UK Edition
30 incredible cycling holidays to add to your bucket list
Cycling is green, cycling is healthy, cycling is good. Everyone’s at it, in events around the country in celebration of Bike Week and the bone-shaker’s 200th birthday. Cyclists have come out of the gutter and refuse to give up their space on the road. The wheel has come full circle.
Cycle paths and long-distance trails have been made and cycling tour operators have sprung up all over the world to find the best routes, train local guides and enable British operators to offer a global range of cycling holidays. The battery-assisted e-bike has levelled the playing field in mixed-ability groups and enables the occasional cyclist to enjoy a wide range of destinations.
Cycling holidays are specialised now, and precisely targeted. There are road cycling holidays on what we used to call racing bikes for those who want to cover long distances and tackle the toughest climbs of the Tour de France; mountain bike holidays for the technical business of riding through rough and rocky terrain; leisure holidays for in-betweeners who ride hybrid bikes that work on and off-road; and you can mix cycling with other activities on long-haul holidays of a lifetime.
Wine and bike, cycling and wildlife, gastro-bike, bicycle and luxury – the options are endless.
The holidays selected here are all guided and aimed at the leisure end of the spectrum, which is not to say the rides will all be flat and slow-moving. I’ve also included a few entry-level mountain bike breaks.
1. England’s verdant lake country
A chance for the uncertain or curious to sample the guided cycling experience as an appetiser – or just for the pleasure of an energetic weekend in the Lake District. After 90 miles (145km) and 6,500ft of ascent in two days, your body will know it’s done some work. There are road and mountain bike versions of this taster, and introductory weekends in the Chiltern Hills in south-east England.
A three-day Lake District Introductory Weekend costs from £295 including accommodation and some meals, departing September 1. Saddle Skedaddle (0191 265 1110; skedaddle.co.uk).
2. Sail and cycle in Scotland
Seals, sea eagles and glorious scenery are of the essence on this cycling cruise of Scotland’s west coast, the Inner Hebrides, Fort William and the Great Glen; plus the fun of sailing in a twin-masted former herring lugger. Ride fast enough and you’ll stay ahead of the midges.
An eight-day Scotland Boat and Bike cruise from Oban costs from £1,217 including accommodation on board, breakfast and dinner, but not travel to Scotland. Departures between August and September. Hooked on Cycling (01506 635399; hookedoncycling.co.uk).
3. The Welsh wilderness
Experience Wales in a series of pedalling vignettes, mostly downhill, over eight days from Brecon to Portmadoc. See coast and mountains, slate mines and wool mills, estuaries, forests, waterfalls and lush river valleys. Take a train up Snowdon, a boat trip around Ramsay Island bird reserve and explore the Italianate village Portmeirion.
An eight-day Wales Adventure costs £1,865 including accommodation, some meals, bike hire and transfers between rides. Departures in September by arrangement. The Carter Company (01296 631671; the-carter-company.com).
4 Isle of Wight
Only 60 miles in circumference, the Isle of Wight is made for cycling. This tour involves three days of excursions from Freshwater Bay on old railway tracks, cycle paths and quiet lanes of the interior as well as the rolling coast road, which has steep moments.
A four-day Isle of Wight tour costs £440 including accommodation and all meals, but not bike hire. September 2. Saddle Skedaddle (0191 265 1110; skedaddle.co.uk).
5. Island hopping in Northern Ireland
From Belfast to Derry and Donegal: sail one way, in the triple-masted tall ship Thalassa, pausing for the puffins on Rathlin island; cycle back along the beautiful Antrim coast via the Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills Distillery. This trip also includes a cycling tour of Belfast.
An eight-day Sail and Bike Northern Ireland tour costs £1,217 (€1,390) including accommodation on board ship, most meals, but not flights or bike hire. July 9, 16 and 23. Island Hopping (0049 753 1361 860; inselhuepfen.de).
6. Sizzling Sicily
The Aeolian Islands are a wonderfully varied volcanic archipelago off the north-east coast of Sicily, toured in a traditional Turkish caique. Take a mud bath and walk up to the crater of sulphurous Vulcano; watch the evening fireworks in Stromboli, which erupts every 20 minutes; ride the greener hills of Lipari and wine-growing Salina.
An eight-day Sicily’s Islands cycling cruise costs from £1,194 including accommodation on board ship, all meals, but not flights or bike hire. September 2, 9 and 16. Freedom Treks (01273 224 066; freedomtreks.co.uk).
7. Madagascan Highlands
This two-week tour of a fascinatingly different and biodiverse island includes 340 miles (548km) of cycling over nine days – more downhill than up as the title suggests – plus hiking in the national parks, a visit to a lemur reserve and two days of relaxation at a beach hotel on the Indian Ocean.
A 17-day Madagascar cycling tour costs from £3,245 including flights, accommodation and most meals. Departures from March and October 2018. KE Adventure Travel (01768 773966; keadventure.com).
8. Alps, alps and away
The Via Claudia is an old Roman trade route and modern cycling trail between southern Germany and northern Italy – crossing the Alps at a manageable altitude of 4,921ft. Roman remains are a less important part of the trip than the changing landscapes, culture and cuisine, from the Austrian Alps to the orchards and vineyards of South Tirol and Lake Garda.
An eight-day Via Claudia tour costs from £1,375 including accommodation, most meals but not flights or bike or e-bike hire. July 8 and 29. Saddle Skedaddle (0191 265 1110; skedaddle.co.uk).
9. Rolling vineyards of the Rioja
Five days of cycling through the rolling vineyards of the Rioja region of northern Spain, with stops for tapas and pinchos, a wine museum at Briones and tasting visits at Haro and Marques de Riscal. Also included, a full day to explore Bilbao.
A seven-day La Rioja tour costs from £1,199 including flights, accommodation and breakfast, but not bike hire. Departures are between July andAugust. Exodus (0203 811 4670; exodus.co.uk).
10. Fat biking in Finland
While the bears sleep, the Martinselkonen Wilds Centre, a converted border post on the Finnish side of the Russian frontier, opens for dog-sledding, snowshoeing, Northern Lights gazing, and now fat biking on snow and frozen lakes with a snowmobile breaking trail and a guide bringing up the rear. Lunch on reindeer sausages and moose soup in a forest cabin, feel the call of the wild, and take a good book for the long evenings.
A seven-day Fat Biking in the Bear Kingdom tour costs £1,069 including accommodation, all meals and bike hire, but not flights. January 22, February 19 and March 23 2018. Whereaboutsholidays (0800 755 5425; whereaboutsholidays.com).
11. South Dalmatia with island hopping
With its myriad islands and pretty Venetian ports, Croatia is prime boat and bike territory. Trogir and the islands of Hvar and Korcula are memorable highlights, as well as the hillclimbs which are quite strenuous (unless you opt for an e-bike). Return to a luxury ship with air-conditioned cabins and a jacuzzi on deck.
An eight-day South Dalmatia Plus cycling cruise costs from £1,042 (€1190) including accommodation, most meals, but not flights or bike hire. Departures between May and October. Island Hopping (0049 7531 361 860; inselhuepfen.de).
12. Prague to Budapest
Compare and contrast four countries (Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary): visit their capitals, enjoy their culture, cuisine and beer; get to grips with their complex history, and ride 186 miles (300km) over six days, mostly on quiet roads and paths.
An 11-day Prague to Budapest tour costs £1,899 including accommodation and breakfast, bike hire and flights. Departures between April and October. Exodus (0203 811 4158; exodus.co.uk).
13. French connection
A Dutch barge plies the Rhone delta between le Pont d’Avignon and the walled crusader port of Aigues Mortes. Cycle to see flamingos and wild horses in the Camargue, Roman remains and a starry van Gogh night in Arles, the papal palace, and Châteauneuf du Pape winemaking commune. Consider Eurostar’s direct London/Avignon service.
An eight-day Provence to Camargue boat and bike tour costs from £928 including accommodation and all meals, but not bike hire or travel to France. Departures between May and October. Freedom Treks (01273 224066; freedomtreks.co.uk).
14. Jordan jaunt
For a Christmas Day with a difference, how about cycling from the Crusader Castle of Shobak to Petra, a Unesco World Heritage Site? As well as visiting the rose-red city, this tour includes the Dead and Red Seas, a night under the stars in a Bedouin tent in a Wadi Rum desert camp and cycling in the footsteps of Moses on Mount Nebo. Five days of cycling on a mixture of road, cycle paths and hard-packed off-piste.
A nine-day Jordan tour costs from £999 including accommodation (one night camping), breakfast, four lunches, two dinners and bike hire but not flights. Departures between October 2017 and April 2018. Explore (01252 883 507; explore.co.uk).
15. Going Dutch
Relax on a luxury barge and do as much or as little leisurely cycling as you want, guided with the group or on your own. The tour starts from Amsterdam or Bruges and finishes at Bruges or Amsterdam, via stops at Antwerp and Ghent, with plenty of sightseeing time in all four places.
An eight-day Dutch Craft, Flemish Art tour costs from £995 including accommodation, all meals and bike hire but not flights. Departures between May and July. The Carter Company (01296 631671; the-carter-company.com).
16. A Greek affair
After a cycling tour of Athens and a ferry trip from Piraeus to the island of Poros, ride along the coast of the Saronic Gulf and through the Peloponnese via a winery and the premier league classical sites of Mycenae and Epidaurus. Five days cycling, mostly on road, with a few stiff climbs.
An eight-day Cycling Greece tour costs from £1,249 including accommodation, breakfast, flights and bike hire. Departures between September 2017 and September 2018. Exodus (0203 733 5788; exodus.co.uk).
17. Cities and national parks of the Baltics
Explore the amber-rich Baltic coast and capital cities of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as well as the mountainous dunes and beaches of the Curonian Spit and the Estonian island of Saaremaa. Easy cycling punctuated by minibus transfers.
An 11-day The Baltics tour costs from £1,129 (€1,290) including accommodation, breakfast and internal transfers, but not bike or e-bike hire or flights. Departures between July and September. Baltic Bike Travel (0037 046 300 144; bbtravel.lt).
18. Wine week in Burgundy
For the pedalling wine buff, a salivating ride from Dijon down the Côte de Nuits to Beaune and on to Pommard and Puligny-Montrachet, before looping back via the fortress village of Châteauneuf en Auxois and 50km alongside the Canal de Bourgogne; organised tasting visits with an expert local guide.
A seven-day Burgundy Wine and Bike tour costs £1,795 (€2,050) including accommodation, most meals (dinners with wine), tastings and bike hire, but not travel to Dijon. Departures in September or by arrangement (minimum group of 6). Active Tours (0033 967 034 059; active-tours.fr).
19. Roman Holiday
Follow the last 184 miles (300km) of the old pilgrimage route to Rome through the hills of Tuscany and Lazio, starting at San Gimignano and finishing at St Peter’s, with Siena, Lake Bolsena and many ups, downs, dirt tracks and gelati along the way.
A nine-day Via Francigena tour costs from £1,440 including airport transfers, accommodation, breakfast and lunch but not flights or bike/e-bike hire. Departures August 2017 and August 2018. Saddle Skedaddle (0191 265 1110; skedaddle.co.uk).
20. Wildlife along the Danube delta
A holiday of special interest to naturalists, who know the Danube delta as a uniquely rich biosphere. The tour has a wildlife guide and includes monasteries, archaeology, forts and folklore. Five nights on board a “hotel boat”; five days cycling the delta (18 miles a day).
An eight-day Danube Delta tour costs from £989 including accommodation (boat and guesthouse), all meals and bike hire but not flights. Departures between April and October. Wheel 2 Wheel Holidays (0800 731 1631; wheel2wheelholidays.com).
21. Tea, curry and elephants in Sri Lanka
Wildlife is a highlight of this two-week adventure – leopards, elephants, crocs, and whale watching – but there is much more to it than that: Buddha’s tooth temple, tea plantations, hot curries and everywhere a smiling welcome. The cycling (24 miles a day) is graded moderate, but includes some climbs and may be quite taxing in the heat.
A 14-day Sri Lanka tour costs from £2,129 including flights, accommodation, some meals and bike hire. Departures between October 2017 and November 2018. Explore (01252 883963; explore.co.uk).
22. Costa Rican coastline
Enjoy spectacular riding along Costa Rica’s Pacific and Caribbean coast roads, plus mountain hikes and boat trips, an abundance of wildlife, highland coffee plantations, rainforest, volcanoes and down days on the beach… Costa Rica has it all. Ten days cycling around 27 miles a day.
A 15-day Costa Rica Coast to Coast tour costs from £3,099 including accommodation, breakfast and some meals, departures from October to March. Exodus (0203 553 1643; exodus.co.uk).
23. Marrakech Express
A classic winter mountain bike holiday combining the colourful tumult of Marrakech with exciting rides in the Atlas Mountains and the spectacular Dades Valley, as far as Zagora on the edge of the Sahara. Five days of cycling (average 37 miles a day), on tarmac and dirt; requires fitness and some mountain bike experience.
A seven-day Ride the Kasbah tour costs £695 including accommodation and all meals but not flights or bike hire. Departures from November to April. KE Adventure Travel (01768 773966; keadventure.com).
24. South Africa’s whales and wine lands
Flee winter for South Africa’s sunshine, scenery and wine. Combine sightseeing in and around Cape Town – including Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope and its penguin colony – with six days of cycling along the coast and through fruit farms and vineyards, with tasting visits to punctuate the ride.
An eight-day Whale Coast and Winelands tour costs from £1,195 including accommodation, breakfast, four lunches and dinners, but not flights to South Africa or bike hire. Departures from mid-September to March. Cycle Active (01768 840400; cycleactive.com).
25. South-east Asia on two wheels
Experience Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam on this two-week tour, which involves 500 miles of cycling over 14 days, mostly on road; and includes the Siem Reap and Angkor temples, floating villages on the Mekong and Phnom Penh’s killing fields, with much interaction and cultural exchange in villages along the way.
A 15-day Bangkok to Saigon tour costs £1,486 including accommodation and all meals, but not flights or bike hire; departures monthly through the year. Cambodia Cycling (00855 6396 3440; cambodiacycling.com).
26. Made in Myanmar
A nine-day stint of “comfortably paced” cycling is only part of a two-week voyage of discovery, including the Bagan plain and its 2,000-plus temples, Mandalay, a boat trip on Lake Inle and old British hill stations.
A 17-day Cultural Cycling tour of Myanmar costs £2,945 including accommodation, all meals (except in Yangon), internal transfers and bike hire; international flights not included; departures in November and February. Mountain Kingdoms (01453 844400; mountainkingdoms.com).
27. Red-hot Chile
With a relaxed cycling regime of 18 miles a day, frequent tasting visits and overnight stays in upscale winery hotels, this is a comfortable way for New World wine enthusiasts to enjoy Central Chile’s Colchagua Valley – “the new Napa” – between the coastal range and the foothills of the Andes.
An 11-day Chile Wine Country tour costs £2,995 including accommodation and most meals, but not flights or bike hire. Departures in September and March. Saddle Skedaddle (0191 265 1110; skedaddle.co.uk).
28. Old cars and classic cocktails in Cuba
An eight-days of cycling on this leisurely two-week island tour leaves plenty of time to get under the skin of Havana, enjoy the tumbledown charm of Trinidad and relax on the beach. The Bay of Pigs and a Che Guevara museum also feature and there are optional extra rides for more committed cyclists.
A 15-day Cycle Cuba tour costs from £999 including accommodation (hotels and guesthouses), breakfast and bike hire but not flights. Departures from October to March. Explore (01252 883735; explore.co.uk).
29. Amazon, Andes and Machu Picchu
Two weeks in Peru is just enough to take in the Sacred Valley’s Inca ruins, sample the Amazon rainforest and rarefied biking (largely downhill) in the high Andes around Cusco; and trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Book early for the hiking permit. Nine days cycling, four days trekking.
A 16-day Amazon, Andes and Machu Picchu tour costs £2,495 including accommodation (camping and hotels), 75pc of meals, but not flights or bike hire. Departures monthly until October. Saddle Skedaddle (0191 265 1110; skedaddle.co.uk).
30. Wild, wild west
Cycle trails through rocky desert canyons have made Utah and Arizona a mountain biking pilgrimage. The tour includes five national parks with a combination of walking and nine days’ not-too-technical cycling. Knock off Moab’s famous Slickrock Trail, drop a jaw in Monument Valley, ride the rim trail above the Grand Canyon.
A 17-day Cycling the Great American South West tour costs £4,395 including accommodation, most meals, transfers and bike hire but not flights. Departs September. Mountain Kingdoms (01453 844400; mountainkingdoms.com).
