Pews, picnics and pedalling: my cycle trip through Herefordshire – with a toddler in tow

Camping out in churches makes this family cycling trip along the Golden Valley Pilgrimage Way an adventure to remember

“East is at the top of the map, south on the right, west is at the bottom and north you’ll find here on the left … ”

I stood looking at the guide in Hereford Cathedral who was uttering these frankly insane words and gripped my OS map tightly. About to set off on a three-night e-bike pilgrimage on the Golden Valley Pilgrimage Way (GVPW) – with my toddler in tow (literally, courtesy of a hired trailer) – I was relieved that cartography has come a long way since the Mappa Mundi, the largest medieval map in existence, was drawn in the 1300s.