Your Next Adventure
Your Next Adventure
Cotswolds & Stonehenge
Trip Overview
Join us for an outstanding tour of the beautiful Cotswolds region of England. This gorgeous area west of London is known for its historic villages built of golden stone, and picturesque hills and valleys — and as an inspiration for many famous authors, including Jane Austen when she wrote Pride and Prejudice. This tour introduces you to stunning rural settings — and includes bonus visits to outstanding prehistoric sites, like Stonehenge and Avebury. For “royalty” enthusiasts, there’s a tour of Windsor Castle and cycling around the home of Prince Charles … plus a possible side trip to Highclere Castle, where they filmed the acclaimed series and soon-to-be-movie Downton Abbey. Savor the quiet cycling on a canal path and rural byways and visits to historical gems like Bath, where you can still visit Roman-era baths — and the Jane Austin Centre. Experience the color of local pubs and friendly British hospitality. A local guide will accompany you and drive the van … along with a seasoned Discovery Bicycle Tours leader. You’ll enjoy fine inns and delicious foods along with historic sites you can only see in Britain. This tour is not to be missed!
Itinerary
From start to finish, check out the route.
Meet at London’s Paddington Train Station at 8:30 a.m. at platform one underneath the clock. Hop in the van and transfer less than an hour to Windsor. Get fitted for your bike and take a warm-up ride of 10 to 15 miles around Windsor Great Park where the royal family used to go hunting and still plays polo on Smith’s Lawn. Enjoy lunch, followed by a visit to Windsor Castle, home to the Queen and the royal family for over 900 years. Transfer by van — or choose an optional ride — to the Dundas Arms, where you’ll have an orientation meeting followed by a delicious dinner.
Kennet & Avon Canal is a 200-year-old canal built to connect the port of Bristol to London in 1800. It’s been preserved as a recreational resource and corridor for biking and walking. Peek into the lives of canal boat residents and see families who rent canal boats for a vacation adventure. Then cycle some sections on very quiet roads, with options to ride a variety of distances from 20 to 40 miles. Stop for coffee along the way and enjoy lunch at Honeystreet in the café/pub. Visit Avebury, a magnificent world heritage site older than 2200 B.C. (Think Stonehenge but bigger, with a village within the ring of stones.) Here you have the ability to get up close to some of the ancient stones, including the largest stone circle in Britain. Then transfer to the Dundas Arms, where we dine together tonight. Depending on schedules, there’s an option to visit Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey was filmed.
Tour this famous site and have a coffee stop. Then transfer to Devizes to bike 22 miles down the Kennet & Avon Canal. Marvel at the canal that travels over a hill thanks to an amazing engineering feat and 16 locks. Pick your lunch spot at a canal-side pub. Then pedal right into the heart of the stunning Roman and Georgian city of Bath — complete with Roman baths, Jane Austen’s house and the sumptuous section of homes known as the Royal Crescent. Bath also has great shopping and restaurants. Enjoy tea at the Holbourne Museum or perhaps a late afternoon walk around Bath. Or add an optional loop of riding about 10 miles around Bath. Dinner is on your own.
Learn about the intriguing history of these natural thermal springs, which have inspired religious rituals in Celtic times and luxurious bathing in Roman times. Then bike out of Bath for 22 miles (with an option to be transferred to the top of a challenging hill) and into the gently rolling hills of the South Cotswolds for a complete change in landscape. Enjoy a coffee stop at the Salutation Inn and lunch in Tetbury at the Blue Zucchini. Take an afternoon loop around the South Cotswolds for an additional 10 miles, in and around the home of Prince Charles and his home town of Tetbury. Dine together at the Cat and Custard Pot.
Marvel at the wonderful Cotswold villages, thatched roofs and England as it must have been 300+ years ago. Stop in Bibury for coffee — a village so pretty that Henry Ford wanted to pick up the whole thing and take it back to America. Enjoy lunch at the Bell at Sapperton. Then bike on to the Hare & Hounds for our celebratory dinner and our final night together.
Map
Dates & Pricing
Make your reservation with confidence. Your tour is completely 100% refundable until the final payment due date.
What’s Included
5 nights’ lodging, 5 breakfasts, 4 dinners (lunches are on your own — so you can ride at your own pace — and you are on your own for dinner one night in Bath) all gratuities for accommodations and included meals, detailed maps and itineraries, experienced guides, full van support, hybrid bicycle, and helmet. Transfer from Paddington Station in London and return to Kemble Railway Station. Airfare and alcohol not included.
Dates & Pricing
Make your reservation with confidence. Your tour is completely 100% refundable until the final payment due date.
What’s Included
5 nights’ lodging, 5 breakfasts, 4 dinners (lunches are on your own — so you can ride at your own pace — and you are on your own for dinner one night in Bath) all gratuities for accommodations and included meals, detailed maps and itineraries, experienced guides, full van support, hybrid bicycle, and helmet. Transfer from Paddington Station in London and return to Kemble Railway Station. Airfare and alcohol not included.
Inns
Where you stay along the way.
Enjoy a scenic country stay at the Dundas Arms in Berkshire. They pride themselves on serving up real ales, classic pub dishes and locally-sourced menus crafted from quality ingredients. Nestled between the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon canal, their eight beautifully-appointed bedrooms make for a luxurious country retreat. The crowning jewel is the vast garden which offers al fresco dining in the summer and is the perfect spot for a garden party or outdoor wedding in Berkshire.
Gallery
Images from this tour. Click each to see it larger.
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