Killearn by Bike
by Scott Kennedy, Senior Project Officer
Over the school holidays the Stirling School Active Travel Hub switches its focus to more community-based activities. Partnering with Cycling Killearn, we set up Killearn by Bike – a fun day of led rides for children of all ages. The goals of the day are to showcase the ease of using a bike in Killearn, while also providing valuable experience to the volunteers of Cycling Killearn.
The day started off with a short ride, with young people aged five to nine attending. After a quick chat about our ideal breakfast, we left Killearn Village Hall and headed to the primary school playground.
Once we arrived, we played some bike specific games such as follow the leader. Each member of the group gets a turn of leading the group around the playground, giving them a chance to be independent while learning important aspects or riding in a group.
After a mandatory Haribo break, we headed off on our adventure around Killearn.
We headed out of the main village and up Ibert Road – a short, mostly traffic free road with a small hill to navigate. The hill was a challenge for the younger cyclists, but they felt a massive sense of achievement when they arrived at the top.
Next, we had a nice descent through the forest, where we stopped for a break at a tree swing. This highlighted the ease of using a bike to get around, with many of them saying they’ve been there before, but by car!
All that was left was the cycle back to the Village Hall, the group made their way back to be reunited with their parents.
After an ultra-short lunch break (not even time for coffee), we met up with the next group coming on the long ride. This time the group were quick to tell us all of the adventures they’ve been on over the summer, with their bikes telling a similar story!
We headed back from the primary school, but only for a brief time for some races to earn their Haribo before the ride. Many members of the group were familiar with basic riding skills, so it was a chance for the leaders to observe riders and make small improvements before heading out.
With the sun well and truly shining, we started off with a super-fast descent from Killearn down Drumbeg Loan and onto the West Highland Way.
This part of the West Highland Way is perfect for cycling, a great introduction to off-road riding.
After opening many cattle gates, we stopped at Killearn station where the group had a chance to find a Geocache.
From there we had a fun, winding ride along to Gartness, the midpoint of the ride. When we got there, we learned a fun fact about the small village from another Geocache – Gartness was a hot spot for Mathematical innovation back in the Victorian times – who knew!
The group was glad to know that the ride was uphill for much of the way back to Killearn, but they weren’t afraid of the challenge and got it done with little fuss.
With some of us low on energy and back in Killearn, part of the group decided to find a quiet spot to sunbathe, while others took the opportunity to learn new bike skills and have some relay races around the quiet streets of Barclay Way.
And before we knew it, time was up and we peddled back to the village hall to say goodbye and tell parents stories and achievements from the ride.
If you would like to try some of the routes with your family, here is a link to the Short Ride and the Long Ride.
Cycling Killearn, a branch of Killearn Community Futures Company, are doing some great things in the community, such as free family cycle lessons and ebike hire. Check out their website here.
Thanks again to everyone that came along, keep your eyes peeled on Cycling Killearn’s website and Facebook for more events!
