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.

My friends and I just returned from the self-guided tour of the Cotswolds, UK. The scenery is fairytale beautiful and the local people were very kind and hospitable. Overall, I would recommend this trip to others, with a few reservations. We were on the second week of a newly operating Self-guided tour and there were some kinks to work out. There were seven cyclists total within this tour group and three of us had bag racks mounted improperly as to drag upon the back tire rendering the bike inoperable. We called for support at the beginning of the ride one mile from the Oxford hotel and waited for three hours for a support person who did not fix the problem. Due to the long delay, we had to forfeit our purchased tour of Blenheim Castle. The last 1 1/2 mile my ebike died due to increased resistance on the bike due to the poorly installed rack. We were riding approx. 10 hours that day. My bike and others wre fixed the following evening by VBT, but our party missed out on essentially two of the five days of the bike tour. Other suggestions would be to eliminate the narrow, hazardous pedestrian path along the canal leaving Oxford. It was an obstacle course of unleashed dogs, kids, fishermen, and other cyclists riding far to fast. I was clipped by one such rider and ended up in a nettle patch...better than the canal to the other side. Suggestions for safety would be that all bikes be equiped with mirrors and working tail lights (three of the seven did not have working lights). Would change the Burford hotel due to dinky room size, no AC, and difficulty carrying luggage up and down a very old, narrow staircase.

Splendid vacation, beautiful country, wonderful guides

This VBT tour through the Cotswolds was a little hillier than I expected, and I was so glad to have an E-Bike! The routes were good to bike on, except for a few times on very narrow roads where you would have to get off the road to let cars or trucks pass.The routes along the canals and through forests were very enjoyable. The leaders Will and Dan were very good with helping out with some difficult traffic crossings. They were also helpful in suggesting apres biking activities (food and drink). Blenheim Palace was a very good stop on the route. Both pre and post biking cities of Oxford and Bath were wonderful with many things to do. One suggestion would be to have more local/cultural experiences as are offered on other VBT trips.