Our *new for 2016* cycling holidays and walking tours

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.