Every Family Ride Starts With a Conversation
One of the questions I'm asked most often is, "Can we still come if we've got young children?"
The answer is almost always yes. The more interesting question is how.
Every family is different, and that's why every ride starts with a conversation.
Recently, a lovely couple got in touch to say they were spending a weekend at the newly opened Teffont House in the beautiful Nadder Valley. They had a two-year-old and wanted to make the most of the area's off-road riding.
My first instinct was to suggest our upright Orbea Kemen touring bikes with a child trailer. It's a fantastic option for many families and offers a comfortable, relaxed way to explore the quieter lanes and trails of the Cranborne Chase.
But after chatting to them, it became clear they were experienced riders who were keen to spend as much time off-road as possible. They planned to bring their own WeeRide child seat, and together we worked through how we could make it all come together.
Modern e-mountain bikes like the Orbea Rise have sculpted frames, which means a standard WeeRide doesn't always fit as easily as it would on a traditional bike. Fortunately, they'd thought ahead and brought a crossbar that fitted between the seatpost and the stem, providing the mounting point needed for the WeeRide.
Problem solved.
From there, the planning became the enjoyable part.
Rather than simply handing over a couple of bikes, we talked about the sort of riding they enjoyed, the distance they wanted to cover, and the places they'd like to visit. I then put together a route that combined quiet lanes, some wonderful off-road sections and a few of my favourite local spots, loading everything onto a phone mounted on the handlebars so they could simply enjoy the day without worrying about navigation.
Sometimes it's these small details that make the biggest difference.
As one of the family later wrote:
"Alexis sorted us with great route suggestions and even gave us a phone pre-loaded with the routes mapped in..."
What pleased me most wasn't just that they enjoyed the riding. It was that, despite travelling with a two-year-old, they were able to experience exactly the sort of day they'd imagined when they first got in touch.
Their review finished with words that meant a great deal:
"Alexis couldn't have been more accommodating."
For me, that's really what Cranborne Chase Escapes is all about.
There isn't a standard route.
There isn't a standard itinerary.
There certainly isn't a standard family.
Every enquiry is different, and that's exactly how I like it. Whether you're looking for a gentle ride with a trailer, a pub-to-pub adventure, or an off-road family day out with a WeeRide, the aim is always the same: to create a day that feels like it was designed just for you.
Because the best adventures don't start when you get on the bike.
They start with a conversation.
Find out more at www.cranbornechase.com or get in touch for a chat via our contact page.