
We had our first holiday of the year a couple of weekends ago (before the crapness of wheezy hospital trips, the Noro virus and a mini ice-age descended upon us) - a lovely long weekend in a cosy cottage just outside Axminster. Whilst happily digesting the fruits of Martin’s cooking course at the local foodie haven (a strategic Christmas present and the reason for the holiday) I reflected on what it takes to make a success of car-free travel with kids. It’s pretty simple to get to places without a car, particularly if you’re prepared to be pragmatic and take a taxi for the last few miles to that off-the-beaten-track beauty spot you’ve discovered. But finding somewhere you can both get to and get around during your stay can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. Particularly when you’re from a big city and so crave fresh air and countryside views. Add in a couple of children that are too young to get very far (or anywhere at all!) under their own steam and it’s easy to see why many people think car-free holidays are a ridiculous idea. I don't agree. With a little planning and a spot of lateral thinking you can satisfy your countryside cravings without a car.
On our recent trip to Axminster we managed - just - to cram in something to keep everyone happy. A bike ride through quiet country lanes and off-road cycle tracks, the best cafe breakfast we’ve ever had, a pit stop at a country pub, animal park action for the kids, a traffic free stroll with huge muddy puddles and loads of snowdrops, and a home cooked Sunday roast whilst the cold wind blew in the first snow flakes. And all without the expense and hassle of the long drive out of London (when you don’t own a car the car-hire can easily double to cost of a weekend away and the drive takes waaay too long).

But it wasn't all a smooth ride. Here are some tips for car-free travel with kids from our experiences. From both our good experiences and from our "with hind-sight..." moments!
Tip 1: Talk to local people.
They know stuff that the internet doesn't! We all, especially little M, had a hankering to go cycling. No amount of internet trawling could locate a cycle hire near enough to be of use (let alone with kiddy-carrying extras). Bum. So, not liking to give up, I mentioned our hankering to the owners of our holiday cottage. They put some feelers out and hey presto! Lovely Richard, a local bike mechanic, just starting out as a bicycle hire outfit comes up with the goods. I think he actually acquired the trailer just for us! It wasn't a top of the range trailer you might get from a well established hire firm but it worked and we were able to make the most of a beautiful sunny Saturday before the cold weather set in.
After dragging his bike trailer up one too many hills I’m wishing we’d asked Richard about cycling routes too. When he dropped the kit off (free delivery!) in the midst of a bedtime showdown with the girls it wasn’t really at the forefront of our minds! Local people also know really helpful stuff like, is it vaguely safe to walk from where you're staying to the nearest pub, town, attraction etc. You can't tell from a map if there's a buggy friendly footpath, what the traffic is like.
Tip 2: Take pleasure in the journey.
We were reminded this weekend that it’s often better to not put pressure on yourself to get to ‘somewhere’ if you’re walking or cycling with children. Distances completely warp when small people are involved! You may think your legs are up to pulling that bike trailer for 10km but the kids may have other ideas - rumbling tummies, toilet and nappy-change stops, shrieking for playgrounds, sheep viewings and all manner of (mostly great) things to spend your time doing, that aren’t going from A to B. Packing a good picnic is essential. We had a sunny picnic lunch with extra crisps and shandy outside a pub whilst out on our bikes as the weather surpassed even our optimistic expectations.

On the Sunday our plans to walk the 2-3km to a nearby animal park almost unravelled because the weather turned much colder. Faced with a 1.5km walk home, a 3 yr old shouting "I want to watch telly!", and a baby threatening to wake up from a well-timed nap and demand to escape from the warmth of her pushchair full of blankets we almost bolted into a nearby supermarket to buy a joint of meat to roast and call a taxi home. We didn't (although we did stop to shop to break the journey home!). I walked VERY briskley onwards to the animal park, big-upping the prospects of hot chocolate and meerkats all the way there and frantically pointing out anything interesting to distract little M. Later, little M said the hot chocolate and animal park was a highlight of her holiday, so I reckon we made the right call to push ahead. We'd plan a shorter route, or one with more bolt holes on a cold day in future, and perhaps be able to enjoy the journey more!
Tip 3: Do your research.
A bit of planning can help you make the most of any holiday...when you have no car, and small children, it's essential! Pick accommodation that has all the kit you want - cot, high-chair, stair gates, toys...so you can travel light. Check what your transport options are - in rural locations it could be a reliable hourly service to connect you to all manner of interesting activities...or a weekly bus on market days, leaving you immobile for the rest of the week. This might be fine if your cupboards and creativity are well stocked! Find out things like...can you access nice walking paths and countryside straight from your accomodation? Is there some ‘entertainment’ or a beach within walking distance? Can you actually hire a bike for a day if you want to? How will you get provisions? We bought provisions at a supermarket near the train station before being taken by taxi with our shopping and luggage to our cottage. Other times we've had groceries delivered. Given unpredictability of the British weather, planning everything in advance will be a frustrating business. I prefer to do some research before hand to know that we have enough options to make for a good holiday. I then rely on wifi, smart-phones or good old maps (and talking to people) for final decisions once we're there.
Planning resources that are worth a look...
Sustrans interactive map of UK cycle routes - all the existing and planned route in the National Cycle Network. Worth checking with locals for the latest info - a new off-road section of a proposed route had opened across the road from our cottage only a few weeks before we arrived.
Car-free walking routes Loads of walking routes - anything from a post sunday lunch stroll to a week long expedition - all accessible by public transport. Includes descriptions, maps, accomodation and food along the route and a search option for pushchair / family friendly routes (although this doesn't always bring up appropriate routes). A good place to get some inspiration.
Cycle Hire in the UK A easy way to search for cycle-hire in your chosen holiday spot. The search options for trailers and child-seats aren't 100% accurate on here either but it's great place to start.
And the tourist info websites for most regions have helpful info on getting around - I found the interactive bus map that I discovered via the Visit Devon website was really helpful.
Tip 4: Take time to smell the roses...and pig shit.
Rethinking what ‘activities’ make a great holiday pay's off. But it can be a tricky skill to learn. I find it's so easy to get lost in the mass of information about childrens' 'attractions'. Pick any three of...animals, miniature railways, face-painting, story-telling, playgrounds, rocks, olden days anything, TV characters, and sandpits...and you've got yourself a sell-out holiday attraction! The kids will love them...for a while. And you'll enjoy seeing them enjoying them...for while. At just 3 I'm pretty sure little M's interest in randomly themed attractions with a few animals thrown in is waning a bit. Mine too! The bike ride was actually her favourite part of this holiday despite getting soaked when a downpour leaked through the bike trailer roof just before we arrived home (Richard's on the case waterproofing it for next time!). That and spotting snowdrops. I think little L's favourite things were the cafe breakfast and crawling around the cottage with no stair gates to interupt her (we have a LOT of stairs throughout our flat on London).


I'm still learning how to 'plan' to make the most of our precious holiday time and resisting the urge to go to a different attraction each day. The thing is, picnic sites aren't usually for profit and woodland walks don't make much wonga. And so you don't find so many leaflets about them (although I did once find a great picnic site leaflet sponsored by a biscuit company!) or about having time to talk, time to notice things that are different to home - "what's that smell" - and to take in the views. But the more I look the more inspiration I find. There's a great list of organisations and websites here to help people get outdoors and some top tips for fun activities here that I'm looking forward to exploring more as the weather warms up.
One thing I'm sure of - taking time to choose your holiday location with care, and once you're there, pausing to smell the roses and create fun on your doorstep, means that you don't miss having a car at your disposal. It's often the adventures we get up to when we take a break from the 'attractions' that we remember most fondly.
Slow down, enjoy the ride and you'll probably find your kids do too!