spent the previous night.

A mountain bike stands on the loch side with Ben Nevis in the background.

Cycling the Caledonian Canal

Early in the year, and with local schools not yet on holiday, we had the white gravel towpath almost to ourselves.

A Nextbike hire bike alongside the Forth & Clyde Canal.

Falkirk wheeler

Who in their right mind would ride 76km on a heavy hire bike to see canal boats go up and down a lift?

A child on a bike, an adult walking and a dog are silhouetted on the wet sand of Porthcawl at low tide.

Family fatbiking in Porthcawl

You can go pretty much anywhere on a fatbike, but it's hard to beat riding in joyous circles on an empty beach in the weak winter sun.

Two Brompton bikes and a child's Islabike lean against a wall on the Bristol-Bath cycle path.

Bristol-Bath cycle path

“Ha, your bikes are smaller than mine,” chuckled G as J and I retrieved our Bromptons from the lockers outside Bristol Temple Meads Station.

A child rides along a path in a deep rock cutting on the Monsal Trail.

Monsal Trail bike and hike

We dived into Pizza Express, hungry after a day that had unexpectedly involved combining a family ride on the Monsal Trail with a hike back into Buxton.

A child rides their bike up a trail through a tree-lined section of the Elan Valley Trail on a sunny day.

Riding the Elan Valley Trail

The Elan Valley Trail, in the remote Cambrian Mountains, had been on our wish list for a while. There are few family cycle paths as spectacular.

A mud-splattered mountain bike on the shingle beach at Cowes, Isle of Wight – with a ship in the background.

Tennyson Trail loop

The mountain bike I’d hired was in quite a state when I handed it back. And so was I. Storm Brian had taken its toll on the Tennyson Trail.

Benji the bear peaks out of a rucksack near Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Wight.

Freshwater family ride

Storm Brian was in full force as our ferry crossed the Solent. This was an inauspicious start to our holiday on the Isle of Wight.

A black road bike with two red water bottles stands on the grass beside Gospel Pass, the Black Moutnains stretching away into the distance.

Gospel Pass takeaway

Despite three punctures and some ill-advised fish and chips, the highest road pass in Wales didn't disappoint.

Bikes and trailer lean on a bench during a pub stop on the return from Gloucester Docks.

Toddler in tow

Our first overnight family bike ride mixed adventure and comfort into two happily exhausting days.