England Bike Tour Reviews — 1 to 22 of 22

The ride from Kingham to Stratford on Avon includes a tall hill climb. On the for side are the best views of the countryside, framed by sculpted hedgerows. The downhill fide is visually dramatic, fantastic and well worth the effort.

The negative points: The Bear in Woodstock. The staff was less than accommodating upon our arrival. The village and surrounding area was overwhelmed by a huge car show. So we sat waiting from 1pm, in the courtyard. The staff did not bother to tell us, as we waited in the courtyard, 10 steps outside the office door (which was open). As the room became available, no notice was offered to us. We eventually asked and were surprised to see the room was clean and available one half hour after check-in time. In addition, they were the only hotel to leave us with less than satisfying accommodation for our bicycles. We eventually decided to bring our bikes into our room that had street level access. Woodstock was a blemish on a wonderful trip. The Bear staff seem unhappy and perhaps understaffed.

Billing up front of the trip was disappointing as $300+ was charged for the E-bike with not notice. We were never aware of the extra charge for the e-bike. This money was taken without permission from our credit card. I would likely have agreed to that charge but do not approve of charges simply taken without notice. Bad move Tripsite! Your need to settle the bill, after the final $$$ were agreed to and paid is not proper, in our opinion.

The Kingham Plough was the least fancy of all our rooms, but was well balanced by the accommodating staff, farm style of the room, and very nice pub.

All other accommodations ware fantastic. Staff was friendly and accommodating. We loved the Randolph, the Arden, Lygon Arms, Cotswold House and the Manor House.

We loved the trip overall. Great way to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. :-)

The routes were very well planned with attractions to visit.
The service of the bikes rental provider was very good. I had a problem with my bike and they solved it immediately.
Accomodation in Mount Guesthouse is an outstanding part of the trip

The cycling tour was excellent. We felt we got to experience the Cottswolds, which was our intention.

Most memorable was pushing our bikes thru ankle deep mud and meeting over 100 cows on a path we were suppose to be on. Also changing a flat tire with a pump that didn’t work. Even with the negatives, this was an incredible trip. Scenery was outstanding, hotels were lovely, gps directions were easy to use, and Carter company was responsive to our needs. We were scheduled to take a train from Morton on Marsh to Oxford but the trains were on strike when we got to the train station. Within minutes a car arrived to take us to Oxford and we were allowed to leave our bikes at a hotel that had been arranged by the company. The Carter company provided a phone charger so the gps would work for an extended time as well as a phone attachment for the bike. We were allowed to keep both.

The scenery, small country lanes,, the picturesque villages with houses with hanging baskets and window boxes full of colourrful flowers offsetting the Cotswold stone, these are the memories we will take with us from this trip.

Great bicycle routes with so much to see. The bed and breakfast could not have been better, Ray was a great host.

Excellent hotels! Make sure your bike is fitted by a mechanic at the bike store the day before your first ride. Our local host Ian was excellent but would never have been able to adjust the bikes to our requirements. We brought our own seats. A second device for holding the cell phone on the handlebars should have been provided.

Best trip I can remember in ages! Tripsite handled everything beautifully, well organized and did their best to accomodate everyone. My first bike trip abroad and I will absolutely do more. I could only suggest, since we were on the left side of the road coming from another country, mirrors. Also, the phone case did not stay on the bike, within the first few hours. We made it work, used caution at all times and saw some amazing country side by bike. A bucket list item for sure!

London to Amsterdam was a great trip. Beautiful scenery especially along the North Sea and canals and farmland of Holland.hotels were unique but comfortable. Breakfast was always good. Dinners were good but more variety needed in menu choices. Loved the ferry from Dover to Dunkirk and all the small towns we rode through. There were 12 of us plus 6 others on the self- guided which made for a lively and interesting, diverse group.
What was disappointing and could be improved was communication from the guide. Very little information was given ahead of time as to what was next and no information about the towns history, culture and facts regarding where we were. This would have made the trip more enjoyable and interesting.

I did this "guided" bike tour from London to Amsterdam. There are many areas where improvement is needed.

We weren't given a map or App of the biking route as promised. We rode through many villages, resorts and towns from Dunkirk to Amsterdam but were not told the names of the towns, or the history of the towns - and we stopped only for "coffee breaks". When we asked what town we were in for the coffee breaks the guide was unable to tell us. We either used google maps or asked strangers where we were. Also, we biked past notable places of interest like the beach in Dunkirk where British troops were rescued during WWII - and the Dover Castle - but never stopped - even to take pictures. It was all about getting to the next hotel in time for dinner.

We weren't told the hotel we were staying in until we arrived at the hotel. We usually arrived at the hotel around 6pm and had little time to turn in our bikes for the night, get our luggage, unpack, shower, change clothes and get ready for dinner by 8pm which usually lasted over two hours. And then we started early the next day - to get to our hotel for the next night.

Overall it is a "forced march" from London to Amsterdam. If you want to bike 344Km then I suggest you just go and bike 344Km for the exercise on a route most convenient to you because that is what this is. Or, take the self-guided tour which is cheaper and includes maps and the App and you can sight-see and take time to enjoy the country-side you are biking through.

The online website says "You will receive a code to download the maps, itinerary, points of interest, services and GPS position on your smartphone or GPS device. The App provides GPS tracks to be used offline. Paper copies of the route are available with supplement of €15." When I asked for the map or the App I was told they were only available to self-guided participants and that I should use GPS to figure out where we were at any given point. But that is not what the website says/said. As it is, we have no map or record of the route we biked or the towns we passed through. I would not recommend this "tour" to anyone.

PS. Do not interpret this critique as a criticism of the people who guided this tour. The people who guided us were patient, kind, personal, friendly and professional....in my opinion they had/have no impact on how this tour is/was deigned.

Antonenella, our guide was awesome, as was our two helpers! We loved riding through the countryside of both France and England, it was so beautiful. This trip is highly recommended. Our group was made up of 16 people from different countries, so it made for a fun group. If you are not used to biking up hills, we recommend renting the e-bikes, because they really make this trip wonderful. There is time to enjoy the sites and sounds around you. Half our group wore biking shorts and the other half wore shorts and t-shirts. American tennis shoes are fine. Bring a padded seat cover and padded shorts, because it will help a lot. We all met for dinner each night, so bring a few nicer clothes. Bikers are provided with one small pack wit maps per couple, that attaches to handle bars. I put sanitizer, gum, money and my phone in the pack. Everyone is provided with a side pack to go on their bike. We put an extra bottle of water, lunch and jackets in the bags. Make sure you have a phone that works in Europe. Our group got split up in Paris and the sweeper, last person had to call the leader. We had one road rash incident the first day and one flat tire four days in. Our support guys picked up the couple, fixed his bike and met us up ahead. One of the ladies who did the self guided tour hit the ground with her face, but she was a trooper and finished too. My husband and I have traveled a lot, but this is the best trip ever!

Tour operators were very nice. For example, they gave us ride back to town rather than call a taxi.
Two days were relatively flat, two were hilly, especially the last day when riding back to the farm from Ludlow. Plenty of historical sites. Recommended lunch stops didn't meet our schedule, so be prepared.
Be aware:
-no cyclometer (I had my own Garmin),
-no TripSite water bottles - take your own,
-no detailed directions for optional rides - just a list of way-points,
-only one handlebar bag per couple - for the person carrying the map. (each bike has a pannier)
There is a heavy-duty road map included, which was helpful. I also traced the routes on Google maps the night before to know what landmarks to look for, as many streets and roads are not signed.
Some of the riding is along narrow roads between tall hedgerows. It's like riding in a tunnel - not very scenic.
Overall, we enjoyed the biking experience, the stops, and Ludlow.

Denne turen var helt fantastisk! De som står for service og transport av bagasje er helt supre og veldig hyggelige mennesker. Ved bruk av en egen app, går turen som en lek! I de større byene er det lett å navigere seg frem og kjempe fint landskap å sykle i. Kan anbefale denne turen til alle! :)

First time doing a long "unguided" trip, and loved it. We got just the right amount of support each morning and evening. Wonderful maps and directions. Great fun.

Very nice tour following much of the Avenue Verte. Girolibero and Adriano were fantastic hosts on the unguided tour from Paris to London. The route was probably a little more unpaved then I expected an as such would not recommend bringing your own road bike to do the tour. We met and road with some amazing people from around the world making new friends and seeing areas that were amazing sites in the small villages and countryside.

Most Memorable Part: Scenery along the route and the knowledge and experience of our guide.

We had a great time biking, the bikes and maps were wonderful! The biking was hilly! It was very hot, unusual for wales, and the hotel did not help us when we asked to open the windows more. They also wanted to give us two separate rooms because they did not have a twin room available. That took some sorting out! All in all it was very memorable and can't wait to go again!

The Shakespeare Country tour could just as easily be called Cotswold Country Tour since Bill the Bard shares the spotlight with amazing British panoramas. This was my third time visiting Stratford-Upon-Avon and, fortunately, it's the type of place you can tour again and again and still have a rewarding experience each time.
After touring Stratford, it was time to start bicycling in the incredible Cotswolds. Prepare to be awestruck. Each day, you will discover new sights, meet friendly people and ride on stunning bike routes. Don't forget to stop into historic pubs for a pint of ale or cider along the way and, whatever you do, experiment with new treats. Even if the food names sound a little strange, be brave and give them a try. You may find your next favorite culinary delight. And when you get to the town of Broadway, be sure to hike up to the famous Broadway Tour. The journey up there is absolutely breathtaking and the views from the top are out of this world. What a fantastic bicycling adventure!!!

What a fantastic tour this is!! It includes a little bit of everything: scenery, history and fantastic bicycle adventures. And the accommodations were incredible. I can easily say that I've never stayed in a more historic yet comfortable hotel in my life. And that was especially important with this particular tour because it is all based out of the medieval market town of Ludlow, so your hotel is your home base for each day of cycling.
If you decide to do this tour, prepare to enjoy the historically and gastronomically famous town of Ludlow and the surrounding area. The food is marvelous and the landscapes are spectacular!!

Everything did not go perfectly all the time but we had a great time and the guys from Girolibero were always doing their best to help out when needed.

I became very ill on my last day and could not complete the trip. It was dehydration. Our leader (Alex?) had to drive me into London. At no point along the way were we reminded to drink lots of water. In fact Alex did not recognize that I might have been dehydrated. Please make sure and remind people to drink, drink, drink (H2O).
thank you.

Loads of fun and quite hilly. The castle at Stokesay and Ludlow were worth the price of admission alone. Locals are super friendly, climate mild during the summer. Some fairly treacherous roads to traverse, and moderately challenging mapping. Fantastically fun, though! Made for a great adventure for the second part of our honeymoon.