How did you learn to ride a bicycle?

I honestly do not remember learning to ride a bike… but I do remember getting my first tricycle. We were up in Alyth during the summer and Dad came up from Glasgow to join us and brought it with him on the train to Miegle. I have no idea how or where they got it from as all of those things were hard to get after the war. I remember seeing him pushing it along the platform and being so excited.

It was before my brother was born so it would have been 1950 or 1951. I remember riding it around and around the back ‘green’ at Granny & Grandpas’ house in Alyth and feeling so proud of it. By the time we went to Whitley Bay we had bikes, we had more space to ride them there than we had had living in the city in Glasgow. We went off on long expeditions, often taking the dog in the basket on the handlebars.

I am sure Mum had no idea of where we went to. When I went to Grammar School I was able to ( and had to ) ride my bike to school. Then when we moved Beckenham again it was the only way to get to school. So rain or shine, all year long, all through High School I rode my bike to school.

Mum didn’t drive and anyway Dad had taken the car to work in London.There were no buses to my school from where we lived so there was no other option.