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. 

5 Great Places to Eat in Plymouth

Treat yourself and enjoy these wonderful eateries as a finale to our cycling holiday  Devon Coast to Coast Tour

• Tanner Brothers, Prysten House, Finewell St, Plymouth, PL1 2AE  01752 252001. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Located in a grade 1 listed building, and owned by brothers Chris and James, they major on locally sourced produce with a variety of menus from set to gastronomic tasting.
• River Cottage Canteen, Royal William Yard, Plymouth . PL1 3QQ. 01752 252702. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's latest creation is housed in a waterside ex Royal Navy victualling depot with a theatre kitchen and a wooden fired oven. Ethically sourced food.
• Arthouse, 38 Looe Street  Plymouth, PL4 0EB 01752 206114. Closed Mondays and Sunday lunch. The veteran Arts Centre includes this revamped restaurant which uses meat from it's own farm shop. Until 8pm you can take advantage of a £12 cinema/meal deal and add the movie of the day afterwards?
• Morgans,  19 Princess Street, Plymouth.PL1 2EU. 01752 255579. This modern restaurant situated in  the heart of Plymouth offers the best of Italian Mediterranean cuisine
• Bistro One, 68 Ebrington Street  Plymouth, PL4 9AQ 01753 313315. Closed Sundays and Mondays. This jolly little off-centre restaurant is one of Plymouth's finest, thanks to its wine-loving owner, Stephen Barrett. It's big on fresh seafood, Yealm river oysters, hand-made breads and vegetarian dishes

Devon Coast to Coast Links to The Americas Cup

Now is the perfect time to consider riding the Devon Coast to Coast tour. Finishing as it does in Plymouth on a friday, you will be perfectly placed from your hotel on the Hoe to view the opening day of races for the Americas Cup which takes place this year off  Plymouth Hoe on Saturday September 10. A week on, as the competition reaches its climax you have a further opportunity to see the top six teams battling it out for the Plymouth Americas Cup prize on Saturday September 17, whilst The World Series Championship is held on the Sunday.  With 15 teams competing from 12 countries it promises to be an exciting finale to an already great biking adventure.
Photo attributed to Martin Bodman

Devon Coast to Coast Tour takes in the stunning garden at Rosemoor

There are many unexpected gems hidden within our tours. One of these is the Royal Horticultural Society's stunning garden at Rosemoor which is a short taxi ride from the Devon Coast to Coast route. Leave your bikes on day 3 at the cycle shop at Torrington station - (to avoid a steep and hilly ride) to discover the 65 acres of Rosemoor set against a backdrop of steep wooded valley sides. This is rural North Devon charm at its best with woodland walks, water features and immaculate planting. Our Devon Host visited last week and cannot recommend the garden highly enough. Don't miss out!