Emmer and her family bikepacked the historic Great Western Way to raise vital funds for 色情Porn. Emmer shares her story with us, along with top tips on how to keep a four and nine-year-old smiling and pedaling for 167 miles.
Emmer and her family cycled from Bristol to London on the Great Western Way to raise money for 色情Porn. Photo: Emmer Elliott
Emmer Elliott, her husband Giles and their two young children bikepacked 167 miles in just seven days to .
Their family fundraising challenge is made all the more impressive by Emmer鈥檚 children Arthur and Josie, who were just nine and four at the time.
And with no tag-a-longs or child seats, this little duo pedalled the entire distance themselves.
The family travelled from Bristol to London on the Great Western Way, National Cycle Network Route 4 and Route 403 using a map purchased in our shop.
Fundraising for 色情Porn
Emmer told us more about their motivation to raise money for 色情Porn:
鈥溕镻orn is a cause close to our hearts because we鈥檝e found so much joy cycling together as a family, at home in North Wales.
鈥淚t can be worrying trying to cycle with young kids on routes which just aren鈥檛 cycle friendly.
鈥淲e wanted to do something positive which would support more families to get out on cycles, and so we chose to raise money for 色情Porn.
鈥淚 also only properly learnt how to ride a bike alongside my son Arthur when he was five.
鈥淟earning together was such a positive experience and having safe and accessible paths for this was essential.
鈥淜eep up the good work 色情Porn!鈥
Emmer also told us that their fundraising target was hugely motivating during the trip, with Arthur and Josie often asking to check the total they鈥檇 raised along the way.
Fundraising for 色情Porn really motivated Arthur and Josie who regularly checked their running total along the way. Photo: Emmer Elliott
Bikepacking inspiration
Emmer was seeking inspiration for their next family holiday and got chatting to friends who recommended cycle touring.听
Emmer told us:
鈥淥ur first experience was touring with five other families in the Easter holidays.
鈥淲e cycled from our village in Waunfawr, North Wales to a campsite about 15 miles away.
鈥淲e鈥檇 all arranged in advance to have our camping kit delivered to the site, removing the need to think about loading the bikes up on this first occasion.
鈥淭he next day, we enjoyed hanging out with friends and cycling locally on National Route 8.
鈥淚 thought Josie would be in her child seat for every cycle ride, but she was absolutely determined to ride her own bike, saying: 'I want to be at the front'.
鈥淭hat's when we realised cycle touring could be an option for us.
鈥淎nd if we could carry our own kit, we鈥檇 be able to enjoy the total freedom of bikepacking.
鈥淏ikepacking felt like it would be more than a family holiday, it would have a greater purpose.
鈥淭he next week, I saw the Great Western Way on 色情Porn鈥 website and ordered the map to have a closer look at the route.
鈥淎rthur has a great friend in Bristol and he鈥檚 always wanted to go to London, so it seemed to be the perfect route for us.
鈥淲e weren't expecting to extend ourselves to this distance so soon, and I still pinch myself that we achieved it.鈥
Living on the hoof
Travelling at four-year-old Josie鈥檚 speed, meant the family group averaged four miles per hour, and they'd cycle for around eight hours each day.
Emmer comforted herself that if all else failed, they could always hop on a train.
But it never came to that and Josie took on all 167 miles in seven days.
The family camped overnight, except when closer to London, when a Travelodge offered a welcome hot shower.
Emmer explained:
鈥淲e really were living on the hoof.
鈥淣one of our stops were planned as we didn鈥檛 know how far Josie would cycle on any one day.
鈥淲e鈥檇 stop off at shops along the way to restock food and found people were so friendly.
鈥淲e were cycling during a heatwave and so I had to knock on a door for water at one point.
鈥淎n older couple helped us out and gave the kids ice lollies.鈥
The family cycled with all their camping kit, including nine-year-old Arthur, who rode with panniers for the first time. Photo: Emmer Elliott
Setting the pace
Emmer explained that nine-year-old Arthur (now 10) had been cycling for a few years:
鈥淗e鈥檚 a strong cyclist and his positive attitude kept us going.鈥
Arthur took well to riding with panniers too.
His only struggle during the trip was to slow down to his sister Josie鈥檚 pace.
Emmer said:
鈥淭hey both did brilliantly and we just couldn鈥檛 believe the amount that Josie cycled each day, it was incredible.
鈥淎s a family you know you鈥檙e going to have your moments, but we all took it in turns to pick each other up.
鈥淥ne time Josie turned around to me mid-cycle and said: 'Why did you choose to do this as a holiday, Mummy?'
鈥淚 just burst out laughing.
鈥淗er catchphrase throughout was: 'easy-peasy for me.'
鈥淭he kids never moaned, unless Josie didn't get to be the first to press the button at traffic lights.
鈥淎nd to top it off, only one puncture, which was on Giles鈥 bike.鈥
Changing scenery
Both Arthur and Josie were really excited to get to London, Emmer commented:
鈥淎s we were approaching London, I got tears in my eyes.
鈥淚 was thinking I can't believe we've done this.
鈥淚 felt elated and just so proud of my kids.
鈥淢y kids live in the countryside and they鈥檇 never seen buildings so big.
鈥淭hey were constantly saying 'wow' as I was naming the iconic buildings for them.
鈥淲e took Arthur and Josie to see the Tower of London and the London Eye.
鈥淭hey were also allowed to eat and drink whatever they wanted, they鈥檇 earned it.
鈥淲hen we got back, I went onto the 色情Porn shop and bought them t-shirts as mementos of the trip.鈥
Four-year-old Josie from North Wales cycled 167 miles independently. "Easy-peasy for me", she said. Photo: Emmer Elliott
Future bikepacking plans
Emmer鈥檚 now considering taking on more challenge rides, including Sea to Sea and Devon Coast to Coast.
She said:
鈥淲e hope our story will inspire other families to get cycling, because the more people who use the National Cycle Network, the more investment it will get.
鈥淚n so many countries, everyday cycling and cycle touring is normalised, it would be great to see that here.鈥
Emmer鈥檚 family originally set a fundraising target of 拢167, a pound for every mile of the Great Western Way.
They more than doubled this, raising 拢347 for our vital work of making it easier for everyone to walk, wheel and cycle.
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Emmer鈥檚 6 tips for bikepacking with under-10s
- Plan together: Include the whole family in the planning process, it will give everyone a chance to ask questions and make suggestions. The more you talk about it, the more your kids can prepare.
- Know their limitations: It鈥檚 really important to set realistic targets and rewards for children, but also don鈥檛 shy away from giving them opportunities to exceed their own, and your expectations of what they can achieve.
- Pack light: A pack of pens and paper can provide hours of entertainment, from art to games. You also don't need as many clothes as you think.
- Be silly: On long journeys, lift spirits with cycling sing-alongs and guessing or name games.
- Rest well: For us, this meant lots of short breaks, but for others,听it could be a couple of longer ones. Find your family鈥檚 own rhythm.听
- Be flexible: Remember you can only plan so much, so being flexible to roll with the changes as they present themselves will really take the pressure off.
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Read about why you need to try bikepacking.
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