Sunday afternoon found us in London's Hyde Park as part of our May "
"Active Family Month" Blogger Fitness" challenge.
The theme for this week is wheels....so cycling was our unanimous choice.
I've never cycled in central London (but always wanted to) & as Hyde Park is full of cycle lanes, it seemed perfect.
We took my son's bike with us in the back of the car but my husband, daughter & I rented "Barclays Bikes".
This has always seemed such a fun idea & something recommended by friends.
The bikes are available all over London (check their excellent website for all details) & Hyde Park itself has 12 pick-up points for the bikes.
It was a brilliant idea & we can't wait to do it again.
Before we left home, I went online & booked an access code for 3 bikes.
When we got to the park, I entered the debit card that I'd booked with into the card machine at the bike pick-up point & my ticket (with release code) was printed out immediately.
All we had to do then was unlock our bikes - such a simple & quick process
Hyde Park is London's biggest park and on Sundays it's full of people but we had no problem at all cycling around the many cycle paths & were able to go as fast or slow as we wanted.
We cycled round the Park Lane side of the park to Speakers Corner and then back around, ending up in Kensington Park Gardens.
It was a sunny day & the park was full of skaters, cyclists and runners.
We saw baseball, rounders, football & rugby matches going on....
my children absolutely loved it, they now want to go there every Sunday!
I have grown up in London and love the energy of the city - cycling around the green heart of the city filled me with happiness & pride - and I loved the fact that my children were able to cycle along the wide paths confidently whilst getting a sense of the city at the same time.
There is something about cycling which connects you with your childhood....
it's such a freeing and happy activity....
going out yesterday definitely made me feel I want to do more.
I can't remember the last time we cycled together as a family & the children loved us all being out together....they can't wait to go again.
Nor can I, I had forgotten how exhilarating cycling is!
Cost : bike rental £2 per bike for 24hr access (during which time you can use the bikes as many times as you wish)
+ £6 per bike for the 2 hours that we used them
(as we were only spending time in the park, 2 hours was perfect - it was both a good work-out & fun).
You can pick up & drop off the bikes wherever you like around the city & if you are only using the bikes for 30 mins or less, it's free.
It's a great way of seeing the city, we will definitely be doing it again & I would recommend it to anyone.
(The bike seats are adjustable & are very sturdy & comfortable.
Bikes can be rented on a casual basis or for as long as you like ie, a week or more, it's totally flexible).
This month my family & are taking part in the
we have pledged to participate in one activity per week as a family.
The Mark Warner campaign is focusing on families to get fit together whilst participating in fun activities.
(all photos my own)
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