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Blenheim Palace is an absolute must-see for anyone visiting Oxford or The Cotswolds. A number of our cycling and walking tours pass this fascinating place en route - including our 'Day in Oxford & Blenheim' cycling trip. This gentle guided tour by bicycle takes in the city of dreaming spires, the surrounding rural Oxford countryside along the Thames river and some charming Cotswold hamlets, before arriving at Blenheim itself. The cycling only takes up half a day, leaving you with the whole afternoon to explore the palace, park and gardens. We will transfer you back to Oxford at the end of the day.

Why is Blenheim a must-see? Well, apart from being a wonderful piece of English heritage (you can't get more quintessentially English than this!), it's an incredibly fine example of Baroque architecture. Ornate details and intricate interiors make the whole experience a feast for the senses; add on top of this grand tapestries, imposing paintings and artisan furniture and you've got quite a palace on your hands! Built in the early 18th century as a gift to the First Duke of Malborough, today Blenhiem is the only 'non-royal' residential palace in Britain - it is still inhabited by the family today. Perhaps the most well-known resident is Winston Churchill, grandson of the 7th Duke, who was born and spent much of his time at Blenheim Palace. The 2,000 acres of Park and Gardens, designed by the famous Capability Brown, are also well worth a visit.

Blenheim Palace Flower Show

The 2014 Blenheim Palace Flower Show runs from June 20th-22nd, and is the perfect excuse to cycle Oxford to Blenheim. This year looks set to be a winner, with celebrity guests including Monty Don and Frances Tophill, a stellar line-up of designers exhibiting Show Gardens (always packed full of inspiring ideas), and of course there will be The Grand Floral Pavilion... last year there were 27 Blenheim Palace Flower Show Gold Medals awarded - will it be more this year?!

Tailor-made Blenheim holidays

Here at The Carter Company we specialise in creating bespoke cycling tours based on specific needs and requirements, so if you have something particular in mind, drop us a line and we'd be happy to assist you! In the past we have organised numerous tailor-made Blenheim holidays, involving a stop off at the palace en route, so we're well equipped to plan a cycling or walking trip that combines a bit of history and culture with some gentle activity.

There are so many brilliant blogs about cycling out there on the internet. As with most things online however, they can be tricky to track down. We thought it would be nice to share with you some of our favourites. It's nice to see that there is a rapidly growing and very vibrant community of bloggers out there flying the flag for all things cycling!

The Carter Company's top cycling blogs

1. IBikeLondon blog These guys are all about promoting and celebrating cycling in London and the rest of the UK. They have a natty range of IBikeLondon products and regular free social events. Their blog is full of photos of their latest themed rides and other bike-related news.

2. CycleChic is a girl after our own heart who likes to have fun on two wheels! She loves beautiful bikes and (genuinely) beautiful clothes you can wear whilst on and off the saddle. She's also launching a book, The Girl's Bicycle Handbook which is out tomorrow (April 3rd)! Her blog is both fun and informative. We like it because it makes cycling feel accessible to everyone, not just the lycra-clad road racers.

3. VeloVogue is a really cool blog that focuses on cycling culture and the way of life cycling inspires. There are lots of fun photos of interesting people on two wheels plus other bits and pieces on cycling culture that provide some real food for thought.

4. Copenhagenize reaffirms once again that the Scandinavians are leading the way when it comes to the revolution of urban travel. 50% of Copenhageners use a bicycle each day - amazing really isn't it? The blog is full of thoughtful comments and articles on the state of urban cycling today, plus many schemes and initiatives happening in Denmark right now. They also have a sister blog 'Copenhagen Cycle Chic' proving how chic those Danes really are!

5. Change Your Life Ride A Bike is about the "small shifts in perspective that can come from bicycle riding, and how these can lead to big changes in how we see the world and how we live in it. Changes in our impact on the earth, or even just noticing how nice it is to have the wind in your hair". We couldn't agree more - travelling on two wheels somehow encourages you to slow down and really engage with what's around you, as well as to be more mindful of your own presence. It's a beautiful thing!

6. Cycle Love, beautifully presented and thoughtfully curated, with a dash of wit thrown in to keep you on your toes, this blog is really a gem of a find and comes very highly recommended by us!

7. Velo-City-Girl is full of great product reviews and recommendations for cycling-friendly apparel. There's also lots of interesting nuggets of info on cycling culture in London and things for the aspiring cyclist to see and do in the capital. A must read for any girls out there who like cycling and fashion.

As part of our recent press trip, which saw 11 journalists from the likes of the Daily Telegraph, National Geographic Traveler, Canadian Living, The New York Times, The Times of India, The Sun and more ride our Shakespeare's Way cycling tour, we secured an exclusive preview of the Lee Valley VeloPark, which opens to the public at the end of this month (March 31st).

The focus of our visit was the velodrome, although you can also try your hand at racing the road circuit, tackling mountain bike trails or riding the berms on the re-modelled Olympic BMX track. Unusually, the VeloPark hosts all 4 disciplines in one location.

We were lucky enough to have a very informative and animated guide who let us in on some of the secrets behind the building of the velodrome. For example, he told us that Sir Chris Hoy (our star GB track cyclist for those of you who don't know, somewhat of a national hero after London 2012!) was consulted at the start of the design process. The architects implemented his 3 main suggestions, which were:

1. A 360° audience - which is very unusual for a velodrome

2. Increased air temperature to reduce aerodynamic drag acting on the cyclists

3. A toilet (!) right next to the start line (which is situated just underneath the track)

Now here at The Carter Company we like gentle cycling and pottering about on a bike at a relaxed pace (as did most of our journalists). So naturally many of them were pretty nervous about having a go as there are some crucial differences between standard touring bikes and velodrome bikes. First of all, there are no brakes on the bikes, so to slow down you have to use the strength of your legs. And secondly, unlike normal hybrid outdoor bikes, you can't balance on these bikes without support, so you have to hold on to a rail to get started.

It's quite scary at first but you do get the hang of it! By the end, every one of our journalists was absolutely raving about the experience. It's very exhilarating once you're moving, and it's great fun to feel part of this quite special place where so much of Britain's excitement was focused during the summer of 2012.

The velodrome is now bookable (although it is already booked up weeks in advance as the Olympic fever pitch lives on and the popularity of cycling in England continues to rise!) and costs £30/hour which includes tuition. See their website for more info.

PS. thanks to Paula from The New York Post who took this photo!

Last week we hosted a group of 11 journalists from around the globe on our Shakespeare's Way Cycling Holiday. We were delighted that representatives from many highly respected broadsheets and magazines chose to attend - including The New York Post, The Daily Telegraph, National Geographic Traveler, Canadian Living, The Times of India, Het Niewsblad, Het Laatste Nieuws, Pasar, Bicycling Magazine, The Daily Beast & The Sun - and what a group they were!

We really enjoyed getting to know everyone, and with some big personalities in the group, it was a real hoot from start to finish. Everyone agreed at the end that they had never been on a press trip where the group bonded so well - of course we put this down to the cycling (!) From our experience though, even grumpy teenagers seem to perk up and get along better once they're astride their bike with the wind in their hair ;)

The itinerary

Our Shakespeare's Way cycling trip can actually be done over 7 days (for the more ambitious cyclist) or 10 days (for the more leisurely cyclist).

Our journalists did an condensed version of the route (hopping in a van at various points to speed things along), and cycled it in reverse, so starting in Stratford-upon-Avon and finishing in London. As with all our tours, we offer great flexibility - so you too can customise the itinerary if you would like to, adding in or removing elements as you wish.

As well as some stunning cycling through a real variety of English landscape and city-scape along our favourite pick of quiet lanes, little-known backroads, riverside paths and secret alleyways, there were many attractions to take in and pit stops en route...

• Day 1 featured a cycle tour around Stratford-upon-Avon taking in Shakespeare's birthplace, a tour of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and dinner at the >fantastic Arden Hotel

• Day 2 began with a ride and private tour around the Pashley Cycle Factory, a cycle through the Cotswolds from Chipping Campden to Daylesford Organic for lunch, followed by a tour of Blenheim Palace and a cycle into Oxford

• Day 3 started with a bike tour of Oxford, a cycle through (or should we say down!) the Chiltern Hills, lunch at Heston Blumenthal's pub The Hind's Head in Bray, a bike ride along the Thames and concluded with an evening performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Rose Theatre in Kingston

• Day 4 consisted of a cycle from Putney Bridge to Tower Bridge - a fantastic way to enter London - lunch at the cool cycling cafe Look Mum No Hands!, an exclusive tour of the Lee Valley VeloPark and a session in the velodrome, and dinner at the famous Forman's salmon restaurant in Hackney Wick

• Day 5 rounded off the trip with a visit to Southbank and a tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

We have collated all the photos taken by ourselves and the journalists into an album on Facebook - click here to see them!

Here at The Carter Company, we're not about lycra-clad, high-speed road cycling. Whilst we do offer some more challenging trips, we specialise in creating itineraries that let you amble along at your own pace. We believe in slow travel, giving you the time to immerse yourself in your surroundings, to stop and admire the view and to follow your nose off from the beaten track (experience has shown us that 'creative' detours always lead to some interesting discoveries!)

Our time-generous trips offer a major advantage for those of you who are interested in the local wildlife of the area you are cycling or walking in. Below are some of our recommendations for places to visit if you enjoy a spot of birding...

1. First up, Braunton Burrows near Barnstaple, which you can explore on Devon Coast to Coast and Whistle-Stop Devon. In addition to some incredibly abundant flora - including sea stock, sand toadflax, bee orchid and water germander (which is only found on one other site in the UK) - Braunton is also home to an amazing array of fauna, including 33 species of butterfly, hedgehogs and of course rabbits. In the spring and summer you can see good numbers of migrants such as chiffchaff, willow warbler and common and lesser whitethroat. The highlight during May is to listen for the call of the cuckoo - sadly a declining species in the UK but just a few still visit the Burrows. Meadow pipits, skylarks and stonechats can be found where the vegetation is low. And the rabbits tend to attract some bigger birds of prey - watch out for kestrels and buzzards hovering overhead.

2. In Dorset, Studland Heath Nature Reserve on our Dorset Tours and the RSPB's Arne Bay are worth a visit. At the former, you can expect to find purple sandpipers, Dartford warblers, nightjars, and hobbys. At Arne, star species include the avocet, little egret and stonechat. If you're lucky in Autumn you might catch a glimpse of an Osprey or Marsh Harrier.

3. Finally, The Chilterns (where our small HQ office is located) is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Perhaps its most famous avian resident (and a personal favourite of the team here) is the red kite, a beautifully majestic bird of prey which was extremely rare until it was re-introduced to the Chilterns in the early 1990s. There are now over 300 pairs. Buzzards have increased across the area in recent years and are often seen flying with red kites - surprisingly they seem to tolerate each other! Blackcaps, great spotted and green woodpeckers, tawny owls are frequently found in the Chiltern woodlands. Apart from birds, other interesting wildlife finds here are the rare stag beetle and many badger sets. Check out our Whistle-Stop Chiltern tour if you've only got a couple of days, or our Grand Tour for the ultimate tour of quintessential England by bike, which takes in sections of The Chilterns.

The good news is, panniers come included on all our bikes, so there's plenty of space to pack the binoculars. Happy Birding!