Planning a cycling holiday next year: any hints or tips

[KatyMac]

We loved North Wales near llyn peninsular but both that and Whitby Bay were very hilly

The Lake District rained the whole time we were there

North Norfolk was lovely and is possibility if we don't fancy anywhere new

So where else could we go - ideally with nice bike trails we would like to get self catering for a base and cycle off around the area - electric bikes so a few hills are fine prob a 20-30 mile trips are out maximum
Extra points if we can get there by train....I can now cycle in London so changing isnt too bad!!

There are lots of long distance cycle routes abroad. Significantly better than the rather pathetic offering we have in England (saying this as someone who lives within a whisker of some long distance off road cycle trails).

Look up something like the Loire or Rhone in France, Mosel in Germany or Muse in Belgium. They are all incredibly well marked, largely traffic free, mainly Tarmacked and flat. Also very popular so cyclists are well catered for en route in terms of accommodation, cafes etc.

Given you have more time, why not do a cycle tour. You’ll get to adventure further - the routes above are ideal for this. Train travel with a bike is ridiculously easy too (compared to here). So it wouldn’t take too much planning to travel via Eurotunnel and change to get to your start point and vice versa for your return.

Check out the Cycling U.K. website. The forums there are fab for touring advice.

I’m afraid unless I am guaranteed a weather window here (so literally check the week before and go), I can’t be doing with crap weather on a cycling holiday (I’m not a fair weather cyclist)… which is why I head abroad. That and soaking up the culture, food, scenery etc.

That does look lovely but I'm not sure we are ready to go abroad yet

I'll have a look at cycling UK but I don't think in the UK we'd want anything organised although if at some point we did brave the continent maybe aa tour would be better

I dont think we want to cycle from hotel to hotel just settle down somewhere and pootle around for 3 or 4 days

I know what you mean about the weather but we have enjoyed ourselves despite it really

warwickshire is a paradise for cycling, especially if you want small lanes and not very hilly at all.

on the edge of the Cotswolds - which is obviously hilly

how many miles are you thinking of cycling each day?

Somewhere like

Walton hall at Wellesbourne would have you directly out onto picturesque lanes - through to Shipston on Stour, or Kineton, through to Napton, would be 3 rides from that location

or Warwick, where within just 2/3 miles you'd be on lanes through to Hampton Lucy, or the opposite direction towards Kenilworth and out towards Dorridge

can certainly make suggestions for rides if its somewhere you'd like to visit

I looked at cycling the outer Hebrides, think it involves a boat or two but looks gorgeous.

I'd love to do something like this, but I'd be looking for something fairly pedestrian (😄), with short distances, and places to stay en route.

I cycled from Bristol to Warwick, I used the Bristol bath cycle path & then old original fosse way, which is now a byway and I didn't meet any motorised vehicles. to cirencester and then used the whites way to north leech all country lanes. up to Sherborne and then to ships ton - avoiding stow on the wold. then through to Walton hall, Hampton Lucy and Warwick

its just over 105 miles, you could spend 3 or 4 nights and break it down

two hills, one I had to walk as loaded with panniers I couldn't manage.

I got the train to Bristol and there is a station at Warwick

King Alfred's Way.
Catch the train to Reading and start from there, break the route into manageable days with a hotel for accommodation. Finish in Reading and get the train home.

I cycled a big stretch of King Alfreds way last year-- can't recommend because those chalk stone roads are hilly and .... stony!! They are well sign-posted, tbf.

I want to recommend NE Suffolk to OP. Lots of cycling trails, fairly flat, good weather (on UK mainland). Mobile bike repair. Worst to say for it is a bit sandy. Beaches & nature reserves when kid(s) get bored of being on bike. Cotswolds are hilly AND wet in my experience.

Did you manage to find anywhere to go for a cycling holiday?

No but I am currently on my 5th festival of the summer

I have my little caravan which has a bike rack on the front and I am having a ball!

I dobt cycle as much as I'd like but I was quite poorly after having covid, so maybe next year I'll cycle more