Family cycling travel guide

For an active break, a family cycling holiday is actually pretty chilled. No peloton to keep up with, no Lycra – it’s simply about exploring on two wheels, on safe routes and over child friendly distances. Family cycling is typically self guided, so you can pedal at your own pace. Just pop a picnic in your pannier and go, stopping to swim, eat or play whenever you like. Some cycling holidays include other activities – watersports or horse riding, for instance – some go point to point, delivering a saddlebag-full of satisfaction with each completed section. If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can join a guided group and see somewhere exotic, like Kenya, from your saddle. Wherever you choose, two wheels will help you reach the parts cars miss, discovering unspoiled scenery and meeting local people, too. No driving, fresh air, exercise and a bit of an adventure – family cycling holidays tick boxes for kids and adults.

Find out more in our family cycling holidays travel guide.

Self guided cycling suits families brilliantly, providing the perfect blend of independence and support, flexibility and structure. There’s no need to catch up or wait for other members of a group, and you have the freedom to stop when you want or tailor the ride to suit tired legs and lazy days. Routes carefully planned to suit children, maps and 24/7 support are provided, so you can pedal off with confidence, knowing where you’re going but free to explore at your own speed, too.

Family cycling holidays follow routes selected for safety, so that’s typically cycle paths, tracks and quiet roads, usually with little or no traffic. Distances vary, and there’s often the opportunity to cut rides short or extend them for more of a challenge, but generally you won’t be pedalling for more than 30km each day. Routes tend to stick to easy, level terrain, too, so no long ascents or steep descents. On a small group holiday, a support vehicle will be following along, so anyone can take a break by catching a ride in it.

Some family cycling holidays follow a single route, from location to location, with your bags moved to each night’s accommodation for you. This is a great way to see a decent chunk of a country, with lots of variety built in and a real sense of achievement at the end when you tot up how far you’ve pedalled. Centre based cycling is a slightly more flexible choice. There’s always the option to ditch the bikes – you’re not following a long route or trying to pedal to your next guesthouse – but even some point to point cycling holidays build in rest days or a few nights in a single place, so you can take shorter circular rides or spend a day out of the saddle.