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Mountain biking holidays in England

COUNTRY:
England
LOCATION:
Chilterns, North York Moors, Northern England
HOLIDAY TYPE:
Introductory to hard core mountain biking holidays
DEPARTURES:
PRICE:
From £95 - £625 (1-6 days) excluding flights. Price depends on choice of trip. Please see below for details
MORE INFO:
Please see the below trips for specific prices and departure dates
VOUCHERS:
Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
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Mountain biking holidays in England

Mountain biking holidays in England

How this holiday makes a difference

Environment

Global adventures start with a local perspective – that's the our philosophy. Whether abroad, or just as importantly at home, the start point is the same; how to get the most enjoyable holiday for our customers while benefiting the local people, economy and respecting the environment.

We provide travellers with Travellers Codes that encourage the reduction of water usage, systems for collecting, recycling or safe disposal of litter and relevant suggestions to minimise damage to the environment, wildlife and marine ecosystems. All our holidays have a maximum group size of 12 to 15 people minimising both the social and environmental impact. We work with and support Sustrans and the development of the excellent National Cycle Network and use these routes for our UK Cycling Breaks.

Voted one of the Best Tour Operators in two categories in the Guardian / Observer Travel Awards 2010.

Voted in February 2010, by The Guardian newspapers list of experts as one of the top 75 outstanding green travel companies in the Guardian Green Travel List 2010.

Community

Cycling is a great way to explore the countryside, travelling at a speed that enables you to take in the surroundings without damaging the environment. Our UK mountain bike tours follow a variety of designated tracks and bridleways, minimising damage to the counrtyside. In each of our locations, such as the Derbyshire White Peak and Dorset, we use local guides, small independent B&B's, guest houses and hotels to ensure that the money stays in the local economy. Where we provide food we aim to use locally produced product.

Landscape

Cycling is one of the best ways to experience the landscapes and we’ve made sure that all our guides either live in or near the landscapes and have a knowledge and passion for the landscape features – we only employ guides that are as enthusiastic as we are about the local area. As well as a great escape into beautiful places, there’s lots to experience on the trip and – for those keen to find out more - our local guides can share their passion for birds, wildlife, architecture, geology, history and the great outdoors before and during the trip – it’s a wonderful way to spot things in the landscape as you’re riding along. You can also get a flavour of the local landscape through the tastebuds as we make sure our picnics include locally sourced produce.

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Story of the holiday provider

Having stayed in touch since primary school, Andy and Paul decided to cycle around South America in 1994. Andy was a keen cyclist but Paul hadn’t been on a bike since doing his paper round. They didn’t have an itinerary and used military maps to navigate through the desert. They had so much fun and met such amazing people that they agreed to set up a cycling tour company together. Andy says their trips create a flexible and intimate way to travel and absorb the local culture and, whats more, you never forget how to cycle – it’s just like riding a bike!

Holiday provider no: 146

Mountain biking holidays in England

Mountain biking holidays in England

Reviewed 15 Aug 2009 by Helena Posnett4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


It was great to see the fantastic scenery and villages of the South West and this was just the mountain biking challenge I was looking for, both in terms of technical skill and fitness. The guides were very helpful (e.g. we got a lesson in bike maintenance) and friendly. They provided fantastic snacks and picnic lunches for us en route and went out of their way to buy the group's food requests.

Day 3 was definitely the best with superb weather, stunning views over the Bristol Channel, challenging climbs and great downhills to mediaeval Dunster. This has to be one of the most picturesque villages in the UK and somewhere I'd definitely go back to.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


1) Book it! The tour company were extremely helpful and went out of their way to find an extra bed for me in every village as I was a late booking.
2) The weather can be variable so do believe the trip notes and bring waterproofs.
3) If (like me) you're someone who finds route descriptions helpful for each stage of the day (in terms of pacing yourself and having enough food en route), make sure you ask the guides if they haven't already told you.
4) Expect a range of accommodation on the trip. The tour operator is limited by 'what there is' and group availability in the small villages we stayed in. Accommodation varied from a youth hostel (shared dorms) to average and more comfortable B&Bs with varying quality of breakfasts but all 'fine'. Our accommodation in Dunster was superb with a delicious locally sourced breakfast.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Yes. By doing the trip mid week, not only were the routes less crowded but we brought custom to small villages at less busy times. Evening meals were well thought out in local pubs/restaurants well known to the guides and I particularly liked the wild and remote inn on Dartmoor.

All the accommodation was locally owned and several had environmental policies (GTBS Silver B&B in Dunster, the YHA accommodation on Dartmoor, and a local certificate at the B&B in Plymouth) and were committed to providing locally sourced breakfasts. I had some fantastic conversations with friendly (and some, quirky!) B&B and pub owners. It was great to see reuseable plates and cutlery for our picnic lunches.

My only comments were that it would have been good to have had a briefing e.g. covering the Country Code (particularly as several members of the group were from overseas), reuseable bags for all the food shopping, and plastic/cardboard recycling from snacks/lunch packaging (or perhaps this was done by the guides?)

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


A great trip - many thanks.
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Holiday Reviews

We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!

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Mountain biking holidays in England
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