Exploring with Wee Ones: Stuart’s Story

Being a father of three children and a fairly new resident to Glasgow I’m keen to get out as a family to explore our new surroundings in and around the city. My youngest are twins, aged 5 and adore our cycling adventures. I love to talk about our family cycling adventures with suitable routes for those with young children, hopefully to inspire other parents!

As my kids are so young, I’m keen on segregated lanes or traffic-free routes where possible. If not, we tend to travel on quiet streets to local places and when we are exploring further away from the city we may take a train with our bikes to join on to specific cycle routes.

The Milngavie Waterworks is a favourite of ours, it’s very close to Mugdock Park and on a nice day can offer lovely views of the city. We started walking here when my twins had balance bikes. Now they have progressed onto their own pedal bikes it is still a place that they enjoy coming to and it feels really safe. Having said that, there are some steep banks in sections so I’d recommend this place when children are fairly competent riding a bike, and keeping a close eye on them!

Accessible by car or train, there are various routes around the reservoirs, some wide paths and some off-road sections that are easily manageable for little ones. On a nice day, the paths can be busy with walkers and runners.

The kids love getting out on their bikes, they are enthusiastic about discovering new places and have a real sense of achievement when they manage to use their gears properly and manage to get up some small hills!

When I’m riding with the two of them I’m always barking out instructions. They are very sensible near roads and if they’re unsure about anything will tend to just brake, stop and wait. Of course, there will be falls, so gloves and helmets are a must.

I would also recommend taking some savlon cream (known as magic cream in our household) and some antiseptic wipes. I have recently attended a first aid course so I think that I will upgrade to a small first aid kit, just in case.

But the biggest and most important thing I can recommend is a few bottles of water and snacks, snacks and more snacks! Fig rolls are a favourite and we easily get through a packet or two on some longer rides. When they get hungry they normally start off with a bit of fruit and sometimes I’ll carry a pack lunch or plan a lunch stop. So for me, a backpack is always needed!

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Blog post by Community Development student Stuart Radose

Interested in getting your wee ones cycling? Check out free Play On Pedals sessions across Glasgow