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25,000+ trip reviews, with an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.
Cycle through the heart of England in the Cotswolds. This holiday is intended to appeal to those who want a gentle introduction to cycling in the English countryside, as the Cotswold’s are hilly rather than mountainous. A week of marvelous rides will take you through one of the most beautiful and historic parts of England. Honey coloured stone villages, open wolds, wooded valleys and Roman roads are the background to pretty villages, “wool” churches, famous gardens, a Roman villa and welcoming inns. Your tour starts in elegant Cheltenham with its Regency buildings, beautiful gardens, and fashionable centre. Then a delightful ride takes you over the top of the Wolds and through Duntisbournes, crossing the River Dunt’s pretty fords. The route passes exquisite village churches with Saxon and Norman features. This is followed by an easy ride to Tetbury, an important medieval wool market town. You can stand inside the old market house and walk down the ancient Chipping Steps - the course for the Woolsack Races. The ride then continues through the Cotswold Water Park. From Barnsley you ride along the River Coln to Bibury - described by William Morris as the most beautiful village in England - and its famous row of weavers' cottages. Then down the scenic Windrush Valley, past Windrush village’s Norman church to Burford, an elegant town with its steep main street leading down to the river. Your ride also takes you to the Eastleach villages with their fine churches and historic footbridge, and to the Barringtons. After a visit to Chedworth Roman Villa, one of the best exposed Romano-British villas in Britain, the ride takes you through Northleach, another attractive wool town with a magnificent church, to the Slaughters, surely the most delightful villages in England. You stay two nights in a superb guesthouse in Guiting Power, a typical upland Cotswold village. On the final day you will visit the historic 15th century Snowshill Manor, take lunch at Broadway and enjoy the wonderful views from Broadway Tower. In the afternoon you can visit Sudley Castle once home to three of Henry VIII's wives, Katherine Parr, Ann Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey. Finally, free wheel down Cleeve Hill back to Cheltenham.
Arrival into Cheltenham
Accommodation: The Portland Guesthouse, thought to have been built in 1836, is a Grade II listed building ideally located in the heart of Cheltenham. The property boasts seven en-suite bedrooms across four floors of the late Georgian building, retaining many of the original features. *Light breakfast is served here (continental)
Nice route through beautiful countryside. Route information was good except for one area where the route was shown above the paved road and that was confusing. Otherwise the route info was very good. Innkeepers and staff as well as restaurants were all good. Guiting Power was exceptional. Catherine Wheel staff was lovely but the rooms were a bit claustrophobic.
Loved our trip. Good hosts.
The local support were very organized and communicative. The b&bs were all great. Some routes were a little to busy, but may be no way around it. There were some slightly larger villages that might have been better for our 2 nite stays with more to do after our rides.
We rented electric bikes for this trip and had problems with the batteries running out. The first day was over 3000 feet of climbing. We found the roads had too much traffic for our liking. The hotels varied from very nice to below average. The countryside was beautiful and the English people very friendly.
Cycling Through the Heart of England
Quaint Stone Built Villages
Riding Across Rolling Hills
Biking Between Village Pubs and Old Coaching Inns
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