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Day 3 of our 'Thames Path from Henley to London' walking holiday is a Carter Company team favourite. Towards the end of the day, walkers along our route are rewarded with stunning views of Cliveden over the Thames. If you're not familiar with Cliveden and its unique place in British history and national political scandals, read on..!

Cliveden is an Italianate mansion, set in expansive grounds, on the border of the home counties of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire border. Situated atop an outlying ridge of the Chiltern Hills - a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - it's a stone's throw from the charming riverside town of Maidenhead, which also features on this Thames walking holiday route. It has a spectacular setting, as you can see from the picture above, with grounds sloping right down to the banks of the river. Cliveden estate has been home to an earl, three countesses, two dukes, a Prince of Wales and the Viscounts Astor, as well as Stanford University in the 70s. Today it is a 5 star country house hotel.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Cliveden was home to Nancy Astor, a socialite and key figure in the 'Cliveden set', who were a group of political intellectuals. It was during the 1960s however, when Cliveden really gained its reputation as a political hot potato. The key events of the notorious Profumo Affair took place here. The scandal eventually brought down the ruling Conservative government in 1964. Christine Keeler, a 19-year-old model, and John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's government, first met at the bathing pond at Cliveden in 1961. What followed was a brief but illicit sexual relationship which Profumo denied in an official statement to the House of Commons in 1963. He was forced to admit he had lied just a few week's later and resigned from the government. Prime minister Harold Macmillan was completely destabilised by the revelations, and he resigned as PM due to 'health reasons' later that year. The Conservative Party was badly hit by the scandal, especially because Keeler was linked to the Soviet naval attaché Captain Yevgeny Ivanov, thereby creating a potential national security risk. The following year, the Conservative Party lost the general election to the Labour party - an defeat blamed in part on the Profumo Affair. Scandal indeed!

If you can, book afternoon tea here (reservations in advance absolutely necessary, it's famously good) for a truly memorable pit stop on our 'Thames path from Henley to London' or 'Thames path from source to London' walking holidays.

We're launching a new series over here on our blog, profiling the brilliant people who act as local hosts for The Carter Company. The host's role is to welcome customers at the start of their trip, make sure their bikes are a comfortable fit, brief the route and provide an emergency call-out service in the case of wheel punctures or other unexpected mishaps! Our hosts are very important to us, as they're really the face of The Carter Company for everyone who takes a walking or cycling holiday with us. They do a fantastic job, and they're wonderfully interesting people, so we hope you enjoy these interviews as much as we enjoyed conducting them!

First up is Ian (pictured above). Ian is the host for all our cycling holidays in Devon & Cornwall, plus the one walking holiday we offer in Devon.

Iona: Ian, hello! Thanks for agreeing to feature on our blog. I want to start by asking you about your role as a host in Devon & Cornwall. Can you share your story with us, and what led you to become a host?

Ian: I became a host when Wendy (The Carter Company's founder) sent out an email to the cycle clubs in my local area, asking if anyone was interested in the role. I responded, Wendy and I had a chat on the phone, and the rest is history! I have cycled all the routes used on the cycling holidays for Devon & Cornwall, and in many cases actually written the route directions. I have been hosting for 7 years in total, and I really enjoy spending time with the customers before they set off, running through the route directions and maps with them, and sharing my recommendations for places of interest on their journey.

Iona: What's your favourite thing about hosting cyclists and walkers in your area?

Ian: I am really passionate about the area I live in and am also an active cyclist who enjoys cycling/walking all year round. I am very happy to share my knowledge (e.g. hidden gems on the route, the terrain, even local weather quirks!) with customers. The Tarka Trail, which features on many of the cycling holidays, is within a mile from my home so I use it all year round. My wife and I also enjoy walking the South West Coastal path, which is over 600 miles long. We have completed Minehead to Lands End in many stages over the years and have started the Southern part towards Poole. So I feel well qualified to assist and offer advice to customers.

Iona: Everyone has their favourite spots in Devon & Cornwall. Where are yours? Can you share any hidden gems, away from the tourist hotspots?

Ian: There are so many places that I could mention, the South West really is a special place. Exmoor is our favourite place, especially in the summer when the coastal areas are busy. You can really hear the silence on Exmoor even in August - but don’t tell anyone else! A hidden gem, though a known place, is the Valley of the Rocks. There is nothing quite like it. We are lucky enough to have travelled to many beautiful parts of the world over the years but the Valley of the Rocks has to be up there with the best of them. We took a lady from Belarus, who had never lived anywhere near a coast, and she wept pleasure when she saw it!

Iona: Do you have any advice for anyone (thinking of) visiting the Devon or Cornwall?

Ian: Devon and Cornwall is like a mini continent. It has everything from beaches, lakes, rivers and moorland. It is much larger than people imagine, and it can be very hilly in places. It is approximately 100 miles from the North Coast of Devon to the South Coast. Ilfracombe to Plymouth and even by car it can take 3 hours to complete. Devon and Cornwall are year-round locations and can be enjoyed in all seasons.

Iona: And finally, if you could go walking or cycling anywhere else in the world, where would you choose and why?

Ian: New Zealand would a wonderful place to walk and cycle, it's just a shame it is so far away!

Provence: famous for its traditional drystone farmhouses, colourful Van Gogh landscapes, ancient Romanesque chapels, bountiful vineyards and charming medieval villages situated atop dramatic hillsides. In fact, some of the villages in Provence and the surrounding area are hailed as among the most beautiful in the whole of France. There's an official body in charge of deciding which villages those are - Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) - an association set up to promote tourism in rural areas. As of 2016 it includes 154 villages, including one in Provence. We think Provence deserves a few more on that list, so we've shared a few more of our favourites below...

1. Les Baux de Provence
   In a spectacular position in the heart of the Alpilles mountains, the village of Les Baux is perched atop a rocky spur measuring 900m x 200m, with dramatic vertical ravines on either side. Its name is from the Provençal "baou", meaning a rocky spur. The ruins of a fortified castle, destroyed by Richelieu in 1632, continues to keep watch over the old Provencal stone houses of the village. The streets are just gorgeous and perfect for an afternoon promenade. Don't forget to take in the view from the castle's keep over the plains to the south: the Aix region, the Luberon, Mt Ventoux, Sainte Victoire, and the Cévennes.

2. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
   Saint-Rémy-De-Provence, a small mountain community, is a popular choice for history and art buffs. Featuring picture-postcard sun-soaked medieval walls, ornate fountains and a Roman ‘Arc de Triomphe’ (considered one of the oldest in France), this is the village that inspired some of Van Gogh’s most famous works. The artist lived here for some time, as a patient of the local asylum. It was here that he produced: ‘The Starry Night’; his celebrated ‘Wheat Field’ series; and a number of paintings of roses, irises and forests.

3. Avignon
   Avignon is really the cultural hub of Provence, and the gateway to this stunning region of France. Our cycling holiday exploring Provence begins and ends here. It was once the papal seat, before it moved to the Vatican City, so there are a multitude of churches and chapels and of course the gigantic Palais des Papes (Popes’ Palace), an architectural masterpiece whose turrets can be seen for miles around. Situated on the banks of the River Rhone, Avignon is also home to a famous medieval bridge which inspired a song and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, the city hosts numerous festivals of theatre and music, and also attracts thousands of visitors thanks to its Côtes du Rhone vineyards.

You can visit all three of these towns on our 'Provence and the wild Camargue' luxury gentle cycling holiday. Combined with the extraordinary flora and fauna of the Camargue region, it's a unique cycling holiday that offers both culture and nature in one trip.

Wendy, our director and founder, recently headed to Wales to research an exciting new cycling holiday in this gorgeous corner of the British Isles. Heading off in her car with her trusty folding bicycle in the boot, she returned a week later brimming with enthusiasm and tales of her adventures. Below, she rounds up her personal highlights...

• The magic of the Brecon Beacons National Park (see pic above); I can still recall the fantastic view down from the great height of the forest cycling path on the Talybont reservoir under a bright blue sky, with the water shimmering blue and the pastureland beaming bright green

• Dinner at Twr y felin hotel - incredible food, the best I had all week!

• The cute setting of St David’s town with its cathedral and famous Bishop's Palace. The cycle path which leads here drops down into the valley and crosses a stream at the bottom over a little stone bridge between the cathedral and palace. There are no cars, only bikes and pedestrians. Dreamy!

• St Justinian's, a dramatic but sheltered tiny coastal bay where you'll find a life boat house on stilts. Boats ferry people from here over to the RSPB's Ramsey Island, which is visible from the shoreline

• The lift bridges on the idyllic Monmouth and Brecon Canal... some are hand operated, some electric

• The working wool mill at Solva. It's a small, family-owned joint replete with traditional looms. They make rugs here which you can buy in their fantastic shop and tea room next door. Don't forget to check out the old working water wheel too!

• The Georgian town of Tenby with its harbour, several fab sandy beaches and a buzz of life

• The old tramway at Saundersfoot, which is now a superb walking and cycling route, runs along the bottom of the cliffs, in and out of little tunnels, past several gorgeous sandy beaches and rock pools

• The very friendly and helpful newly-wed pub owners at the White Hart, Talybont. A top pub!

We were delighted to discover recently that the presitgious UK-based broadsheet paper The Telegraph has named our cycling holiday in the Baltics as one of the 50 best cycling holidays in the world. And ever better, we feature in the top 5, as Number 2!

We've always thought Lithuania was an unsung hero for great value family biking trips (in fact, see our most recent blog post before this one, below). And when we say great value, we really mean it: this is an 8 day cycling holiday that comes in at £670 per person, including half-board at all hotels, route directions, maps, a bespoke Carter Company Adventure Handbook, the services of a local host, and bicycle hire. So we're extra happy to see it get the recognition it deserves. It's not only great for bird watchers, it's got an interesting culture, a varied landscape, fantastic white sandy beaches and delicious food and wine. What's not to love!

Check out the full list over on The Telegraph.