Bikepacking with Children Ideas.

[Adventurer]

I'm thinking about starting bikepacking with my 8 year old daughter and looking for ideas.

She has a islabike cnoc bike with a pannier rack which I attach a alpkit bag so at least she can carry some warmer clothes and panda. She's now used to doing this. She normally rides her own bike and if she does get tired I can hook her up to the tag along bar on my bike.

https://flic.kr/p/sDpAop

We have been on quite a few car camping trips so she loves camping but it's normally on a campsite with facilities.

I don't think she would deal with proper wild camping but I think a short bikepacking trip with camping at a campsite would be ideal.

So I'm looking for some ideas where would be a good place to start.




So a good campsite with a few facilities

On or very near to a cycle trial or maybe by a canal. Don't really want to go on a road, a small stretch of country road might be ok but not too much.

She is ok for around up to 8 miles but obviously depends on terrain. Not too hilly for an 8 year old.

Could be a round trip with stop off at campsite or one way there and back.


So any bike packers out there with children that have some ideas?


I was even thinking of a ride around derwent reservoir with a stop off at campsite halve way round, but not looked into it too much yet.

Thanks

[Bearbonesnorm]

Teddy bear Bones could be a good place to start. Other kids, like minded grown ups, cracking campsite, fish, chips and ice cream

http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB ... f=8&t=4935

[Adventurer]

We have been on the Mawddach cycle trail, it's good but we had a bad experience with the campsite that it on the route which spoilt our holiday there.

It would be ok if you are on the top campsite with the facilities but if you are on one of pitches a big distance away with no close drinking water or facilities (my daughter would not use the organic toilet) and you have to keep on walking up the steep hill to the toilets etc it was an absolute nightmare.
Maybe ok for adults but for small children with one parent it was just too much.

I think this is the camp you are using, it took me a while to get my daughter to go camping again after using that site.

I had a number of other issues with them as well.

I did think about going on that trail again as it was good but finding another campsite near the trail without going on some roads does not look possible.

https://flickr.com/photos/130449394@N08 ... 3371791551

[Bearbonesnorm]

Sorry to hear you didn't have a good time. I wasn't there last year but I believe the campsite got a big thumbs up from those that were, I assume being in the bottom field added to the adventure.

Tissington Trail perhaps?

[ianfitz]

Plenty of campsites have pods these days. So you don't need to carry a tent. Also plenty of family rooms in yha centres. Adventure during the day comfy at night

[Adventurer]

The pods are a good idea. I've seen them but never used one. I would have to have a look at that. It would save me having to carry a tent.

[HopeValleyPaul]

As above I've been eyeing up the Tissington trail/Parsley Hay area for a little while now. Campsite/bunk house at sparklow with facilities (pub), looks OK when I've cycled passed. Nice easy car free terrain for little uns as well.

[Nevis]

I've been taking my daughter for the last couple of years. We have been using a tow bar arrangement too. It's worked well and has allowed us to tackle longer distances and navigate traffic sections on the rare occasions we've needed to. Down side is the whole set up is very, very heavy. My daughter is 7 now but the size of a 9 year old, on our last trip at easter we both decided that the tow bar won't be coming again.

our trips have progressed as we've learnt and have become more confident what we can achive together.

Not sure where you are, our trips are SW biased. Here are a few of our avdentures.

Camel Trail: Bodmin to Padstow. Free parking At Bodmin Flat all the way. Plenty of facilities at convenient locations all the way along. Icecream man on a bike always goes down well. Wild swimming in the river. Good play park in Wadebridge. Campsite overlooking the sea at the head of the trail in padstow. Proper pasties for tea (no peas or carrots down these parts). 10 miles each way. Traffic free

Tarka trail: Great Torrington to Braunton. Free parking at the old train station. Flat (or as good as) all the way. Good facilities all the way. Instow for beautiful sandy beaches. Couple of campsite options at Braunton and plenty of places to eat. 22 miles each way. Traffic free

Plymouth to Roscoff
Turn right out of the ferry port and head into town. Municipal campsite backs onto a beautiful sandy beach just a couple of miles further on. On road but very quiet. Flat

Newport, talybont, Cardiff. Train to Newport then cycle paths to get onto the Monmouthshire and beacon canal. At Talybont we hooked up to the taff trail and then on to cardiff. There is a big climb over the hills at Talybont but I believe there is an easier route if you avoid the official taff trail path. It's about 85 miles in all and probably >90% traffic free and flat (ish) most of the way. Train home again at Cardiff. One thing I did learn, where I wouldn't think twice about deviating off course a few miles to find facilities this can add a big chunk of riding for a small one. This proved quite limiting re refreshments and places to stay, so much so we ended up doing b&bs. Not exactly bike packing I grant you but still a great adventure. We did this in 5 days. Good weather is essential!

Next trip will be to the pub! Exeter to Turf locks and camp for the night. 10 miles each way and flat.

[ianfitz]

There's also the whitby-Scarborough former railway. 22 miles has several camping and bicycle options along the way.

[Zonc]

When we started bike 'packing' with our kids we just chose a local farm campsite some 6 miles away - made a bit of a route there but it was close enough to home if we needed a quick exit. If pourer with rain all night but we were cosy in our Saunders Space packer tent. We were on our tandem with a trailer for the youngest and the eldest was 5 on her own bike. (It was a French VTT not dissimilar to Islabikes now. Both gals still love adventure riding and camping some 14 years later. My advice is start small and have fun....