Path for pre-schoolers to pedal bike on

Hi,

We are wanting to make an outdoor track that is smooth enough that pre-school aged children and ride pedal bikes.  Is concrete our only option?   If so - what is the most sustainable way to make it so it uses minimal concrete?  We can get river sand for almost free (the additional cost of petrol to bring it home with us when we are going somewhere we would go anyway).  

Annie

I'd love to know the answer to this, too! My son just learned to ride his little bike with training wheels, and he has the hardest time on anything other than smooth concrete. Gravel and grass are too bumpy for him. Permeable pavement might be a bit better than straight concrete, as at least water drains through it, but there's got to be better options!

Picture of permeable pavement in action (curtosy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permeable_paving)

Ash ? I have seen this used to good effect . Aka cinder track

David

What about some kind of packed clay?  I remember our sons learning to ride on the dirt roads here...usually the packed clay in the truck tracks was the smoothest and easiest ride while the bits of gravel out of the tracks caused the most scraped knees.  Maybe with some ditching and a little care it wouldn't turn into a mud hole and could be kept smooth enough.