England

Being my first trip with VBT, I was apprehensive about traveling with 19 strangers and biking the terrain. Needless to say, my trip was awesome. The guides (Mick, Hattie, Paul) were very attentive, organized, and supportive. They also were knowledgeable about the history, geology and culture of the areas we toured through. As we covered a lot of miles over very steep terrain, it was necessary to use e-Bikes (thankfully). The bikes were in excellent condition, and any issues were addressed quickly by the guides. Using Ride with GPS for directions was easy to use, and the added benefit of both visual and audial directions helped when a turn was missed. The most surprising thing of the trip was how many other riders were repeat customers, many logging between 10-22 previous trips with VBT. Now, having been on my first one, I can understand why and will certainly schedule more. My only concern was the disparity in hotels--most were excellent with fabulous food/services, but a few were not up to standard mostly due to age and/or lack of ventilation. Otherwise, it was among the best overseas adventures I've experienced.

I loved the places we saw — lots of variety and beauty and some long, awesome descents! The ride is not for beginners due to often steep terrain and extremely heavy e-bikes that are difficult to handle. Many of the activities described as ‘experiences’ were not offered, and there were few interactions with local folks compared to most 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!

Bike riding through the Cotswolds was one of my favorites!

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.