Self-guided cycling
5 nights,
hotel-to-hotel
Level: 2
Moderate
10.0Kg CO2e
Headwater
Navigation App
Optional
e-bike hire
The Cotswolds are England's largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and comprise 787 square miles of scenic rolling hills and meadows above a bedrock of Jurassic limestone. It is this stone that is quarried and produces the golden-coloured stone used in the construction of local buildings and gives the stone-built villages of the Cotswolds a beautifully distinctive and traditional 'British' look.
This self-guided 5-night cycling tour is a fairly easy circular bike ride through some of the most picturesque villages and some of the best scenery that the Cotswolds has to offer. You'll visit world-famous villages including Bourton-on-the-Water and Chipping Campden as well as the ancient Saxon capital of Winchcombe with Sudeley Castle, the resting place of Katherine Parr (Henry VIII's 6th wife), close by. You'll also have the chance to visit Broadway Tower Country Park and Snowshill Manor, a National Trust property full of extraordinary treasures.
At the end of each day you'll stay in delightful Bed & Breakfast accommodation in beautiful Cotswold villages and towns. These properties have been chosen as they offer good quality accommodation and a friendly welcome in the heart of the villages and provide a quaint insight into the Cotswolds. This holiday includes breakfast daily and there are plenty of places recommended by our local agent to go for lunch and dinner each day.
Arrive in Moreton-in-Marsh, a thriving market town packed with antique shops, art galleries, tea shops and restaurants.
You stay at The White Hart Royal Hotel.
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Set in a 17th-century former coaching inn, the White Hart Royal Hotel is located in Moreton-in-Marsh’s historic town centre and boasts regal connections as King Charles I took shelter here during the English Civil War. A four-poster bed, private garden, spacious wet room and a roll-top bath feature in some of the individually designed bedrooms. Flagstone floors and an original inglenook fireplace are in the traditional Snug Bar and guests can also make use of the hotel’s two period lounges. Fresh, local ingredients are served on the traditional British menu in the Courtyard Restaurant.
Should this accommodation not be available, an alternative of the same standard will be used
Depending on your day of arrival, you will be met at 9am and given a brief instruction into the use of the GPS unit. You will be provided with your bikes for the holiday, adjusted to your specifications, and you will be given a short training run through.
Once you are fully kitted out, you will begin your cycle through picturesque country lanes into Chipping Campden, a beautiful town with its much photographed market hall. Here you will find numerous pubs, restaurants and sandwich shops ideal for a lunch stop.Your cycle tour will then continue on through Broadway Tower Country Park, worth a detour for the amazing views of the Cotswolds. The route passes through the lavender fields at Snowshill, an amazing kick to the senses around harvest time (early July). You may wish to stop and visit Snowshill Manor, a National Trust property full of the extraordinary treasures collected by Charles Wade. For more information visit the Snowshill website: click here.
Your cycle will continue on through Stanway and on to Winchcombe.
You stay at The White Hart Inn.
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Set in Winchcombe, just over half a mile from Sudeley Castle, The White Hart Inn offers accommodation with a restaurant, free private parking, a bar and a garden. Among the facilities at this property are a 24-hour front desk and luggage storage space, along with free WiFi throughout. The inn features eight ensuite bedrooms. All guest rooms come with a flat screen TV and tea & coffee making facilities. Full English Breakfast is included daily.
Should this accommodation not be available, an alternative of the same standard will be used
Today your route will take you through the charming villages of Guiting Power, Lower Swell and the Slaughters, all of which will offer ideal chocolate-box photo opportunities. There will be plenty of chances to stop for refreshments, from the 'post office' in Guiting Power offering superb tea and cake, to the wonderful Slaughters Country Inn with its lovely garden. Take your time and arrive in Bourton-on-the-Water, just as the day visitors leave, and marvel at its quaintness.
You stay at The Manor Close B&B.
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The Manor Close B&B offers a warm and friendly welcome and brings the best of Bourton-on-the-Water to your doorstep. With its English country house feel, guest rooms offer amenities such as a flat screen TV and complimentary WiFi. The property also features a Full English Breakfast with all ingredients being locally sourced wherever possible including the eggs that are both locally sourced and free range. Guests arriving by vehicle have access to free parking.
Should this accommodation not be available, an alternative of the same standard will be used.
Today's cycle route will take you through some of the best 'off the beaten track' routes in the Cotswolds. You will cycle through the beautiful villages of Great Rissington and Great Barrington. There is an option to visit Burford (adding another 11km to the route) with its charming high street sloping down to the Windrush river and Northleach with its beautiful wool church and museum of Mechanical Music.
The route today heads towards the Evenlode valley, with hidden picturesque villages off the beaten track. It is a fairly easy ride back to Moreton-in-Marsh; however, you may wish to extend your cycling by either a detour to historic Stow-on-the Wold (11km) or the villages of Bledington, Kingham and Churchill (15km).
If you'd like to extend your trip with extra hotel nights we recommend: The White Hart Royal Hotel, Moreton-in-Marsh; The Kennard, Bath; The Oxford Coach & Horses B&B, Oxford.
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Set in a 17th-century former coaching inn, the White Hart Royal Hotel is located in Moreton-in-Marsh’s historic town centre and boasts regal connections as King Charles I took shelter here during the English Civil War. A four-poster bed, private garden, spacious wet room and a roll-top bath feature in some of the individually designed bedrooms. Flagstone floors and an original inglenook fireplace are in the traditional Snug Bar and guests can also make use of the hotel’s two period lounges. Fresh, local ingredients are served on the traditional British menu in the Courtyard Restaurant.
Should this accommodation not be available, an alternative of the same standard will be used
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The Kennard is located on a quiet residential street in easy walking distance from some of the best restaurants and shopping areas of Bath, as well as close to Bath Abbey, the Roman Baths, Pulteney Bridge, Holburne Museum and the Victoria Art Gallery. This boutique Guest House offers 12 refurbished and individually decorated bedrooms over five floors, with views either over the garden and city, or out over the street below. There is free Wi-Fi, a small sitting area and an honesty bar at the property and full English breakfast (or continental buffet) is included.
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The Oxford Coach & Horses is built on the site of an old coaching inn dating from the 18th century and is located within 10 minutes walk from the city centre. This delightful, refurbished coaching inn offers a pleasant retreat and an oasis of calm amid the hustle and bustle nearby and yet far enough away from it all. Said to be the last coaching inn in Oxford before the road to London was put in, the Oxford Coach & Horses is a family-owned business with eight bedrooms, all with ensuite bathrooms, a flat screen TV, high-speed Wi-Fi, a safe and plenty of storage space. There is also tea & coffee making facilities. The property is small enough to provide a friendly welcome with the advantage of having up-to-date facilities to make your visit relaxed and comfortable. The B&B is just around the corner from a vast range of international cuisine in the St Clements and Cowley Road area.
We do not currently have departure dates and prices available on-line. The season may have ended for this tour, or we are still in the process of adding these details to our website.
Please contact our sales team on 0044 1606 720199 to for further details or to discuss alternavie trip options.
Self-guided cycling
5 nights,
hotel-to-hotel
Level: 2
Moderate
10.0Kg CO2e
Headwater
Navigation App
Optional
e-bike hire
