England

Recommend this trip however, keep in mind the hills and potential for rainy weather. I had really looked forward to the Lake District but mother nature had other ideas and due to rain it was head down, watching the road and I cycled. All in all good scenery when available to us although no truly blue skies until the extension. I would consider something other than the hotel in Penrith at the start. Really appreciated seeing 3 differing areas and style of countryside and geology. Hattie and Dan were wonderful guides and kept us all going despite the weather. The 4 stars was due to feeling like we could have had more cultural experiences. Hattie wonderful in talking about culture although that's not quite the same.

This trip takes bikers to extremely interesting historical sites. Biking to a neolithic stone circle and Hadrian's Wall topped our biking adventures and this is our 15th VBT trip. The terrain covered was diverse and interesting, the cities unique and welcoming. Our guides were excellent and made the sites come alive. If you like variety and history this is your trip!

Beautiful countryside, charming hotels and restaurants. The bicycling was more difficult than I expected, and the traffic was terrible.

I am an infrequent bike rider (but in generally good shape) and used E-bike (with power on) throughout the trip given the hilly terrain. I participated with spouse and 6 other friends; our overall tour had 19 riders and two guides. Most riders used E-bikes (including myself); a few used road bikes. Had rain during a couple days – using rainproof gear made these conditions quite bearable. Pros: Beautiful scenery. Bikes worked smoothly. Very energetic and helpful guides (quickly fixed a flat and chain problems). Enjoyable socializing with other riders during rides and mealtimes. Tasty food options and very comfortable hotels. Cons: Some roads are very narrow (one lane width with 2-way travel) with cars sometimes passing at relatively high speed, and particularly challenging when two opposing cars had to navigate passing each other and bikers. Significant stretches of road were in poor condition (potholes and uneven pavement edges) that required vigilant maneuvering. The riding schedule was busy and riders were asked to all meet up periodically, which slowed things somewhat when road bike riders progressed slower. The time allotted to explore at some stops (e.g. Blenheim Palace) was short and allowed only a very quick oversight of the location; would have preferred more flexibility.

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.