Bike packing holidays

“Bike packing, for me, is about taking a minimalistic journey where you’re stripping things down to the essentials,” says Joe Armstrong. Think of our bike packing holidays as self-sufficient mini adventures where you’ll carry everything you need, and only what you need, on a sturdy but lightweight gravel bike, exploring remote parts of the country. We don’t really have any ‘true wilderness’ left in the UK, but in rural Wales and Scotland you can get darn close to it.

Joe is the co-founder of our partner Roam, who run our bike packing trips in Wales. Often when I talk to our partners they will come out with a phrase that I think perfectly encapsulates the holidays they run for us, and in this case it’s how Joe describes bike packing as allowing you to ‘explore the places between the places’. “It’s about slowing things down,” he says. “When I was younger, I used to enjoy bashing the distances out but now I know it’s more about talking to your friends and the people you meet, stopping at all the little cafes you come to, taking in the scenery...” And what scenery – mountains, rivers, coast, plunging valleys thick with forest, and a wealth of wild swimming spots for those who’ve found space to bring their swimming cossies along.

Much of the countryside in both Wales and Scotland is under-visited which means the soul-stirring landscapes you’re passing through are blissfully crowd-free. But the other side to that is many small businesses struggle to get by. Hungry and thirsty bike packers are a welcome sight at pubs and cafes along the way, and our holidays purposefully recommend those that are locally run to help spread tourism income around the region.

You can choose from self-guided bike packing holidays, following carefully pre-planned routes and receiving full support in the unlikely event you need it, or privately guided small groups with a maximum of just four people or so. In either case you can choose the dates you travel. We can also organise custom options if preferred. “The very first group who travelled with us was four dads,” Joe remembers, “and the following year they came back and they brought their seven kids along. Now I’m creating bespoke trips for them because they’ve done all of our routes.”

You’ll typically be away for one to three nights, and you can choose between trips that involve camping, or those that use locally owned B&Bs and hotels, or a mix of both. If camping, you’ll be carrying all the equipment yourself and be responsible for erecting the tent – full instructions provided, naturally. Routes are planned so that you can easily get your dinner in a local pub or restaurant, and normally there will be a cafe nearby for campers to buy their breakfasts.

“My favourite route for bike packing holidays in Wales is probably the Cambrian Mountains,” says Joe. “We have some fantastic hotels there including one overlooking a valley lined with waterfalls – it feels a bit unknown which is surprising for somewhere so beautiful.”

Our bike packing tours vary in the degree of challenge they offer, but they’re very accessible. Assume you’ll be in the saddle for around five hours a day, covering perhaps 50km or so. Tea breaks, picnics and plenty of wild swimming are all factored into the timings. For every uphill there’s a downhill and for every patch of rain there’s the knowledge of a cosy pub waiting at the end of the day.

Joe is keen to emphasise that you don’t even need to be an experienced cyclist. “We get a range of travellers – often people looking to try bike packing or gravel riding, but also generally active people who don’t cycle much. All you need is a reasonable level of fitness and a positive mindset towards rain and hills.”

On a bike you have limited space so it’s vital to use it well, which means lightweight clothing, and toiletries decanted into small bottles. Handily, you can have the bike packing bags sent to you before departure so you can be sure that everything fits. Unlike panniers, which make you feel sluggish as soon as you leave a tarmac surface, the way the bike packing bags are positioned distributes weight evenly. After a while you won’t even notice they’re there.

Your tent and camping gear are provided, and will have been chosen specifically because they fit the bike packing bags. Depending on the trip the bike may be included, or you can bring your own, or hire one yourself from a local supplier recommend by your tour operator, to collect on arrival. If you’re camping and there is no cafe in the area, breakfast is provided in the form of pouches of porridge that you’ll reheat on a portable stove (also included) – and Joe has gone to the effort of seeking products that don’t use single use packaging.

“We want you to enjoy an element of adventure,” says Joe. “It’s an over-used word in travel these days to be fair, but you’re on your own, in the unknown, so it does feel adventurous.” But not completely alone, of course. You’ll have a reliable GPS device that shows you the way, backed up by paper maps and a comprehensive guidebook with tips on everything from viewpoints to good pubs.

In the event of a problem with the bike that you can’t fix yourself, someone can come out and find you. “It rarely happens though,” says Joe. “Last year we only had the one puncture, and snapped chains are even rarer. When you use good quality equipment you don’t get many issues.” British-made equipment is sourced wherever possible, supporting independent businesses and also reducing your holiday’s carbon footprint still further.

If you’re in the UK you’ll tend to get the best weather for bike packing between April and September, with the summer months of June and August typically the warmest and driest. Even at the height of summer a rainy day or two can’t be ruled out, though the temperature is usually warm enough to dry you out quickly afterwards. “I’d say June for Wales,” says Joe, “but to be honest it feels like every year the best weather comes in a different month.”

Wales is an absolute joy for cycling – when Joe was preparing for a personal trip in the Himalayas, he would practise here and soon fell in love with the country’s scenery, the quiet roads, and the pubs. Well-crafted routes, based on several years of experience in the region, explore areas including the Cambrian Mountains, Brecon Beacons National Park, Snowdonia National Park, and the Tywi and Cothi river valleys.

Over the course of a few days our Wales bike packing holidays take you through moorland, along forest tracks or coast, and over mountain passes, past long-abandoned villages and riversides that abound with wild swimming spots.

Our Scotland bike packing holidays focus on the magnificent Cairngorms National Park, taking in sections of routes like the Moray Coast Trail and the Speyside Way, and the Dava Way as it follows a disused railway line. Wide open spaces beckon as you tackle trails of low technical difficulty through forest, farmland and moor, soaking up mountain and sea views.

Trips are led by a brilliant local guide with extensive knowledge of long-distance cycling, and usually depart from Grantown-on-Spey, which is just an hour’s ride from Aviemore – the ‘adventure capital’ of the Cairngorms. Aviemore in turn can easily be reached from London on the overnight train, so that many travellers can avoid having to either drive or fly up.