England

One of VBT's most beautiful trips. The scenary was breathtaking. Our local stops for tea and lunch were really terrific and gave us insight to local communities. Our tour guides, Mick and Hattie, were terrific. This tour was more challenging than I had anticipated with some very steep and long rides, which I could not do. Our guides consulted with me each morning and if there was a climb I could not do I went in the van to the top and biked down. The real surprise was that we DID NOT have rain the entire time!!!

The guides are terrific but bikes are extremely heavy, ~55 lbs. This meant that folks were tipping over when trying to start and stop. You need to look at the terrain before you take this trip - steep climbs and descents. E-bikes are essential. Hotels no where near the quality expected from VBT that we've seen in past seven trips.

My husband and I highly recommend the bicycling tour of England, Bath and the Cotswolds hosted by VBT. Our guides were brilliant, very knowledgeable of the area history, and especially mindful of all the nuances of our gorgeous route. We were safe, well cared for, and informed. Hattie, a champion cyclist, not only was a great coach of e-bike techniques, but also able to repair bikes on site if needed. Jago was brilliant with stories, history, and nuggets of interesting information as well as funny jokes. Hotels were comfortable and food provided was over the top! We certainly missed all the three course meals once back in the states. The tour included lots of must sees, including the Downton Abbey mile, tickets to Blenheim Palace and the Roman Baths. We recommend an e-bike for most enjoyment for those 60+ years old. The rolling hills of the Cotswolds are stunning!

This was our fifth VBT guided bike tour and it was another great experience. Our guides Jago, Lucy, and Dan were exceptional each in their own unique way. Despite and unusual heat and general lack of air conditioning in this part of England the accommodations, were all interesting and charming. The scenery was beautiful and the local pubs were great fun. We chose to ride road bikes and the tire size and gearing were appropriate. The tow path section would have been better suited for a hybrid or Ebike but we feel most comfortable on road bikes. In general I would rate the riding difficulty of this trip a notch up from our other easy/moderate trips due to the road conditions and climbs. Our training before the trip paid off. As has always been our experience the others in our group were incredibly nice and interesting folks.

My husband and I did this self-guided tour in early September and absolutely loved it. Country Walkers did an impeccable job taking care of every detail--booking hotels, moving our suitcases between hotels, and, best of all, the "route notes" book was so detailed and had everything we needed from step-by-step directions and restaurant suggestions to history and ideas for things to do. It felt like a wonderful adventure following the famous paths through sheep pastures and little forest thickets, past gardens and ancient churches, and climbing over or around all the different gates. It was often overcast and misty in the mornings, but the mid-day sun burned it all away. Our highlights are choosing to stop for an hour to check out the Hailes Abbey Museum and rubbing elbows with some locals at the only pub in a tiny village. So many great memories! We liked the intimate experience of doing a self-guided trip and the independence (without the planning!) that it provided. We spent some extra days in London at the end of our trip...that was just icing on the cake.

What a fantastic trip this was. This was my 6th time going to England, but my first for the Cotswold region and what an extraordinary time it was. The food was fantastic, everywhere you looked the views were spectacular. It was fantastic trip which I would do again in a heart beat.