As we welcome in October in all it’s fiery vibrant glory, scattered across our lands are swathes of trees in golden ambers and ruby reds...
As dropped leaves swirl on the roads in gusts of wind whilst pedalling by, local pumpkin farms become a hive of activity with their armies of tractors. Like glowing orange autumnal suns, they sit in contrast to the colour of the earth beneath…
So as we enter the new season, the change in the outdoors gives us so much to get excited about whether in villages, towns or cities.
On the run up to the celebrations of Halloween here’s a few ways, through a cycle pretty life, to make the most of the joys October brings...
A Pumpkin-Picking Bicycle Adventure…
Attach your baskets to your handle bars, your cargo crates to your rear carrier racks and plot on the map a group adventure to your nearest pumpkin farm!
It's such a simple activity but gives you so much quality time together, making the perfect opportunity to get away from the treadmill of life and come together for some proper catch up time... whilst also getting in your exercise quota for probably the next month by the time you pedal back with your baskets and boxes loaded up with pumpkins! So rather than add extra weights to the dumbbells in the gym for added resistance, just throw another pumpkin in the basket instead! Either way, loaded up with pumpkins or not, you'll definitely sleep well from all the fresh air and pedal power :-)
So how do you know where to go? Thanks to the networks of cycle friendly routes available to us through things such as the National Cycle Network (NCN) and regional cycle lane schemes being rolled out in recent years, navigating your way to your closest pumpkin farm for a day out on the bicycle is becoming so much easier and safer. And now, thanks to the charity Cycling UK, planning your journey can be done in just a few clicks from here:
Make Your Picked Pumpkin Into An Autumnal Flower Display for Home…
After your pumpkin picking adventures, we recommend buying some single seasonal flower stems from your local florist to create a flower pumpkin as a Halloween party gift and table centrepiece…
In the Cycle Pretty Boutique…
We’re so in love with Fable England's cute mini cross body bag from their Harvest Moon collection. Made from recycled materials and vegan leather, this is one of their many new bag designs dedicated to championing sustainable fashion…
From October’s Book Corner Club…
Passed through the generations, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow makes the perfect book to cosy up with whilst wrapped up warm on a bicycle escapade.
“In one part of the road leading to the church… was found the hat of the unfortunate Ichabod, and close beside it a shattered pumpkin…”
Set shortly after the American revolutionary war, this eerily chilling tale draws many parallels to the many folklore tales we all know of old...
"An opening in the trees now cheered him with the hopes that the church bridge was at hand... Just then he heard the black steed panting and blowing close behind him..."
To create an atmospheric moment, we also recommend reading this tale by night, next to a jack-o-lantern pumpkin!
“Brom Bones…always burst into a hearty laugh at the mention of a pumpkin…which led some to suspect that he knew more about the matter than he chose to tell...”
Our version, published by Canterbury Classics, is one of their beautifully bound Word Cloud Classics and gives plenty to keep you entertained during the month as it also comes with 32 other Washington Irving stories. For more information on their full collection, please visit: https://www.canterburyclassicsbooks.com/categories/word-cloud-classics-fiction/
Happy Halloween everyone!