The cycling around Loch Katrine, in the Trossachs, is beautiful, especially among the autumn colours

I have friends who go on a Scottish cycling holiday every year. Now, call me an old lazybones, but "cycling holiday" is a bit of an oxymoron as far as I am concerned. Two wheels have never been my preferred mode of transport - I grew up on four legs thanks to my pony and then graduated to four wheels.

However, looking for something to tire out the children and Daniel the Spaniel while staying near Aberfoyle, I decided to take them cycling at Loch Katrine.

My son, Bill, had recently accompanied his rather fit Uncle Andrew on the Sir Walter Scott steamship to Stronachlachar, and thoroughly enjoyed the 14-mile cycle back to the Trossachs Pier.

As the last time I was on a bike, some people who voted in the 2010 general election weren't born, I decided that was a bit onerous so opted to hire bikes for an hour to meander round the north side of the loch.

In the autumn this is, to my mind, one of the most beautiful places to be when the sun is shining, as it was for us. The trees range in colour from dark green through yellow to burnished copper. The water in Loch Katrine against the sun looked as dark and shiny as petrol. Best of all it's a fairly flattish ride, although Ellen and I still got off and walked up anything more than the slightest of gradients as Bill raced ahead. Despite there being a few cars around, we let Dan off his lead and he was belting about, not believing the speed he had to go to in order to keep up with us. He even stopped to admire the views along with the rest of us.

Apparently, due to novelists such as Sir Walter Scott writing about this area (Lady of the Lake was his tome and now the name of the other Loch Katrine boat) this is seen as the home of Scottish tourism. The sunny, crisp afternoon we spent there is testament to that, and although I still wouldn't spend a week on a bike, don't let me put you off.

Boats and cycles available every day, April-October and weekends all year round, except January (5 per hour for adult bikes, 3 for children, book ahead in the holidays) www.lochkatrine.com or www.katrinewheelz.co.uk

• This article was first published in The Scotsman on November 6, 2010