And the cycling holiday award goes to.....

Awards are jolly nice things to have.  We have been lucky to have been given a few and it certainly swells the heart with pride to put that certificate on the wall.  Blowing ones' own trumpet is de riguer when presented with an award and the hotels we use for our tours are not slow to do so.  Recently we have been sent several emails informing us of gongs most gratefully received.  As they are for hotels and areas we have picked out as being the best for our cycling holidays, it affirms what we already knew.

For example Cotswold House in Chipping Campden has just been awarded Spa of the Year by Laterooms.  We include this hotel on many of our luxury Cotswolds tours including "Cotswolds and Stonhenge".  Lucknam Park near Chippenham was given the Travellers Choice award in the Spa section by Trip Advisor  and is a favourite with our clients looking for the 5 star treatment on our Simply The Best tour.  The Cotswolds Inns group won small hotel group of the year from the AA and own several stunning hotels in this highly popular and frequently booked area.  London topped the Conde Nast vote for Best City and Devon claimed silver in the Best Holiday County category in the British Travel Awards. Neither of these came as much of a surprise but both offer fabulous cycling and accommodation and so are perfect for our clients.

As the year draws to a close there will be more plaudits to come for sure.  Hopefully we will need to make some room in the trophy cabinet. 

Our Top 5 Hotels With Swimming Pools

Whately Manor

A gentle swim is most welcome after a long day cycling. The following hotels with pools are on many of our cycling holiday routes.  Here is our top 5.

1. Whatley Manor Hotel, Malmesbury - A beautiful Cotswolds hotel with excellent spa facilities
2. Christchurch Harbour Hotel, Mudeford - A seaside retreat with a pool big enough to stretch your legs in.

3. Wallets Court, Dover - A classic British country house in the Garden of England boasting an endless pool trainer jet.
4. Hempstead House, Sittingbourne - A stunning Kent hotel with pool facilities to match.
5. Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath - An iconic hotel with a beautiful relaxation pool heated to a toasty 35 degrees.

Britain by Bike on BBC4

Last night BBC4 started a new series with Clare Balding setting out on a two-wheel odyssey to re-discover Britain from the saddle of her bike.
In a six-part series, Clare will follow the wheeltracks of compulsive cyclist and author Harold Briercliffe whose evocative guide books of the late 1940s lovingly describe by-passed Britain - a world of unspoiled villages, cycle touring clubs and sunny B roads.
Carrying a set of Harold's Cycling Touring Guides for company, Clare embarks on six iconic cycle rides to try and find the world he described.

Her first journey was to the rugged and beautiful Atlantic coast of north Devon - from Lynmouth, scene of Britain's worst flood disaster in the early 1950s, to Ilfracombe via Little Switzerland, and a hidden silver mine whose riches probably helped England win the Battle of Agincourt. En route she met  two men setting out on a tour from Ilfracombe to Plymouth which we feature as our Devon Coast to Coast tour. It is traditional to dip your front wheel in the sea at both ends of the journey for good luck.

It looks like this is going to be excellent viewing for those who love cycling so we shall be hooked!