Cycling tour of the Cotswolds, England

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION
The main components of our holidays are already relatively low emitters of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, particularly for this holiday, but we feel strongly that there is always room for improvement in this area. One example of how we are striving to minimise our impact is through encouraging our passengers to book cleaner modes of transport, such as train travel, whenever possible. This tour can be reached by train from London in less than 2 hours, meaning not only is it a better option for our planet, but quicker than driving too.

At our head office in the UK we recycle paper, card, plastic and metal cans and we always try to use fully recyclable materials for our printed travel documents and marketing communications. We encourage all our staff to cycle when they can and are part of the Cycle to Work scheme. We also like to take part in charity bike rides together each year.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE
We've been organising cycling for over 30 years, encouraging this environmentally-friendly activity is at the absolute core of our business. We hope that through memorable cycling holidays we will encourage more people to adopt the bike as a green mode of transport at home as well. We also believe that the more people we can get to explore the Cotswolds by bike rather than bus, the better the experience will be for everybody!

Our destination managers in the Cotswolds provide all cyclists with a refillable water bottle and share some top tips on how to support the local environment. Ideas such as turning off lights when leaving a room, considering if you need clean towels and bedding regularly and taking no more than one shower daily when possible. We also encourage our clients to stick to marked trails and to take away any waste when stopping off for a picnic or to explore the local area. With the tour taking place in a protected Area of Natural Beauty, we make extra efforts to ensure that our guests know how best to preserve this beautiful landscape and habitat.

This tour offers you the chance to visit and support the Westonbirt Arboretum, where incredibly valuable conservation and research work is ensuring a greener future for all.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY
All our tours encourage cyclists to get off the beaten track and discover the most stunning parts of England, stay in privately owned boutique hotels like the Calcot & Spa and support local producers and businesses. On this tour we use hotels that share our values. They place a huge emphasis on the use of local produce throughout their restaurants and local manufacturers in their spa and hotel. Food miles on the dinner menus are often in the single digits and it's not rare to see the farmers dropping of their produce and unwinding with a drink in the hotels pub. In the Cotswolds we hire local people to act as our destination managers and also use local bike rental companies, supporting small businesses in a niche market, rather than shipping our own equipment in.

We are also passionate about the history of this part of the world and encourage all of our guests to explore the Cotswolds distinct regional culture, whether through visiting sites of historical significance like the Roman baths of bath or getting involved in any local festivities that may be taking place. Farmers markets are a common sight in the Cotswolds, and supporting them instead of multi-store chains means your visit benefits the local economy.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY
We also work with World Bicycle Relief to support bike-led charity projects in developing nations. For every booking, we donate £5 on your behalf, helping to provide life-changing Buffalo bikes to those in remote areas. Freedom of mobility means girls can safely get to school, farmers can bring their produce to market, and healthcare workers can reach those in need.