England

We have taken 22 trips with VBT and we have high expectations. This is a new trip and we were on the second trip of the season. It was the first time our leaders lead this trip and there were some issues that needed to be improved upon. We had quite a bit of rain but the leaders and our fellow riders remained in good spirits. Both Lauren and Nick were knowledgeable and pleasant throughout the trip. The scenery was gorgeous and the riding was so fun; particularly on an e-bike. This trip is quite hilly and unless you are a very strong rider, I would strongly suggest you get an e-bike. We enjoyed both the pre and post trips.

Amazing views, great guides but so glad we went with e-bikes this trip😅

Excellent trip. Cycling was challenging without an e-bike - many many hills - but most people had e-bikes. Cotswolds are quite beautiful. Many interesting sites in Oxford and Bath. Trip leaders were especially good.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Nice combination of pedaling in pastoral settings and activities that included a day-and-a-half in Oxford, lovely Burford (the meat pies at The Royal Oak are a must!), Blenheim Palace, cream tea in Bourton-on-the-Water, the Hidcote Manor Gardens, and a tour of the Roman Baths. We stayed the extra day in Bath and explored - it was very nice! The undulating hills of the Cotswolds were a nice challenge on road bikes. Residents and (car) drivers were pleasant and courteous. The bonus is we had amazing weather - mid to high 60°s, sun, clouds, and no rain (okay, a very slight shower one afternoon for 20 mins.!) Our tour leaders - Conor and Mick - terrific guys that really made the tour so pleasant!

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.

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.