A cycle through the woods: A Thorpe Forest review

Our stay at Thorpe Forest was wonderful.  A true break away that left us relaxed and ready for.. well the rest of the summer holidays.  One of the activities we took part in was cycling through the forest and it was a lovely activity that we did everyday.

David and Jane shared a trailer and they both squealed and giggled as we set of from our cabin into the woods.  At first David was a little nervous and despite his constant giggling he looked over his shoulder fairly often to check I was still there for the first few minutes.  As a child with autism he can be scared or upset by new or different things.

However, he was able to see me through the back of the trailer and he was safely belted in so I was not too worried about him coming out.  After a short while he looked forward and just enjoyed the ride and was very happy every time we went out into the forest.

The scenery was beautiful and easy to take in at the leisurely pace of Anthony and my hubby towing the bike trailer.  We followed some of the Forest Trim Trail which led us in an easy loop around the woods.  It crossed a few paths and after we'd navigated around it once it was quite easy to follow new ones and still get back to the cabins.  When going deeper into the woods we were careful of the stinging nettles reaching out to catch kiddie ankles - its definitely worth pulling up your socks.

The forest was filled with beautiful tall trees such as sycamore and pine. Bushes, berries, birds and the odd bobbing dog walker could be spotted.  It was easy to be out for 10 minutes or an hour. With no times constraints we could run the activity as we wished.  We would watch to see if any of the boys were feeling tired or overwhelmed but it was very relaxed and mostly it was just a case of watching Anthony to see when he was starting to get physically tired so we knew when to head back.

You can either bring your own bikes or hire bikes through Forest Holidays.  The bikes at the centre have suspension and that was helpful as although most of the tracks were easy enough some of them were a little bumpy - after all we were cycling through the woods!    They come with helmets and locks.  All the cabins have bike racks for your store your bike on.

It's easy to add to your package and you can choose the size of your bike.  If you have a bike at home then it's easy to get the same size - just measure the length from the middle of the pedals to the seat post (where the seat fits into the bike).  We opted for the small kids bike and it was just big enough for our 8 year old son. Trailer and child seats for bikes are also available to hire and you can pay per 'stay'. Next year I think he would need the larger one.

We were provided with 2 adult bikes, a child's bike, a trailer by Forest Holidays.

This review is honest and independent and as always from

the view of a mum with autistic and neuro-typical kids.