As a car driving licence holder who doesn’t drive – I find car driving incredibly dull and as a consequence don’t feel safe – getting around has always been incredibly easy by walking, cycling and public transport, taxis. That was until I became a dad. My answer was to buy a Nihola Cigar trike or bucket bicycle as the kids have lovingly called it.

It has proven its worth transporting two kids around Southwark and London while they were young. The most I’ve carried was six children at reception age. Quite a mobile giggling party.

We’ve used it come rain, snow or sunshine all year round. Its carried kids, compost, leaflets and masses of shopping.

Convincing my then toddlers that flapping their arms helped us fly up hills is a very treasured memory.

When I bought it Nihola wouldn’t sell direct to UK citizens as they’d found fellow Brits awkward in the past. So I had to go to Amsterdam to collect from the nearest distributor at that time who only took cash (thankfully you can now get them from London Recumbents in Dulwich Park). Quite an adventure involving much less cycling than I’d originally prepared myself for – nice ferry and surprised but very helpful East Anglia train staff – they enjoyed the spectacle so much that they wouldn’t consider me paying for the train fare or ban me as rail regulations suggested.

But after four or is it five years the kids have now outgrown our bucket bicycle and its been sold. Very sad but with many many many happy memories.

If you need to get young kids around do consider this amazing fun bike.