A Cycle in the New Forest

This was an adventure that was originally scheduled for Ian's birthday yesterday but postponed a day so that we could enjoy sunshine rather than drizzle.

We rented our mountain bikes from Burley and I was - somewhat strangely, since my reputation precedes me by such a long way - gifted the job of choosing the route and navigating. What were they thinking? I chose the Deer Sanctuary route as it was mostly off road and gave us the option of an extension to a recommended pub - The Trusty Servant Inn at Minstead. 

Ian and Jake are both talented competitive swimmers and incredibly strong for their age. I was tasked with the job of keeping up with them. They loved the biking, both the uphills and the downhills. Ian was unstoppable on the short sharp climbs. Jake was similarly strong on the long slogs. I was occasionally able to persuade them to stop and wait for their parents, who were carrying the food and water. Once refuelled, though, they sped off again. Naturally, we took the extension. With a few other detours, the route ended up at 23 miles, twice the distance that it was originally suggested would be ideal. Oops. Kindreth then let on that she'd not been on a bike since she was a kid. Oops again. But then she does ride horses.

It wasn't easy to get this shot of the boys. As competitive siblings, they don't really understand the concept of riding side by side. One was always striving to be in front of the other. My boys were exactly the same at that age. Come to think of it, they still are!

It was a great decision to wait a day. The New Forest was at its best today. You can't beat dappled sunlight in the forest. It was beautiful.