Heart Route 41 in Loughton, The Reunion

The Reunion
​
Scrabble 
Night Time
Golden milk by my side
Loved ones competing to win 
Reminiscing, laughing 
Silence outside 
Just the odd passing car
Content, cosy, happy
Surrounded by family
Soaked in love

Follow your heart: 
A heart route to celebrate my long awaited family reunion! 

Location:
Loughton, a cute ancient village in Milton Keynes England, and the city where I first gave birth to Cycle Your Heart Out over a decade ago! It's  also one of my favourite areas in the city to find some peace and walk the dog.

Heart Route:
It was thanks to my amazing sister's that we managed to come up with this short but beautiful 4.78km ride in Loughton! The route is also part of the 12km Millennium cycle route around Milton Keynes, a quiet picturesque ride that takes you past the river Ouzel, the Grand Union Canal, ancient villages and the famous concrete cows!

Cycle Your Heart Out:
Meet my mum, she hadn't rode a bike in ages, and had pretty much lost all confidence. She would stop and walk the bike to cross a small road, avoid adjusting the seat to the correct height in case she fell off, and rode the same speed as someone walking. 

But little by little with the help of me and my sister, her confidence bloomed as we rode along peaceful paths, canals and lakes. No rush, nowhere to be, just us and our bikes. We stopped to pick freshly fallen plums, pick juicy blackberries, and to simply admire the horses. The more we rode, the more her fear faded and her smile grew! We celebrated our ride with some delicious Victoria sponge cake and tea at the Grumpy Cook.  

If you have someone you love who is a little hesitant to get back on their bike, here are 2 tips from my mum that helped her get over her fear of cycling:

1. Walk and cycle... Like when you start running, you walk/jog/build up a few mins at a time... 
2. Avoid cycling on hills or in bad weather until more confident 

Spread the love:
To help spread the love around Milton Keynes I gifted a copy of my new book to the wonderful Alchemise Yoga Studio in Newport Pagnell.  Ran by the lovely Wendy, it was thanks to her amazing classes that I first fell in love with yoga over a decade ago. Thanks Nicole for reading my poems in your relaxing cello classes.  

"Building community, bringing art from the heart, a perfect offering.
​Thank you so much for bringing your wonderful poetry into the world and sharing your book with us!"

- Wendy  Loughlan - Founder of Alchemise Yoga Studio