![\"**NOTE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305274149-928f.jpg\")
\n\t\tRo has taken the summer holidays as an opportunity for an adventure (Picture: Cover Images)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tRo has taken the summer holidays as an opportunity for an adventure (Picture: Cover Images)<\/p>\n
As parents start preparing for a summer holiday filled with soft play centres<\/a> and child-friendly museums<\/a>, Ro Marshall has embarked on a decidedly more adventurous way to keep her kids occupied.<\/p>\n The mum is currently just over halfway through a trip that\u2019d strike fear into the hearts of many readers: an epic 1,000-mile bike ride from Land\u2019s End to John O\u2019Groats, with her two young sons on the back.<\/p>\n The journey, which began on June 20 and is expected to take around seven weeks in total, is made up of approximately 39 stages of between 15 and 36 miles each, with her boys \u2014 aged one and four \u2014 swapping between the bike seat and the trailer.<\/p>\n The 36-year-old content creator from Barnstaple says the family are currently \u2018living day by day\u2019, with her husband, who\u2019s currently working away, helping them plan accommodation and stops.<\/p>\n He\u2019ll also be waiting for the trio at the finish, ready to take over parenting duties<\/a> so Ro can enjoy her first solo bath in almost two months.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t\t\t\tAsk Metro<\/p>\n Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about \u2013 powered by Metro and trusted publications.<\/p>\n The mum-of-two is sticking to quiet roads and scenic routes, allowing her to chat with her sons as they travel and giving them the chance to see landmarks away from the busiest roads.<\/p>\n \u2018That brings its own challenges because it\u2019s normally back roads that are little used, gravelly and have grass growing up the middle,\u2019 says Ro. \u2018But it\u2019s been really beautiful.\u2019<\/p>\n There have been other hurdles too; although they sometimes have friends along the route drive their belongings to the next Airbnb<\/a>, hotel or family home, she often has to carry all their clothes, waterproofs, electronics, food and drink. <\/p>\n When it comes to the latter, Ro jokes that thanks to her nightly habit of buying a pint of milk to drink straight from the bottle, the trip \u2018isn\u2019t going to win [her] any awards for diet of the year,\u2019 but they do \u2018always have a cucumber and a punnet of strawberries\u2019 in their panniers.<\/p>\n \t\t Booking accommodation the night before allows Ro to slow the pace if needed. Once they arrive at their destination each afternoon, she then secures the bike, gets the boys showered, finds a play park to stop in, washes clothes in the bathroom sink, sorts dinner, uploads content, and plans the following day\u2019s route.<\/p>\n During hot weather she sets off very early to avoid the worst of the sun and takes regular breaks in the shade. On the steepest hills, her four-year-old gets off and walks alongside the bike.<\/p>\n Ro says: \u2018Maybe we\u2019ll pretend to race each other. Maybe we\u2019ll put on some music, and he\u2019ll dance alongside me. We\u2019re just having a lot of fun.<\/p>\n \u2018My husband knows where we are all the time, and he\u2019s really proud of us. He sends videos for the boys to watch in the mornings and is always in touch through voice notes and FaceTime. He loves hearing about our day and is super supportive.\u2019<\/p>\n @britishadventuremum<\/a> <\/p>\n Day 18: the hardest day yet Blackrod to Mellor 19miles 1900ft elevation gain Psychologically I was so done and this was day 6\/6 riding consecutively without a break, so I guess rest day in sight was playing mind games too. It wasn\u2019t the longest ride by far, it was only 19 or so miles, but the elevation gain was back after some nice gentler days on the legs. We\u2019d been going up that steep climb happily, slowly, but something in my gut made me fear this road closure when I noticed a car that had passed me, come back around (but surely the car would stop a woman pushing a bike up a hill with two kids to make sure she wasn\u2019t going to suffer the same fate, right?! Wrong!!!) But I reminded myself, there were no diversion signs and if I\u2019d turned at every road closure sign, then I would\u2019ve added miles and miles to this already insanely long trip. PLUS I\u2019ve always been able to make my way through with zero noise\/disruption. However, here we found ourselves and I just plummeted, gutted for the boys (who were completely unphased ha) to delay our playpark arrival. The hill after the climb was a steep descent. Getting out of here felt mentally and physically miserable. I cannot tell you the weight and slog of these miles pulling the boys, our gear and the trailer, because I try not to dwell on it (I\u2019ve only got myself to blame eh?!), but this is the reality of how hard I\u2019m working. I can\u2019t really sugarcoat things when the plan isn\u2019t planning. But lovely, lovely Abi\u2019s arrival about of the abyss (genuinely there was like 5 houses along the closure \u2013 what were the chances that someone even saw me go past their window, nevermind knew who I was!) came at the perfect timing. I didn\u2019t need to fret, she had everything we needed, was the loveliest company and so nonchalant about how significantly she\u2019d just helped me out of the biggest predicament I\u2019d found ourselves in. I didn\u2019t get her handle, so Abi if you\u2019re reading this I\u2019m indebted to you!! I\u2019d captured loads of videos for this day, but I didn\u2019t want to edit something so raw. There was my lowest low, and my highest high. The universe had our backs and I\u2019m so grateful!<\/p>\n \u266c original sound \u2013 I\u2019m Ro, Let\u2019s Fk\u2019n Go<\/a> <\/p>\n Each leg takes about eight hours, with Ro cycling in roughly two-hour chunks before taking a break. Even when she does stop though, there\u2019s little chance for rest, as she\u2019s expected to play pirates, push swings, scale climbing frames, dole out snacks, and settle the occasional squabble.<\/p>\n \u2018But that\u2019s being a mum wherever you are,\u2019 she says. \u2018Yes, I get tired<\/a>, but I\u2019ve got to carry on and get us to the next place. Then I have to get ready to go again the next morning, getting up at six to prepare the bike and make the boys\u2019 breakfast before we leave at eight.\u2019<\/p>\n For Ro, the goal was to do something different and make memories with her eldest son before he starts school<\/a> in September. With her husband working away all summer, it also felt like the perfect opportunity for an adventure.<\/p>\n \u2018My whole motto in motherhood is that you can do anything you want to do,\u2019 she explains. <\/p>\n \u2018I created my Instagram account @\u200cbritishadventuremum<\/a> three years ago to help other women have the confidence to break free from society\u2019s narrative that life ends when you have kids.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019ve had a great time in motherhood because I\u2019ve leaned into the idea that if there\u2019s something I want to do, I ask myself how I can make it work for the kids.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t It\u2019s a full-on adventure, and there have been flat tyres, punctures and plenty of frustrations along the way, but, despite the busy days and challenges, Ro says the journey has been an incredible experience.<\/p>\n \u2018When I\u2019m on the bike, my four-year-old will be telling me things, and I\u2019m really listening because I\u2019m not distracted by my phone, the washing up or the laundry,\u2019 she continues.<\/p>\n \u2018He\u2019s been really outgoing talking to people we meet along the way about our adventure, and it\u2019s been great seeing how mature and helpful he\u2019s been.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tWould you take on an adventure like this with your family?<\/p>\n Absolutely, it sounds amazing!Check<\/p>\n Maybe, but it seems quite challenging.Check<\/p>\n Not for me, it’s too much effort.Check<\/p>\n I prefer other kinds of family activities.Check<\/p>\n Alongside countless micro-adventures and memorable moments, including cycling through Cheddar Gorge and crossing the Severn Bridge, she\u2019s enjoying connecting with mothers around the world, who message her online to say she has inspired them.<\/p>\n \u2018To hear you\u2019re having a positive impact on another family\u2019s life is amazing,\u2019 says Ro, who has 181,000 followers on TikTok, \u2018Little old me from Bideford, North Devon, has created this page that\u2019s having an impact on people all over the world. It\u2019s a great feeling.\u2019<\/p>\n And that\u2019s not all; since the beginning of the trip, she\u2019s raised more than \u00a313,000 for the PANDAS Foundation.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s a great organisation which supports families affected by perinatal mental illness,\u2019 the mum adds. \u2018I\u2019m really grateful for every donation I receive.\u2019<\/p>\n You can find Ro\u2019s donation page here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tMore family stories from Metro\t\t\t<\/p>\n Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow \t\t\tComments \t\t\t\tAdd as preferred source![\"**NOTE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305272450-62d8-e1784100922151.jpg\")
\n\t\tRo is cycling 1,000 miles with her two young sons (Picture: Cover Images)<\/p>\n![\"**NOTE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305272395-2c20-e1784100896563.jpg\")
\n\t\tRo is making the most of this time, before her older son goes to school in September (Picture: Cover Images)<\/p>\n![\"**NOTE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_305272396-d615-e1784100863407.jpg\")
\n\t\tRo has loved bonding with her kids (Picture: Cover Images)<\/p>\n
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