22nd January, 2015
We're excited to announce a number of new UK cycling holidays, European bike tours and some walking holidays for the 2015 season. We'll be announcing these in two separate blog posts (there are just so many!), so check out the first batch below and let us know what you think!
1. Walk the Ceredigion Coast and visit the newly opened Cardigan Castle
Cardigan Castle is scheduled to reopen again in spring 2015, following a £11m restoration project. Dating back to the 12th century, the castle had fallen into disrepair until the Cadwgan Building Preservation Trust, founded by four local residents, campaigned for 14 years to save the site. Work began on the building in 2013, which is regarded as the first stone castle built by the Welsh princes and was once the stronghold of Rhys ap Gruffydd, prince of the medieval kingdom of Deheubarth. To commemorate the reopening, we are delighted to announce a new walking tour along the beautiful Ceredigion Coast, which begins in Cardigan and finishes in Aberaeron. We recommend adding on an extra night in Cardigan at the start of the tour so you have plenty of time to take in the castle in all its glory.
2. Celebrate the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ we have designed a special 2 night trip that features the key places in and around Oxford city that inspired Lewis Carroll’s imaginative tale. Explore Christchurch College, where Carroll taught and met the Dean Henry Liddell, whose youngest daughter was of course, Alice, the inspiration for his stories. Cycle along the stretch of river where Carroll took Alice and her sisters on a boat trip in 1862 and told them the first, improvised version of what later became ‘Alice's Adventures in Wonderland’. Visit the Museum of Oxford and see a fob watch of the type worn by the White Rabbit, which belonged to Carroll. Enjoy a bike ride through the idyllic Port Meadow section of the Isis to find the well in the hamlet of Binsey, which provided the inspiration for the treacle well in Alice’s adventures. If you have time, we recommend squeezing in a mad hatter's afternoon tea too, which we can arrange on request! Please contact us for more info and to book this special tour.
3. Immerse yourself in van Gogh's Provence
2015 marks the 125th anniversary of Vincent van Gogh. Get to know the landscapes that inspired him with our two new tours in Provence. We have a cycling holiday, 'Provence and the wild Camargue' and a walking holiday 'Potter through Provence' for you to choose from. Both are gentle in distance and pace, giving you to the time to slow down and soak up your surroundings. Although the Camargue area of France is very flat, Provence does have the occasional hill or two, so we do offer electric bikes on this tour, which you can request if you wish. Provence is home to some stunning luxury boutique guesthouses and very upmarket rural retreats, so the accommodation on both these tours is sure to delight. Plus there's the local wine to get your teeth stuck into. So what are you waiting for... book today!
Posted by: Iona Carter