Organised cycling holidays...

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joanna

Senior Member
Location
Brighton
Dreaming of a cycling holiday... last year I did the IOW and Brighton to Paris. This year...?

I'd love to do Lejog, but those organised tours are slightly out of my price range £1400+.

Had a quick sweep of the internet and quite like the look of this:
https://www.explore.co.uk/holidays/cycling-across-northern-england/reviews?display=reviews
and this http://www.actcyclingtours.co.uk/index.php/challenges/belgium

www.moreadventure.co.uk also do a few that look good.

A holiday where it won't be too much of a nightmare to get to the start would be good, which is why the first C2C sounds quite good - as they provide a bike.

Who has been on a group holiday? Any stand out as being particularly good? There seems to be plenty of tour operators - which make the job of choosing all the harder!

I know, I should go solo, but like the idea of meeting up with like-minded people!
 

MikeG

Guru
Location
Suffolk
Go solo and you'll meet up with like minded people anyway.

Seriously, cycling holidays can be brilliant. The best thing about them is the company of other cyclists. Also, that someone else shifts your kit on to the next place, and you know there is a good meal waiting for you when you get there. But it really doesn't take much effort to organise to do the same thing for yourself, and it costs a fraction of an organised trip. I'd suggest you rent a pension (or a gites) in the Dordogne for a week, and cycle out in a different direction every day. There are cyclists everywhere down there.

Mike
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
I prefer to tour with company but I'm a gobshite. The problem with organised ones is that you may find you don't get on with your companions. On the other hand you might! I have had both experiences and ever since prefer to organise myself and cycle with carefully selected friends or my wife.
If you don't have those options I'd certainly give a group ride a try.
 
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MarkF

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Agree with all the above, good friends have driven me nuts, by lunchtime on the first day of a tour, strangers? No way!
 

steveindenmark

Legendary Member
Joanne,

Do you usually take package Tour holidays?

Personally, I would never put wads of cash into someone elses hand for organising a holiday for me, any holiday.

I find that holidays, especially cycling holidays, organise themselves as you go along. Accomodation is an i pad away, regardless where you are. There is lots of help and information on the internet of where to go and how to get there.

Maybe you could get someone from here to accompany you.

Steve
 

Hill Wimp

Fair weathered,fair minded but easily persuaded.
The best ones i have done have all been with friends but i have done a few with Exodus and they were very good and if you are not up to planning one yourself i would certainly recommend them.

However if you are up to planning one with friends go for it, i have loved everyone that i have done and have some amazing memories.
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
Don't be too dismissive or prescriptive here. Allow for the fact that some people want to travel or tour with companionship. I certainly prefer to share the road with a like minded person. I like to chat and find I laugh more and have a better time overall with others. I also prefer to spend evenings in company.
I appreciate that a lot on here feel differently but the OP wants to share the experience.
 

Brains

Legendary Member
Location
Greenwich
Each to their own
I've done Organised tours with the likes to Explore and Dragoman, both of whom are excellent.
I've also organised more tours than I care to remember, as I've been a Venture/Explorer Scout leader for over 20 years
I've also toured just with SWIMBO or mates where you make up as you go along
All have advantages and disadvantages, but don't knock any until you have tried them all, several times.
 

mmmmartin

Random geezer
You might like to look at the thread on the CycleChat and Informal Rides section at the thread about the FNRttC tour from Caen to Bordeaux in June. It is a very long thread but worth reading. If you then think you might like to join, send me a PM as I'm organising it. You choose how much it costs by booking and paying for your own hotels so you can go upmarket or downmarket or camp. You make a £100 contribution to the costs of the van and driver. The van carries your luggage south, and you get the train northwards while your bike goes in the van and is taken back to Caen. At the end of the trip you get a set of accounts and a refund of any monies left over. You'll never do it cheaper and the FNRttC is as fine a bunch of riders as you will ever meet. At the moment we are 21 riders and I reckon we can take maybe another dozen or so.
 
Location
Northampton
I have done both, self organised and package kind of tour.

All my European tours (Holland, Mallorca, Bruges), I organise myself and go alone. I have no worries about finding my way, facilities, what to do in an emergency etc. Next tour is to Portugal in few weeks. I don't want to give money for someone to organise it for me. I travel very light anyway and don't need anyone to carry my bags.

Outside Europe, I am bit wary of going alone. So went to Cuba with Explore. It was great.
 
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