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From The Sunday Times
January 27, 2008
The world's best cycling holidays
The best bespoke holidays, from a five-star dawdle in the Lakes to an epic pedal in the Cambodian ricelands
It is, in many ways, the perfect holiday: cheap, fun, good for your health and kind to the environment. Best of all, it gets you away from the crowds and lets you explore at your own pace.
So, here is a selection of the world’s best biking holidays – hardcore hill climbs for the energetic, city tours for urban adventurers and freewheels down country lanes for the lazy, in locations from here to Australia. Remember to pack your helmet.
Unless stated, package prices are per person, based on two sharing, and include flights from a London airport. For regional departures, contact the operator
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Head to the Pembrokeshire coast to take on an 80-mile chunk of the Celtic Trail, part of the National Cycle Network. A four-day self-guided tour between Saundersfoot and Newport features traffic-free paths across open countryside, the medieval walled town of Tenby and the Cleddau Bridge over the Milford Haven Waterway. Five nights, B&B, costs £361pp, including bike hire and luggage transfers, with Greenways Holidays (01834 862107, www.greenwaysholidays.com ).
The Lake District caters to all abilities, from serious peak-climbers to day-trippers pottering along country lanes. Stay at the Michelin-starred Gilpin Lodge (015394 88818, www.gilpinlodge.co.uk ), which can arrange bike hire with maps for £16 a day. A night for two in a garden suite costs £360, including breakfast and a five-course dinner.
Families should head for the Beatrix Potter Trail. Country Lanes (015394 44544, www.countrylanes.co.uk ) has a three-night self-guided tour, starting at Windermere and visiting Bowness, Grizedale Forest and the Beatrix Potter Gallery at Hawkshead. Covering about 20 miles per day, it starts at £195pp, including cycle hire and B&B accommodation.
The Isle of Man has six cycle trails – warm up on the easy 13-mile ride from Castletown to St Marks before tackling the 27-mile trail along Marine Drive into Groudle Glen. Stay in Douglas, at the Inglewood hotel (01624 674734, www.inglewoodhotel.net ; doubles from £59, B&B), and rent your wheels from Eurocycles (01624 624909). The Steam Packet Company (01624 645620, www.steam-packet.com) runs ferries from Heysham, Liverpool, Belfast and Dublin.
The rolling hills of Constable’s Suffolk make for ideal touring. Book a package that includes hotels, bikes, maps and baggage transfers with Suffolk Cycle Breaks (01449 721555, www.cyclebreaks.com ). Two nights, B&B, in Needham Market and Framlingham start at £168pp, including wine-tasting.
The Merida Bikes MTB Marathon events are held throughout the summer at beauty spots across the UK. There is a great sense of camaraderie among entrants and, depending on the event, you can opt for a challenging 62-mile course or a relatively easy 15 miles (which is also open to children aged 12-15). This year’s season kicks off at Builth Wells, in Powys, on April 13. Entry is £30, including camping, course refreshments and a finishing T-shirt. For more details, visit www.mtb-marathon.co.uk.
The New Forest is perfect for gentle family cycling, with ponies to spot and more than 100 miles of traffic-free tracks. Rent bikes from Cyclexperience (01590 623407, www.newforestcyclehire.co.uk ), in Brockenhurst, and download maps from Hampshire county council’s website (www3.hants.gov.uk/cycling ). Stay at Careys Manor hotel (01590 623551, www.careysmanor.com ; doubles from £75, B&B) or find accommodation at www.thenewforest.co.uk .
EXPLORE A CITY
Cycle in a city and you’re part of the swirl and buzz of urban life. In Berlin, a network of 20 marked trails links the city’s key landmarks – get your bearings on a four-hour safari with Berlin on Bike (00 49 30 4373 9999, www.berlinonbike.de ). Tours cost £13, including bike hire. Book hotels and tickets on the new overnight train service from St Pancras through Rail Europe (0870 830 4862, www.raileurope.co.uk ).
Parisians love their vélos, and cycle lanes are springing up everywhere. Stay at the contemporary Murano Urban Resort (00 33 1 42 71 20 00, www.muranoresort.com ; doubles from £314) and you get free rental of a trendy American-import Electra bike.
Amsterdam is a pedaller’s paradise, where drivers cheerfully give way to cyclists. Exploring the city’s 250 miles of bike paths allows you to escape the city centre and explore hip neighbourhoods such as Jordaan and the Eastern Docklands. Rent from Mac Bike (00 31 20 620 0985, www.macbike.nl ; £10 for 48 hours). Two nights, B&B, at the three-star Hotel Citadel start at £231, including rail travel, with Inghams (020 8780 7700, www.inghams.co.uk ).
Australia’s big-hitting cities can easily be explored on two wheels. Bonza Bike Tours (00 61 2 9331 1127, www.bonzabiketours.com ) has a four-hour tour of Sydney that takes in the opera house, the harbour bridge, Chinatown, Observatory Hill and, of course, a pub stop. It costs £40. In Melbourne, a half-day spent discovering funky backstreets, markets and gardens costs £40, including lunch, with Real Melbourne Bike Tours (00 61 417 339203, www.rentabike.net.au/biketours ). Both can be booked with Austravel (0870 166 2070, www.austravel.com ).
British Airways is one of the few airlines that carries bikes free of charge. Fly to Prague and, after touring the city, you can cycle a 34-mile route along the picturesque Vltava River to the palace hill of Melnik. Four nights, B&B, at the three-star Cloister Inn in Prague start at £265, including flights, with BA Holidays (0870 243 3406, www.baholidays.com ).
TAKE IT EASY
Not all cycling holidays require you to charge up hills in tight shorts – there are plenty of soft options for those who prefer to pootle along country roads. Piedmont, home of the Slow Food movement, is not a region to be rushed. Book an eight-night gastronomic cycling holiday with Headwater (01606 720199, www.headwater.com ) and you’ll have plenty of time to sample the wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, and local white truffles. Cycling is restricted to about 20 miles every other day. Self-guided trips start at £1,017, including half-board accommodation at three-and four-star hotels, return Eurotunnel crossings, bike hire and luggage transfers. Alternatively, the operator can arrange flights from most UK airports and train transfers.
Much of the 105-mile wine route that meanders through Alsace is ideal for lazy cycling, with pretty medieval villages, family-run hotels and wineries offering free tastings. Hooked on Cycling (01501 744727, www.hookedoncycling.co.uk ) has an eight-day tour that starts and ends in Strasbourg; from £661, half-board, including bike hire. With last year’s opening of the high-speed TGV Est, Strasbourg is just five hours by rail from London. Book with Rail Europe (0870 830 4862, www.raileurope.co.uk ) or join a guided bike tour of Alsace with Germania Travel (01202 580757, www.germaniatravel.com ; from £890).
In a week, you can pedal along the Danube between Vienna and Budapest, averaging a modest 34 miles a day. This classic route traces the banks of the river, cruising through villages and farmland, and along avenues of walnut trees. Seven nights, B&B, start at £465, including maps, with Whydontyou.com (0845 838 6262).
Back in France, the little-known Mayenne region, in the Pays de la Loire, has gentle hills and lots of farm shops where you can sample calvados and Pont-l’Evêque. Seven nights, including bike hire and a gourmet meal each night, start at £886 with Cycling for Softies (0161 248 8282, www.cycling-for-softies.co.uk ). Return Dover-Calais ferry crossings start at £52 with SeaFrance (0871 222 2500, www.seafrance.com ).
If the spirit is willing, but the legs aren’t as strong as they used to be, head to Gozo, where you need pedal only about eight miles every other day, allowing time for regular refreshment stops – and a decent night’s kip. A week’s self-guided tour, staying at four- and five-star hotels, starts at £798, half-board, including bike hire and flights, with Headwater (01606 720199, www.headwater.com ).
TAKE THE KIDS
Denmark is one of the safest and flattest destinations in Europe, with more than 6,000 miles of cycle routes. A week’s self-guided tour of Copenhagen and north Zealand starts at £585 (children £420), including bike hire, luggage transfers, five nights’ half-board and two nights’ B&B, with HF Holidays (0845 458 0120, www.cyclingandrivercruising.co.uk ). Airlines flying to Copenhagen include BA (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com ), SAS (0871 521 2772, www.flysas.com ) and Sterling (0870 787 8038, www.sterling.dk ).
The Ile de Ré, on the French Atlantic coast, has more than 60 miles of cycle paths connecting pine forests, vineyards, fishing ports and sandy beaches. The stylish Hôtel de Toiras (00 33 5 46 35 40 32, www.hotel-de-toiras.com ) has a two-night package from £480 for two, half-board, including bike hire. Families on a budget can sleep under canvas with Eurocamp (0870 366 7552, www.eurocamp.co.uk ) or rent a self-catering apartment through French Life (0870 444 8877, www.frenchlife.co.uk ).
The Salzkammergut is Austria’s answer to the Lake District – families can cycle through forests, meadows and gorges, and along lakeside paths. A 10-day independent tour between St Gilgen and Schladming features five gentle days in the saddle, leaving time for exploring. It costs £949 (children aged 2-12 £649) in July or August, including some meals and airport transfers, with Freewheel Holidays (0845 372 0315, www.freewheelholidays.com ). Airlines flying to Salzburg include Thomsonfly (www.thomsonfly.com ) and Ryanair (0871 246 0000, www.ryanair.com ).
The stretch of the Loire Valley between Amboise and St-Aignan is bike-friendly, with child-pleasing diversions such as the working Leonardo da Vinci models at Clos Lucé and the Zooparc at Beauval. A week in the school holidays starts at £799 (under12s from £399), half-board, including rail travel, with Belle France (01580 214010, www.bellefrance.co.uk ). Pull-along buggies are available for under3s.
PEDAL THE WORLD
Since it landed a starring role in the Lord of the Rings movies, Milford Wilderness, in New Zealand has topped many travel wish lists. Bridge & Wickers (020 7483 6555, www.bridgeandwickers.co.uk ) has a 10-day cycling tour, taking in the Mackenzie Basin, Lake Wakatipu and the 3,300ft descent into Milford Sound, for £1,675, including most meals, bike hire and support vehicle. Flights start at £890.
Cambodia is great biking country: the terrain is mostly flat, the people are friendly and traffic outside the cities is light. Kumuka Worldwide (0800 068 8855, www.kumuka.com ) has an 11-day guided tour that uses a combination of paved roads and dirt trails to cover 186 miles, from the Khmer ruins of Angkor to the beaches of Sihanoukville. The price is £740, including bike hire, accommodation, most meals and a minibus that you can ride if your legs give up. Flights can be arranged on request.
Another option in southeast Asia is a three-week, 450-mile journey from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City, which includes a visit to the Khao Yai national park, in Thailand, three days at Angkor and a night on a sampan in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. The trip runs three times a year and costs £715, plus a £132 local payment, with Imaginative Traveller (0845 077 8803, http://www.imaginative-traveller.com ). Flights are extra, and you have to take your own bike. Opodo (0871 277 0090, www.opodo.co.uk ) has fares from Heathrow to Bangkok and back from Ho Chi Minh from £580, with Qatar Airways via Doha.
Take a two-wheeled safari at Tafika, a remote bush camp on the South Luangwa River, in Zambia. Guests ride mountain bikes on trails through the national park, accompanied by an armed guard, getting close to elephants, buffalos, zebras and pukus. Trips are run in the dry season (between June and November). Four nights, full-board, with a night’s B&B in Lusaka, cost £2,903 with Expert Africa (020 8232 9777, www.expertafrica.com ).
Join a week-long journey through Kerala, pedalling south from the colonial town of Cochin, through fishing villages and coconut plantations, to the beach resort of Varkala. The guided trip costs £1,995, including most meals, flights, bike hire and 4WD backup, with The Ultimate Travel Company (020 7386 4646, www.theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk ).
The danger of cycling in the Turkish region of Cappadocia is that you might be so entranced by the bizarre rock formations and spectacular churches carved into caves that you take your eyes off the road. Four nights at the Urgup Evi hotel and one at the Four Seasons Istanbul cost £910, including flights and bike hire, with Original Travel (020 7978 7333, www.originaltravel.co.uk ).
The lunar landscapes and vast skies of the Atacama Desert, in Chile, make for spectacular high-altitude riding. Salt canyons, volcanic craters and black sand dunes can all be explored with a mountain bike, a guide and a strong pair of lungs. A 10-day trip costs about £2,700, including seven nights, B&B, at the Hotel Tierra Atacama, with Steppes Travel (01285 885333, www.steppestravel.co.uk ).
TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT
Fancy taking on some of the world’s most dramatic scenery? A 10-day adventure through the mountain kingdom of Bhutan combines rugged off-road trails with a long descent from the country’s highest road pass, at 12,500ft. The group trip departs on July 12 and costs £2,930, full-board, including six nights at Christina Ong’s Uma Paro and four in local hotels, flights and bike hire, with Cazenove & Loyd (020 7384 2332, www.cazloyd.com ).
Laurent Fignon, twice winner of the Tour de France, has turned hotelier. In 2006, he opened Le Relais des Pyrénées in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, near Col du Tourmalet, one of the toughest passes in the Pyrenees. He runs a four-day course for beginners and a six-day course for established hill-riders. Prices start at £445 for four nights, half-board (00 33 5 62 44 66 67, www.centrelaurentfignon.com ).
Or stay in the village of Baqueira, at La Pleta (00 34 973 645550, www.lapleta.com ), which offers free mountain-bike hire and a two-night adventure package, including biking, rock-climbing and rafting, from £140, B&B.
The Himalayas promise the ultimate thrill for white-knuckle downhillers. Black Tomato (020 7610 9008, www.blacktomato.co.uk ) has a 10-day trip to Nepal that includes a five-day ride through the world’s deepest gorge. You begin with a helicopter drop, then follow rough paths through mountain villages and forests, and over shaky suspension bridges. You are accompanied by a professional guide and accommodation is in hotels and lodges. Nine nights, full-board, start at £3,999.
A new 10-day escorted tour of Jordan explores the back roads, from the shores of the Dead Sea, through Wadi Rum, to the rock-cut city of Petra. Nine nights, including one at a Bedouin camp, cost £974, B&B, including flights, bike hire and most meals, with Explore (0844 499 0901, www.explore.co.uk ).
The coastline of Tasmania is studded with friendly B&Bs that provide welcome pit stops on a week-long private guided tour. Opt for the rolling hills of the east coast or the tough, forested west coast, where you will barely see another soul on the roads. A 10-day trip starts at £2,365, including some meals, with Turquoise (01494 678400, www.turquoiseholidays.co.uk ).
Real mountain-biking
BIKING IN THE ALPS? Absolutely. With hotel and chalet owners keen for business outside the ski season, a cycling holiday in summer, when Alpine villages offer sparkling sunshine and fresh air, can be a real bargain.
In the Trois Vallées region of France, Méribel is home to the world’s largest mountain-bike course, with more than 370 miles of trails. On July 5 and 6, the annual Trois Vallées Mountain Bike Challenge (free to enter) features a range of routes suitable for both averagely fit amateurs and world-class professionals (the timed descent from the top of the Saulire features a 7,000ft drop).
A week’s apartment rental starting on July 4 costs from £235 for four people, through the Méribel tourist office (00 33 4 79 00 50 00, www.meribel.net ). Bikes can be rented for £22 a day; or take a half-day cross-country or downhill course for £44, including bike, protective equipment and lift pass.
The Portes du Soleil ski region stretches from Avoriaz, in France, across the Swiss border, linking quaint villages in a huge circuit – perfect for biking. La Pass Portes du Soleil (www.passportesdusoleil.com ), on June 28 and 29, combines cycling with gastronomy (riders stop along the course to sample local food and wine). There is an easy 18-mile route, a 50-mile toughie and another for kids. Entry costs £25 for men, £22 for women and £11 for children. Check the website for details of bike hire and accommodation.
This year, Les Deux Alpes will again feature on the Tour de France route. It is a mecca for mountain-bikers, with 26 downhill trails, five cross-country trails, 10 lifts adapted to carry cycles and a bike park for stunts. A week’s apartment rental in June costs £377 for up to four people, including return Dover-Calais ferry crossings with car, through Peak Retreats (0870 770 0408, www.peakretreats.co.uk ).
Less effort is required in the Interlaken valley, in Switzerland. Inntravel (01653 617906, www.inntravel.co.uk ) has a self-guided tour that takes in the Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls (where Sherlock Holmes came a cropper). Prices start at £698, including five nights’ half-board and one night’s B&B, bike hire, luggage transfers and return Dover-Calais ferry crossings with car. If you’d prefer to fly, rail transfers from Zurich can be arranged.
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Richard Lloyd Parry
British hotel reviews - search maps
For Chris McCarthy - have you tried Air Partner? My Firm chartered a 737 with them last year to fly to Europe.
LF, London,
Hi, Can anyone help, I have tried tin vain several times to get a price on chartering a wide bodied jet like a boeing 777 or another type that would be more economical, to take 300 people from the west of Ireland to Sydney. All my enquires have gone unanswered, I don't think companies are either interested or think I am not for real. I am looking at a one off flight in the summer July/August return three weeks later no stop overs (apart from fuel) is there any where out there that can give me the options and prices so I can get organising ?.
chris mccarthy, Galway, Ireland
Having lived in both Berlin and Sydney I must say that I agree that Berlin's excellent network of cycle paths fully integrated into the transport network make it very bicycle friendly.
But Sydney??? Madness... there are practically no cycle paths and one has to share the roads with the traffic .... and Australians love their cars - mainly big ones and pick up trucks.
I was a nervous wreck after attempting to cycle in Sydney - I would guess the Australian cycle package at BGP40 is 3 times more than the Berlin package at GBP13 because of the hefty life insurance one would need.
Joe
Joe, Sydney, Australia
Spain's Sierra Nevada mountain range provides wilderness mountain biking with perfect weather. Pure Mountains runs luxury mountain biking packages from its solar-powered eco-luxe farmhouse. Weeks and long weekends from £325 including food and qualified bike guiding. www.puremountains.com
Jenny Mayhew, Granada, Spain
I don't believe you mentioned London.It makes a fun weekend and Sundays are great for whizzing about"en bike".There's a good cycle rental shop at Gabriel's Wharf right by the Thames path.
HD, WsM,