🚴‍♀️ Gravel Cycling in the Forest of Dean | Catch-Up Ride + Two Big Questions! (Cycling Vlog)

Join Tom and me for a relaxed gravel cycling vlog, here in the Forest of Dean, one of the UK’s best spots for cycling and outdoor adventures.

This ride is a chance to catch up — and to ask for your input!

Two big questions for you:

1️⃣ What would you like to know about my self-built gravel bike, Old Fashioned? I’m preparing a full update video soon.

👉 Watch the first video about my custom, hand-built gravel bike here: https://youtu.be/xzF0l-Uvors

2️⃣ I’m looking for a traditional British shopping bike to pop back and forth to the local shops on. I’m especially interested in Pashley bicycles, but I’d love to hear your opinions? What are your recommendations?

This video is part ride, part chat — celebrating UK cycling, gravel bikes, and the joy of exploring by bike.

💬 Share your questions and recommendations in the comments!

👍 Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more cycling vlogs, gravel bike updates, and UK rides.

Your support is truly appreciated helps me keep making these videos.

Thanks for watching and keep graveltating!

@cyclingcamerasandcoffee

*Like my kit?*
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SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Find me on Strava:

https://www.strava.com/athletes/cyclingcamerasandcoffee

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@ForestCyclingAdventures

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@TomRPhotography
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AFFILIATE LINKS:

Get 10% off Siroko:
https://srko.co/cycaco

AliExpress:
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_onQGQ4z – Elitewheels ENT GRAVEL Carbon Wheelset.
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oC5XqfF – BXT Gravel 135 Carbon Gravel Frame.
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oDjTxp7 – Ryet Ultimate 3D Printed Carton Bike Saddle.
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oBJ1oIp – TOSEEK Carbon Gravel Handlebars.
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oCkzQfx – TOSEEK Carbon Seatpost.
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oBLuPt3 – TOSEEK Carbon Bike Stem.
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oDih7Vj – ZRACE Centre Lock Rotors.

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About me:

I am a female photographer and road & gravel cyclist from the Forest of Dean. I also enjoy walking, nature and wildlife watching. Join me as I explore the world of road and gravel cycling, highlighting the benefits of cycling for enjoyment, fitness and well-being.

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#gravelcycling #forestofdean #cyclingupdate #weekendride #cyclingvlog #cyclingcommunity #graveltating #gravelcyclist #roadcyclist #roadcycling #femalecyclist #outdooradventure #healthandfitness #healthandwellness #gravelbike #forestofdeancycling #cyclinginspiration #weekendcycling #weekendinspiration #forestofdean #pashleycycles #pashley #siroko #sirokocycling #iamsiroko

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Good timing. [Music] Just come up the hill from the bottom of White Croft. We’ve had to have a little break. Although we’re feeling much better. That um virus, whatever we had, it’s done our chests in. Bit of a pain. You’re hot now. I’m boiling. Actually, I shouldn’t have put a base layer on. you okay? No. I feel like I’ve never ridden a bike before. You haven’t been out for a while. It’s been ages since I’ve been out with this one. I haven’t even been out that much lately, but it’s lovely to have your company, though. You won’t be saying that when I’m doing 5 miles an hour up the hill. That’s all right. We’ll just chill out. Look at this. Lovely trail up through here. That was really good timing with that train. I like watching the trains go across the crossing. You ready? Have you had a drink? Realize I’ve just dived straight into this video. So, I’ll um take the opportunity now to say hello. How have you guys been? Hope you’ve all been well. It’s a beautiful day. and we’re out for our first gravel ride together for quite a while actually. It’s nice to be out with Tom. This is a nice trail though, is it not? Okay. I think his chest is worse than mine actually. [Applause] We went canoeing last weekend with my sister and her family. That was really fun. From Ross to um Oh, Ross to Sim and Jat. Lovely day. Perfect weather. I did try to film some of it, but um it didn’t come out terribly well. I got the camera at the wrong angle and all you could see was my legs. The water levels were a little bit on the low side, I think. But, um that’s kind of to be expected with all the dry weather we’ve been having. It’s the driest like six weeks we’ve had in years, isn’t it? Apparently. So, just at Manard’s Pike at the moment, and it is absolutely packed. Oh, there goes the zip wire. There’s so many people here. It’s a good job we didn’t stop for anything to eat. I don’t think we would have been sat here for ages. Legitly packed. Yeah, it’s way packed though. I mean, I came here on a weekend not long ago and it wasn’t this bad, right? Okay, let’s carry on then. I don’t know how long a video this is going to be again. It might just be a short one. We’ve just popped out for a a quick ride, so it’s so busy. But that’s to be expected, I suppose. We’re on the main trails and it’s the weekend and it’s a lovely day. Oh, look. There are beavers here now. Perry hay beavers. That’s what all this enclosure has been built for then. I’d been wondering what this new enclosure was for. Whereabouts are we? Just down from Malard’s Pike. I don’t know exactly. Perry Haye, obviously. Yeah, Perry. But um I I’ve never heard of Perry Hay before. No idea. It is near Malad’s Pike. Anyway, might be worth a visit. Maybe you can spot one. We’ve never spotted a beaver in the um the other enclosure yet, have we? We’ll have to have a look around here and see if we can see one. Now, can you spot a beaver? Like brown and hairy, aren’t they? It’s very ratted along here. It’s massive this enclosure. Have you seen anything? You won’t see anything during the day very likely anyway, will you? No. Like it’s quite quite way across to the water as well. It’s just interesting to see the actual enclosure. Alas, no beavers. I’m out on old fashioned today. There you go. I’ve started filming my update slash review video. Hopefully I will get that out for you soon. Yeah, while on the subject, I just thought I’d ask if anyone else has any questions that they’d like me to address in the update video, either about the bike or um I swear that look like easy rises. I swear that was easy. Riders just went past us. Just sort of It happened a bit too quick. I just sort of double took. Did you think it was? If that was you, let us know. Sorry. If not, your doppelganger has just cycled right past us. So yeah, as I was saying, if you’ve got any questions about the bike, let me know in the comments below and I will try and address them in my update video. Uh-oh. No, it’s awoken. Hello, sweetie. Now we’ve got to feed them. They’ve woken up. Hi, guys. is I know we’re back again. Back again to see the piggies. Yeah. Lovely girls. Lovely girls. Hello. Hello. Lightmore. Looking lovely in the sunshine. They’ve been working on the trails again. This is smoother than when I last came through. What’s that complaining about? Oh, they’ve done all this as well. This is very nice and smooth. Wonder if they’re going to put um anything down on top. Gravel. Hopefully not, cuz it’s quite nice like this. I think now this might be my favorite section of the family cycle. I tell you what, I am on the lookout for a shopping bike cuz I haven’t had one for years. Has anyone got any recommendations? I actually um quite like the look of um actually Britannia. But yeah, the passion whites look lovely. The Bratannia in particular. I quite like to go with a nice sort of girly color as well. Another proper girly bike. If anyone’s got any other recommendations, I would um love to hear your opinions on that. Obviously, it’s very hilly around here, but um I’m not too worried about um that because I can pretty much get up and down the hills now on anything. So, I’m used to them nearly back in park now. Haven’t been up here for a while. quite pleased to say that it doesn’t seem my fitness level has dropped. I think I was just ill and exhausted. I’m feeling pretty good today. This is the first long ride actually I’ve been on since I’ve been ill. How was that chest hurting again? This is the first longer ride I’ve done where I felt good um since we’ve been ill actually. I did a couple of short ones in the week. Very short like baby rides this week. And even on the last one where I came and met you, when was that? Wednesday. And my chest felt really bad then. It’s not right yet, but I I feel much healthier. I don’t think my um fitness level has dropped. Mine has. It has been a while. You’ll get back into it. If you start going again regularly, I’ve just been asking people for recommendations about um shopping bikes. I did say that I like the Pashley Britannia, but um I don’t know if I’m 100% set on that. It would have been nice actually to go up to Stratford to um the Pashley uh factory and go and have a look at them because I think you can go and look at them there because then I could try them out and see which one I liked. But way to go just to look at a bike is a long way but I mean like they’re nice bikes aren’t they? It’s a good investment. So bike like that should just last. Where is it going to go? Oh dear. You were moaning when I bought this. Yeah, that’s true. We’ll find room. There’s always space for another bike, isn’t there? Right. Well, we’ll be heading past the flower mill in a second and then heading home. So, I think I’m going to call it a day. Where’s Tom? Where’s Tom? Come back. Yeah, that was a nice ride with Tom. I enjoyed that. It’s nice to be out together. I hope you enjoyed this video. Thank you very much for watching. And I’m going to fall off here.