When I’m forced awake in the morning by either of my alarm clocks (for the record, I do prefer the one that shouts ‘Mummy! Up! Up!’) my mind immediately runs through the childcare/transport options that have been carefully agreed with the Husband and the local train station in previous days. If the toddler alarms wake me up and the Husband is still there it means something has gone wrong in this elaborate plan, or it’s the weekend.

Why this masterplan? Well, there are a couple of reasons. Firstly, where we are (Dunbar, on the east coast of Scotland) you can’t just put your bike on the train and go. No. That sort of spontaneous behaviour is forbidden. Unless you get a specific train, which allows spontaneous behaviour in only one person wanting to travel with a bike. The other two people have to book ahead or risk Train Conductor Wrath…