Mom cycles 1,000 miles across the UK with her kids

By Elizabeth Hunter

A mom is spending the summer break cycling Land's End to John O'Groats — with her two young kids.

Ro Marshall, 36, is on a seven-week journey of hundreds of miles across the country to spend time with her sons.

She will also raise money for perinatal mental health — all while stopping at as many playgrounds as possible on the way.

She began the challenge in June, and she averages around 26 miles per day, while her two sons, 1 and 4, switch between the bike seat and the trailer for each step of the journey.

Ro, a content creator from Barnstaple, Devon, was eager to find a way to make the most of her time with her children while her husband worked away for the summer, and before her eldest starts school.

After departing Lands End on June 16, they are currently near Edinburgh and hope to complete the entire distance in the first week of August.

They have taken the scenic route and back roads and will have cycled around 1,000 miles by the end.

Ro said: "My four-year-old starts school in September, so access to him is going to be more challenging.

"My husband is also working away for five weeks, and my job is predominantly online, so I have that flexibility.

"I was thinking, what can we do?

"As a family, we spend a lot of time on bikes, but I hadn't actually ever ridden a bike like this before we left!"

The family take scenic routes, talking along the way and stopping roughly every two hours to eat, play, or visit a natural beauty spot.

While the family love exploring the country, Ro says the highlights have been the small moments, where she can really connect with her children.

She said: "We're basically doing a tour of the UK's playparks!

"The boys are around at every stop, for whatever we're doing each day.

"We've had a brilliant time exploring the UK at our own pace by pedalpower.

"There have been an infinite amount of highlights - small things like just pedalling along, and hearing my four-year-old talking to me, and listening to what he says in a way that I possibly don't when I'm distracted in everyday life.

"The highlights people expect are cycling through Cheddar Gorge, or crossing the border into Scotland - but it's the 'money can't buy' highlights, and soaking up my children and all that they are at this precious age."

The family have taken rest days during the hottest days of the heatwave, and spent nights visiting family or staying at Airbnbs, planning their journey with her sons in mind.

"Physically, it's not been too bad - we're doing it at a child-friendly pace, so it's not like I'm hammering the miles away," she said.

"We average 26 miles a day, but some days can be 40 miles and some can be 15 miles.

"We just break it up according to what's en route - a tourist attraction or natural beauty spot we can stop and have lunch.

"The biggest challenge for my body is the stop and start.

"Sometimes I would love to finish the day, but right here, there's something incredible we can stop and experience.

"We never exceed more than 90 minutes to two hours on the bike before stopping, the stop always exceeds the time that we've been biking."

Ro has been sharing her journey on Instagram, under the handle @britishadventuremum, while raising money for the PANDAS Foundation - a charity supporting families affected by perinatal mental illness.

So far, she has raised over £23,000 ($30,590) - and says she is "incredibly grateful" for each donation.

But most of all, she is grateful to be able to spend time with her children, living at their own pace.

"Time on the bike is sometimes spent napping, sometimes spent talking," she said.

"The kids are kids, they sometimes need time to have an explore or have a meltdown.

"I listen to their needs to move and change things up - I love letting them do this at their own pace."