Cycling to Bath to watch the half marathon, or not

If you ever decide to cycle to Bath from Bristol on the tow path to watch the Bath half marathon here are a few tips; make sure you know exactly how far it is to Bath from where you join the cycle path (that way you won't miss the race like we did), stock up on plenty of fluids, cake and sandwiches AND if you go with a 13 year old; make sure their bike seat has been adjusted since last year to the correct height or you will, I promise, feel terribly guilty when you've made the 14 miles to Bath and realise why your child hasn't enjoyed the ride AT ALL! Luckily for us at the end of the track there was a pub for refreshments and a jolly helpful chap fixing his boat who was happy enough to make the required adjustments.

The good things were; we had sunny weather, beautiful country side, the track takes you past a working steam railway and is traffic-free, the various 'artifacts' along route, the long dark spooky tunnel, the variety of cakes at the tea shop on the way (my vote; lemon drizzle) and we found an excellent pub on the canal at the end of the track.

The bad things were; one fed up teenager, not enough fluids for the journey, forgetting to wear padded shorts hence the John Wayne walk for 2 days, getting up off the bench in the pub garden finding my body had seized up and we still had to cylce the 15 miles home....and finally, when we did get back to Bristol, the added insult of being "the most embarrassing mother on the planet"....well there was a rock band playing in the Farrier's Arms garden next to where I had parked the car.......