England

Self-Guided tour with my friend, it was amazing, Ride-with-GPS was perfect, did not get lost anywhere. Ride Inn to Inn, picturesque villages, stone houses, just like Downtown Abbey. Felt very safe every day, Pubs and food were delicious. We had no problem with our bikes, it was a perfect trip! Note there was no leaders on this Self-Guided tour but the VBT local host that set up our bikes and make sure our luggage was delivered at every Inn was great, very helpful and friendly.

This is a difficult review for me. This was my 10th VBT tour but first self-guided. I had 2 friends join me on this tour. This was the first tour for one and the 2nd tour for the other. The biking on the first day out of Oxford on the "tow paths" was not a good experience. The group should have been transported out to the Blenheim Palace area to start biking. The path from Oxford to our first paved road was terrible. Many walkers, path overgrown with bushes (very hazardous), decrepit house boats along the canal, fishermen who would not move. I have never experienced this on a a VBT tour. There were no mirrors on the bikes which caused problems. There were problems with the rear rack coming down on the rear wheel and locking it. Several people had this issue. We lost 3 hours on the first day because of this (waiting for someone to come help us with the bike) and lost our tour of Blenheim Palace which we had tickets for which we had paid for. Because we had no mirrors I could not watch my friends and it was impossible to stop along some of the roads. I lost them and they arrived at the hotel around 8 p.m. One of my friends bike battery died so she had to bike about 8 miles with no power. We did not bike the next day because the one bike needed to be fixed because of the rear rack and my friends were so exhausted from being lost the day before. The VBT guides who helped us were fantastic but busy with a guided tour. We would not consider a self-guided tour in the future. . VBT really must consider eliminating the ride out of Oxford, it is absolutely dreadful and one of my friends fell due to the overgrowth. Please consider biking people out near Blenheim Palace to start the tour.

Monica and I had one of our best, if not the best vacation we ever had. Our greatest delight was how our tour group bonded. We started to believe we were riding with friends. Our Tour guides, Tony and Mick, helped to bring this about with their thoughtfulness, courtesy and hard work. They both went out of their way to keep us safe and to get to know each and every one of us. Bath & the Cotswolds were extraordinarily beautiful, and that beauty was enhanced by being on a bicycle and riding in weather conducive to cycling. (Cool, cloudy and dry for the most part). Many of the English people along the way exuded friendly cheerfulness. I saw many people working very hard to make sure we were fed well and properly taken care of in the hotels. Each hotel had many charms, with my favorites being The Francis, (elegant) and Oxford Spires (beautiful property layout). The bicycle provided seemed sturdy and fairly new. It just happened to have the exact same derailleur as the one I have at home! Many of our companions had taken several trips with VBT, and I hope I can do so in the future!

Terrific trip in every way. Routes, guides, scenery, bikes, group,.....even the weather, and despite English food. VBT did everything right.