As you may have been able to tell from our Instagram (@liketheclappers) I have been on holiday this week. I’m not gonna wind everyone up by banging on about it, but I am gonna make my blog vaguely holiday based…

I have discovered something that is really fun and I want to share it. We all know the benefits of sun and sand and sea but this week I have found the benefits of (s)cycling!

I’ve always enjoyed riding my bike and have used it for getting about, but not really done much more than pootling about town. This week I’ve been doing a little bit longer and it’s been great!

It should be said I’ve been on a very flat island with very good cycle routes and decent weather – although the wind and rain made some journeys pretty painful. Also, being an island on the atlantic coast you could never quite be sure of what the weather would be like half an hour into your trip.

I think this week I have cycled 200km -and it hasn’t been that hard! I have been on holiday and some of that has been at a very leisurely pace. But I’ve really enjoyed the time to think things through, the feeling of having done some exercise and the sense of achievement. Did I mention I’ve done 200km?!

I’m sure it’s not for everyone and I’ve been in very favourable conditions with a bike I’ve really enjoyed riding. I will of course be forever indebted to my cushioned shorts and honestly, the embarrassment of feeling like you’ve got a full nappy disappears once you reap the rewards of the comfy seat!

I’m going to try to do some cycling back home and we’ll see how much I enjoy it there. It may be that I’m a fair weather cyclist who only rides on the best of cycle paths when there’s a beer and a terrace waiting for me, but there’s only one way to find out!