Fred's Birthday and Mildenhall Camping, Suffolk - 25th September 2011

It's Fred's birthday, and by way of something not really connected we pitch up for a late-summer/early-autumn spot of camping. It takes a bit of manic last-minute arranging to find somewhere, but we end up in a nice little spot in-between Mildenhall and Lakenheath air bases. The weather turns out to be better than most of June, and on the second day we take our bikes over to High Lodge in Thetford Forest for a little bit of a cycle around - it's Fred's first ever cycle ride on his own balance bike, and he actually manages to quite a bit of it before resorting to being carried around by Kirsty, on account of Nosher and Isobel having left behind his bike seat in the awning of The Van.

next album: An Apple-Picking Heatwave, and Other Stories, London and Brome, Suffolk - 2nd October 2011
previous album: The 1940s Steam Train Weekend, Holt, Norfolk - 18th September 2011

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Clive points as Mark rides around

Clive points as Mark rides around

Suzanne, Isobel and Kirsty

Fred and his gang

Hanging out by the caravan

The children have their own picnic

The owner Teleports a picnic bench over

Fred picks up his balance bike

Isobel sits on a bench, and ponders

Fred on his balance bike

Fred rides his bike around

Fred pootles around

Isobel roams around on her bike

Mark and Clive get the barbeques going

Hanging out near the picnic bench

Mark wrangles sausages

The barbeque is smoking

Camping barbeque action

Mark and Clive discuss the merits of local radio

In the caravan

The traditional camping breakfast

The Van in the background

Fred's got a ladybird

Suzanne does washing up

Fred's got a sticker book for his birthday

Fred mills around on his bike

Digging around in the grass

By the van

Amelia sneaks in to play with Fred's blocks

Nosher sticks the bikes on the van

Isobel at a Car Boot sale on the A11

We visit a car boot sale on the A11

Fred picks up a car-boot teddy bear

There's a picnic in the woods at High Lodge

Amelia and Clive

The assembled bikes just before the off

The children get ready to cycle off

It's Amelia's first time on the back of a bike

Isobel and Fred

Fred and Isobel near the bogs at High Lodge

Crossing the big field at High Lodge

Cycling through the forest

More bike action

Fred and Isobel, deep in the pine forest

We stop off in the woods

Emmy and Fred bang away on a massive glockenspiel

Isobel sits on a bench and ponders

Fred walks across a 'very very wobbly' bridge

A giant hauser is tied to a tree

Fred sticks his head out a squirrel-shaped hole

Fred gets a ride on Kirsty's bike

On the cycle path

Cycling through the pine forest

The final stop on the bike ride