News

Here at The Carter Company we often hear from families who want to holiday together. When your family consists of three generations, it's not always easy to find a trip to suit everyone, but a gentle cycling holiday can be a great option as it offers a lot of flexibility. Grandparents who want to take it easy can choose an electric bike, whilst young kids can travel in a child's seat, tagalong or trailer. Below we share some wonderful routes in Europe and Britain that are ideal for multi-generational groups.

If you have specific requirements for a family trip you'd like to discuss with us, please do get in touch with us and we'd be happy to help!

1. Mallorca coast to coast

This self-guided tour offers lots of flexibility with several nights in each hotel, so much of the cycling is optional. Enjoy days off around the idyllic hotel pools or head out on foot to explore the surrounding area. The distances are short and hills are few and far between. Electric bikes are available for those who want to take it extra easy.

2. Lake Constance

Experience three countries in one trip on this culturally rich tour around Lake Constance. With low mileages, mostly flat terrain and traffic-free bike paths, this is a great family trip. Cycle through vineyards, take a cable car into the mountains and experience a world renowned performing arts festival. Electric bikes available!

3. Oxford and Thames royal palaces

The River Thames threads its way serenely through pretty landscapes and into the heart of bustling historic towns such as Oxford and Windsor. The tranquil river path provides the route for much of this trip. The itinerary is relaxed and includes several optional river boat trips with bikes aboard. E-bikes also an option on this tour.

If you venture out walking on Exmoor, you may be lucky enough to encounter a herd of red deer. These majestic animals are considered very special, ancient guardians of Exmoor.

It is thought that there have been red deer on Exmoor since pre-historic times. Exmoor was once a Royal Forest, and this meant a strict Forest Law to protect the deer. This 'protection' was not however of benefit to the deer themselves, only for the king, who liked a consistent supply of venison to eat and of course, a hunting ground to enjoy himself in.

Today there are about 3,000 of them on Exmoor, living on moorland and farmland, and using the woodlands for cover. Interestingly, red deer are the largest wild land animals in England. Adult stags stand about 115 cm at the shoulder, and are of course instantly recognisable for their iconic antlers. Only stags (male deer) grow antlers. Amazingly, they shed them each year in April and early May and immediately start to grow new ones.

New calves are born to their mothers in June and July, and are usually born in moorland vegetation or by the edge of woodland. For a few days after birth, the calf will lie quietly, well-camouflaged with dappled spots on its russet coat, looking like sunlight on dead bracken. If you do see a calf it is important not to touch it or the mother may abandon it. Soon it is strong enough to run with its mother and join the herd. They keep together for a year or more.

Red deer eat a wide variety of food, including young shoots of heather, whortleberry, brambles, saplings and grass. They also feed on acorns, fungi, berries and ivy - as well as farm crops.

They share the unique habitat of Exmoor with a number of other fauna, including Exmoor ponies (a native British breed), otters, birds of prey and some of the UK’s rarest butterflies and bats - as well as some unusual fungi! In fact, Exmoor is so important for wildlife that almost a third of the National Park is protected under UK and European law. So if you're a wildlife lover, it's the perfect place to visit. Why not take our 'Seashores and moors' walking holiday to see it for yourself?

Along with the rest of Edinburgh's foodies, we were very excited about the opening of Timberyard. Positive noises from the likes of Marina O'Loughlin at The Guardian and Audrey Gillan at The Telegraph have only served to confirm what we suspected: this new restaurant is great and you MUST GO - if you find yourself in Edinburgh. And if you don't, well, perhaps now you have a reason to visit! A meal here would be the perfect reward for a week's worth of cycling or walking to the Scottish capital.

Timberyard's philosophy of local-produce-to-plate is of course right on trend. Ingredients are supplied by small, local, artisan growers, breeders, producers, suppliers & foragers. There's a Nordic inflection to the food, created by Head Chef Ben Radford - the son of Lisa and Andrew, who previously ran two of the city’s best restaurants, Atrium and Blue. It's a family affair with son Jo and daughter Abi also involved, managing the bar and media respectively.

Sample dishes sound delightful: Duck, elderberry, beetroot, wood blewit, chard; Raw venison, daikon, shallot, buckwheat, yolk; sea buckthorn, buttermilk, crowdie, biscuit; and the drinks menu is no less enticing.

With accolades like 'game-changing' being swung around, we say now's the time to visit Edinburgh! Take our 'Lochs and glens' cycling holiday (over 6 or 7 nights depending on your need for speed!) or our 'In the footsteps of famous writers' walking holiday, and discover for yourself what all the fuss is about.

With the arrival of the new year comes cold weather, biting winds, and a lack of sun (in our corner of the world). But it does also offer a glimmer of excitement: it's the time when we announce our brand new tours for the upcoming season - which we know you've all been waiting for with bated breath...(!) Luckily the wait is over, and we're delighted to announce some superb cycling and walking holidays, which will be joining our ever-expanding range of fab tours in Britain and Europe.

As always, we've put lots of work into designing these new trips. We are very thorough when putting together new holidays: studying and plotting maps, walking or cycling the proposed routes, researching local points of interest, unearthing the hidden gems of the area in question that don't feature in standard guide books, visiting prospective hotels, and writing detailed Route Directions and Adventure Handbooks (packed full of history, trivia, local legends and our top tips on things to see and do along the way). As we're all about the personal touch here at The Carter Company, it's important to us that our holidays feel like they've been designed with thought, care and a real attention to delightful details. That's what sets us apart from the bigger tour operators out there.

So without further ado, here are our NEW FOR 2016 self-guided cycling holidays and walking tours.

Cycling

1. Whistle-stop lochs and glens is a gentle bike holiday offering a unique chance to experience the dramatic and beautiful lochs and glens of the Trossachs, whilst cycling on virtually flat and traffic-free terrain.

2. Lochs and glens to Edinburgh offers the chance to visit two fantastic Scottish cities: Glasgow before setting off, and Edinburgh at the finish line. In between, there's the small matter of some of Scotland's most majestic landscapers - the Trossachs National Park, and the Highlands. It's a stunning trip. Also available as a 6 night tour for those who like to cycle at a speedy pace.

3. Best of Holland combines what we think are the most interesting and picturesque cycle routes in the country, with our favourite boutique hotels hotels, to create the ultimate luxury gentle holiday on two wheels.

4. Whistle-stop Cotswolds has always existed as a holiday, but we've completely redesigned it for 2016 - with new routes, new hotels and new adventures around each corner! It may be short and it can be as laid back as the moment requires, but it encapsulates all that is so appealing in this much loved corner of England.

Walking

1. Seashores and moors is full of variety, taking in the wild moors of Exmoor and the North Devon coast. Parts of the route are more challenging than our standard 'gentle' walking holidays, but the rewards are well worth the effort: breathtaking coastline, charming rural villages in unspoilt locations, dramatic deep-cut valleys and wild, expansive moorland.

Ahh, 2016, a New Year, and a fresh start... or is it? Sometimes after a festive period of sitting around eating chocolates and watching TV, we arrive back at work in front of our desks feeling like we never really left our chairs. If that's you, fear not! You're not alone. And there's also something you can do about it: get out there on a walking holiday! We were in the Yorkshire Dales to ring in 2016 and enjoyed some fabulous walks. Walking holidays really are the perfect antidote to the sedentary confines of the office. Let's blow those cobwebs away! Here are our suggestions...

1. The Welsh Coastal Path

Fresh sea-spray and a blustery ocean breeze come free of charge on the Ceredigion Coast, which makes for an excellent walking holiday destination. This area is also famed for its fabulous variety of flora and fauna, with dolphins often spotted just off the coast and a huge array of wildflowers to discover.

2. Exmoor National Park

Our brand new 'Seashores and moors' walking holiday offers the chance to explore both the unspoilt Devon coast and the wild moors of Exmoor. This is fast becoming a favourite trip amongst our team here at HQ, and there's the optional add-on of taking an Exmoor 4x4 Safari with knowledgable local guides. See local wildlife such as horses, deer and birds of prey, traverse fords and byways, and discover dramatic moor scenery and hidden valleys on this action packed adventure.

3. World heritage at Hadrian's Wall

Fancy walking Hadrian's Wall but want to stay in nice boutique hotels? Despite the sheer number of walking holiday tour operators offering this route, it's nigh on impossible to find one that avoids crabby hotels (I know, we couldn't believe it either!) So we've stepped in and designed a superb tour along what is Europe’s largest surviving Roman monument. Traverse some of Britain's most ruggedly beautiful landscape in a remarkable and dramatic walk through history. This is a coast to coast route in the North of England - so it's guaranteed to blow those cobwebs away!