Penelope – that’s her name. My new Pashley is called Penelope. I think I emerged from the womb riding a Pashley because it feels so natural. When we’re cycling I’m not sure where the bike ends and my body begins.
The men in the bike shop laughed at me when I said I got her because I wanted a lighter and faster bike but they don’t know that my other bike is a 43kg cargo bike. The Pashley is so light and manoeuvrable by comparison that I’m not getting the same workout as before. The 5 mile ride to Newton Dee barely lifts my heart rate.
The children can ride all the way to Newton Dee by themselves now.
I’m on holiday this week and yesterday I took my mother-in-law to Fyvie Castle. We have only been to this castle once before because it’s a bit further away than some of the others and the drive there is not as scenic as the drive through Royal Deeside.
Fyvie Castle is probably the most palatial inside of all the castles in this region. It’s also something of an art gallery with a magnificent collection of Raeburn paintings. And it’s absolutely enormous.
Fyvie castle also has a walled garden like all the others but it’s not as good as the walled garden at Crathes and Drum. One very cool thing though: you can stay at Fyvie Castle overnight! There’s an apartment in one of the towers and it sleeps 16. I’d love to do that.
rachel.blog 
I very nearly bought a Pashley last year when I replaced my bike – opted for a single-speed bike in the end. p.s. I rebooted my blog 🙂
How are you finding the single-speed? Do you live in a flat city? We have hills here and I got Pashley with 8 gears and use all of them.
How cold is it in January? Does each room have a fireplace? 😉
It’s not cold at all and there’s central heating. There’s a ghost there too!
It’s great that your kids can ride bikes now. I think mine is heavy enough at 15kg! I mistook a footpath for a bridleway the other day and spent twenty minutes lifting it over stiles before I realised. Is yours a Princess? I just looked it up – I didn’t even realise there were bikes heavier than mine 🙂 Sometimes I think about getting a lighter bike for hills, but I like the thought that I am getting a better workout too (but not as good as either of yours.)
People complain that the Pashley is really heavy but it seems so light to me. It’s all relative 🙂