playbook
Cargo bike picnic in a city park
The box loaded with a blanket, baskets, and a bottle. No car logistics, just park nearby where there's grass.
3u
duration
€ 15–50
budget
Ground
pace
A regular picnic by car is a logistical undertaking. Parking, pulling a cart out of the boot, wheelbarrow or not, ten minutes walking back and forth between the car and the grass. On a cargo bike, all of that disappears. You load the box with a blanket, a basket of food, a few drinks, and you stop wherever you see grass.
What works surprisingly well is how close it can be. Many city parks have three or four sides where you can park nearby, and on the cargo bike you're three metres from the grass spot. That changes the pace. No wheelbarrow stress, just open the box, pull out the blanket, sit down. And if it clouds over, you pack up and ride home. No "we've got the car, so let's stay a bit longer".
Checklist
0 of 5
Kleed in de bak
Een groot dunner of klein dik kleed
Mandje met snacks
Brood, kaas, druiven
Fles drinken in thermos-hoes
Bordjes, bekers, mes
Niet vergeten
Vuilniszak
Voor de troep terug
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by PlayTryBe team
Pack a basket with bread, cheese, grapes, a tomato. No complicated sandwich constructions, just things you need a knife for.
20A blanket in the box, no fuss. A large thin blanket or a small thick one, both work.
Ride to the park, park on the side with grass. Not on the entrance bridge side, that's where everyone else parks.
When you arrive, don't unpack straight away. First take a look at where the blanket will actually sit well. Under a bit of shade, not fully in the sun and not fully in the shade.
The first fifteen minutes on the blanket: you're in a park with food and drinks in front of you. That's an old-fashioned luxury you won't forget in a hurry.
In rain or wind: the box is loaded back up in two minutes. No "we've got the car, so let's stay a bit longer" problem.
A picnic by car often takes more organisation than it gives pleasure. With the cargo bike, the barrier is low enough to do it twice a week.
For anyone copying this
Do as we did
Suggestions
- Een dichte mand en een open mandje samen, niet een grote koeltas. Snel pakken werkt beter dan veel.
- Glas in een dichte mand, niet los onderop, vooral op klinkerstraten.
- Een muziekje uit een klein speakertje is leuk, niet hard, anders is de buurman nors.
- Een fles wijn in een thermoshoes, niet los, ook in juni.
Variations
- - Met vrienden: spreek af bij het park, niet bij elkaars huis. Dat scheelt logistiek.
- - Solo: een boek, een appel, een uur. Werkt op een doordeweekse middag het best.
- - Met kinderen: een kleed op een glooiend stuk, daar rollen ze vanzelf de heuvel af.
- - In de avond: kaarsjes in glas, een dekentje extra, andere sfeer.