This family cycle trail at Sherwood Pines is a great introduction to cycling on Forest tracks for young children.
Distance: 7km
Difficulty: Green
Facilities: Visitor centre with cafe, playground and toilets. Lots of other activities on offer including walking trails and Gruffalo orienteering. Cycle hire available.
Parking: Tiered pricing, pay at pay stations on exit. Up to a maximum of £11 for a full day (correct at time of publishing- 17.3.24).
Our cycle review of the Maid Marion Trail at Sherwood Pines.
Our son has recently come off his balance bike, so is new to pedalling and brakes! After a couple of successful outings with us walking whilst he pedals, we decided to bite the bullet and attempt a family cycle with us all on bikes!
The route starts at the cycle hire with clear green signage, in fact it’s extremely easy to navigate the whole way round, with markers at every junction and turning.
The very first section of the route was flat and beautifully weaved between the trees. Our 4yo was confident and happy- it was off to a great start!
Before long, there were a few inclines and downhills. Absolutely nothing to trouble our 8yo (and nothing to warrant the adults even changing gears), but our son was off and on the bike a few times as he found it difficult.
We stopped for a snack and drink after about 20 minutes, and this seemed to do the trick. The remainder of the route he found his biking legs and some confidence! There is a longer downhill section towards the end, but by then we had cracked the brakes and he was happy to attempt this himself (albeit very slowly)! And he was much stronger on the last uphill- although did need a couple of pushes from us to get him going!
We’d definitely try this route again (in fact we’re already trying to plan a camping trip this summer to try more of the activities). It’s a great choice for young children with decent ability- our 8yo found it pretty easy, and was actually eager to try a few jumps and bumps when our route coincided with other trails. And at 7km it’s a really good distance to challenge younger ones without taking too much out of them!
Back at the visitor centre there are a couple of play areas and a cafe- a great reward to finish! Plus if you still have some energy, you can try the walking trails and Gruffalo orienteering.
This really was a perfect family day out.
