England

The Lake district delivered glacial ribbon lakes, rugged fell mountains, and historic literary associations. The singular beauty of The Borders was magical - forests, hills and glens, lochs and rivers, and blooming (early) heather as far as the eye could see. From Keswick to Peebles, we discovered Buttermere, Hexham, Hadrian’s Wall, Vindolanda, and more. Best of all, our trip leaders Mick and Conor were outstanding!

This was my first VBT trip with a Moderate rating and the difference between it and our previous Easy/Moderate trips surprised me. I enjoyed biking more, but I felt more rushed and didn't stop to take as many pictures. On the other hand our group and the guides were really great. I also felt that a couple of the hotels did not meet the bar set by those on other VBT trips.

The Cotswold biking experience is wonderful, small villages and beautiful country scenery to enjoy on your bike rides. I would recommend this bike tour for experienced bikers because of the narrow country roads and potholes. Our bike guides were great, always ready to assist in any way and the hotels were perfect meeting our every need. The breakfasts were excellent, fueling us for the ride ahead. Biking offers a up close view of the scenery and towns and allows us to go at our own pace and stop for photo opts when desired. I love VBT trips!

Beautiful countryside, quaint villages, challenging hills. Incredible lodging , lots of history.

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.