Our two-day tour of the Welsh Borders came together at fairly short notice, making the most of a rare three-day gap in the diary and what looked to be a settled spell of weather. As it turned out, the forecast was almost too good. On the eve of departure, the Met Office extended its Extreme Heat Warning to cover the whole of our route.
Sunday 7th June
There were ten participants on this centre based holiday. The base was at the Hotel du Commerce in Clervaux, Luxembourg. We all left Basingstoke on Sunday 7th June early morning to drive to Dover. David H, Gary and Ray caught an earlier DFDS ferry than intended and crossed to Calais before driving direct to Clervaux. Of the remaining seven David, Mick and Sue C caught an earlier ferry (P&O) to Calais. John R, Helena, Rod and Sue P caught the scheduled crossing on P&O. The seven drove to an overnight stop in France at the Hotel Le Moulin in Artres. This was an ivy clad building and very French. The hotelier kept their own bees and dinner was served at one table for all the residents, so we had two German couples joining us. Excellent food, the main course being lamb shank.
Read more: Centre based cycling holiday in Luxembourg - 7th to 13th June 2026
The Spring Tour came together at short notice, sparked by a forecast of warm, settled weather—though that likely kept numbers down. Still, under bright blue skies and full sunshine, Nick, Vanessa, Brian C, Sue P, David, Mick and Alistair gathered at Canterbury Park & Ride on Thursday morning. With rush-hour traffic kinder than expected, we rolled out just after 10am.
This short two-day tour came together at the last minute, organised over the preceding weekend when a forecast promised dry, sunny but cool weather. The short notice kept numbers down, though accommodation would have been difficult to secure for a larger group anyway. In the end, the riders were: Rod, Sue P, David H, Brian C, Graham B, and Alistair.
On Sunday 6th July David, Sue, Rod, Sue, Lin and Len took the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Ouistreham and in the morning drove to the Novotel in the outskirts of Amboise that was to be the base for the day’s rides. It was a wet drive and the planned stop for sightseeing in Le Mans was cut short. Vanessa, Mark and Alistair took the same crossing but on Monday morning and drove straight to Amboise, arriving in time to join the others for dinner at the hotel.
On 23rd June, eleven of us, set off to Switzerland, for a cycle tour from Luzern to Schaffhausen. For the first half of the tour from Luzern to Chur we rode together before splitting into two groups for the remainder of the tour. One group comprising, Brian, Graham, Lin, Ray, Rod and Sue, then took an easier route following the River Rhine downstream, from Chur to Schaffhausen. The other group comprising Alistair, David, Gary, Mark and Vanessa headed south from Chur to Bellinzona over the San Bernardino Pass before taking the train to Schaffhausen where both groups met up.
After the short-lived heatwave the previous week, it was cooler with a north easterly wind blowing as the group assembled at Portsmouth on the Bank Holiday Monday evening for our day ride in Brittany. Twelve of the group were taking their bikes on four cars onto the ferry – David, Sue, Lin, Mark, Brian, Peter, JohnR, Helena, Carol, Rod, Mick and Ray whilst six were just riding their bikes onto the ferry –Gary, who had ridden from home, and Alistair, Vanessa, BrianC, Graham, JohnH who had left the cars in the port car park. As usual, the bikes were boarded first, and it was about 45 minutes later before the last of the group in the cars were on the ferry.
This was our first trip on the St Malo, the new hybrid ferry that only came into service at the end of February, so it was nice and modern with improved cabins and public areas and very quiet and smooth underway. Once settled in, we met up for our evening meal then most retired to the bar for the evening entertainment.
This tour was originally intended to be Oxford to Cambridge and back but lack of long-term car parking in Oxford meant this was less practicable and the Bicester start in fact made planning a four day tour with convenient overnight stops easier. The ROUTE followed the NCN51 to Cambridge and returned via the National Byway, promoted as Britain's secret cycle-touring network of a meandering signposted route following the quietest lanes through the sleepiest villages.
This cycling holiday was chosen as the main summer tour at the planning meeting in January. David planned and organised the holiday that was based at Hotel Spa du Beryl in Bagnoles de l'Orne that combined day rides with sightseeing in some of the historic and interesting towns in this area of Normandy. The elegant spa town of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne became particularly popular in the late 19th century, a period in French history known as the Belle Epoque. Some grand period buildings still occupy prime positions.
The hotel had a swimming pool and spa to relax after each day's ride and secure storage for the bikes. There were rides each day, some direct from the hotel and some started further away by driving with the bikes to the start. To make transport arrangements simple there were two choices of route each day, one longer and one shorter, with all routes starting and finishing in the same place and meeting up at the town for lunch and sightseeing.
The final tour plan for the Dreilandergiro, German for three countries tour, was based around the Muenchen Venedig Radweg, with us starting from Holzkirchen in Bavaria, riding across the Alps via the Brenner Pass, then through the Dolomites via Passo Cimabanche to Belluno before diverting onto the SxPiave cycle route to Feltre. From there the route ran down the valley of the Torrente Cismon to its junction with the Brenta and then the Valsugana Ciclovia to Trento. The four participants, Mick, Vanessa, David and Alistair were reduced to three when Mick suffered a slipped disk a couple of weeks before the off.
It was our annual day trip to France last week for David, SueC, Lin, JohnR, Helena, GrahamB, Mark, Brian, PeterH, Gary, Mick, Ray, Vanessa and me with nine taking the ferry in three cars whilst five just took their bikes. It was light rain on and off on the Monday as we headed to Portsmouth to meet up at the ferry terminal – a bit wetter for Gary as he rode all the way. The bikes were first on the ferry and as a result first to relax with a glass of wine in the restaurant. It was the usual lottery for the loading procedure for the cars, so it was about 40 minutes later before the last of the car contingent joined us for our evening meal. After eating we headed for the bar for the evening’s entertainment – this time an underwhelming singing duo and a magic show.
Mick organised and led this late summer tour that started in Tunbridge Wells and looped clockwise, to the coast at Pevensey Bay, following the coastal NCN2 to Folkestone then returning inland via Ashford and Tenterden. Originally there were 12 riders but last minute problems with knees, pelvis and covid meant four regretfully had to pull out leaving Carol, Graham, Mark, Mick, Peter, Ray, Rod, Sue P for the tour.
The Alpe Adria Radweg was originally intended to be the main summer tour but the difficulties with bike hire and logistics for a large group ruled it out and we chose the Tour of the Ardennes instead. For the late summer tour, there was not enough interest in the hilly Walney to Whitby tour, so the consensus was for the alternative Kent/Sussex tour that at least on paper, looked easier, and simpler to organise.
This tour was planned back in January with 13 participants travelling in four cars with bikes to Belgium for the start of the tour. Unfortunately, Len, Brian and Ray had to pull out close to the tour start. So now with SueP, SueC, Carol, Lin, Vanessa, Peter, Rod, David, Mick and Alistair we were able to fit into three cars for the trip. At the last minute, the hotel we were due to stay in at La Roche en Ardenne cancelled our booking due to the hotel refurbishment being incomplete, but fortunately we were able to secure other hotel rooms for that night at short notice.
With covid behind us, we once again had a day trip to France courtesy of the reinstated Brittany Ferries day trip offers. Twelve of us drove in four cars to Portsmouth on Monday 24th April to board the overnight ferry to St Malo. Whilst waiting in the queue to board the ferry, Peter got chatting to a touring cyclist – she had started in Inverness and was cycling to Gibraltar – this put our day trip into perspective! After settling into our cabins, we had a convivial meal with the odd glass or two of wine in the restaurant before heading to the bar for the evening’s live entertainment – this year a duo singing and a unicycle riding juggling act. Some retired to bed to conserve their energies whilst the hardcore hedonists in the group danced the night away.
This tour was different, in that it was centre based and we were riding without carrying our luggage on the bikes, so more of a cycling holiday. After the long hot dry summer, the weather broke here just before we were due to leave on the trip, although it turned out to be warm in Belgium and France and we largely avoided rain during the rides.
We were all very aware of what was about to hit us in respect of record temperatures so on arrival at “Claridge’s” , Keith and Jan’s B&B – our parking location at approx. 10.00 am in baking, 28 deg sun, we made for the shade to load the bikes and apply our final layer of sun cream. Ten of us set off for the trip, our group shot taken by one of the staff at the B&B shows nine of us, Graham, Brian, SueP, Peter, Vanessa, Rod, Keith, Janice and Mick ready for the off. ‘Where’s Ray’ we all asked… in the bathroom to apply cream where the sun doesn’t shine.
There were 12 of us on this tour. Alistair was still unable to cycle so could not join us cycling despite having done all the planning and route research. So it was Brian, David and Sue, Graham, Keith, Len and Lin, Mark, Mick, Peter, Rod and Sue P who set out for the Cotswolds summer tour.
Although all the other trips for this year have been cancelled due to the Covid pandemic, the Devon C2C trip went ahead. Some of the original group opted to give the trip a miss, reducing the participants to SueP, Lin, SueC, Carol, Mick, David, Peter, Rod, Graham, Brian and Ray. I was not fit enough to do the full ride so provided luggage transfer and backup. Three of us chose to travel down to Barnstaple on Sunday 16th August with Peter taking the train whilst Mick and I drove down. On the Monday, David, Rod and the ladies travelled down to Barnstaple by car, then David and Rod continued to Plymouth to leave the cars there. Graham drove direct to Plymouth whilst Brian and Ray drove to Exeter, all then taking the train to Barnstaple.
As the time drew closer to the start of the trip, the weather forecasts became more threatening, but although given the option to call it off, everybody was still keen to go.
The Lon Cambria is a cycle route starting in Shrewsbury and crossing the Cambrian Mountains to Aberystwyth on the Welsh coast designated as National Cycle Network Route 81. Those taking part on the trip were to be Mick, Mark, Peter, Rod, Richard and Alistair with Laurie and Chris, who now live near Shrewsbury, joining us for parts of the ride. Richard's wife Sylvia was driving along the route, providing luggage transfer and emergency backup.
In the week before the trip, the weather forecast for the Mosel valley was rain all day every day, but as it got closer the forecasts generally improved. We were all going by car to Trier and mostly taking our bikes with us. Carol did not fancy the long road trip and flew Heathrow to Luxembourg with a taxi transfer to Trier instead. When we woke up early on the Wednesday, the persistent rain of the last few days had stopped. The bikes were loaded and we were on the road nice and early.
Day 1 - 19th June
After all the planning, the time for our tour from Innsbruck to Verona following the Via Claudia Augusta arrived. I was in the advance guard going a day earlier than the main party, getting up at stupid o'clock to load my bike on the car to drive to Gatwick for a 6:20 flight to Munich on 19th June. I had prepped the bike the day before, so it did not take long to bag the bike up at the airport, check in and take the bike to the oversize conveyor. Once that was done I had time for breakfast before going to the gate.
There were seven of us, the Magnificent Seven, riding the Way of the Roses – David, Carol, Brian, SueP , Mick and me. Mick’s wife Sarah had kindly agreed to accompany us on the trip by car and making it easier by carrying our luggage each day. On Monday 3rd September, whilst seven of us drove to Lancaster, Peter went up by train and met the rest of us at the Premier Inn there. There was limited bike storage in the hotel so most took their bikes to their rooms. After a late lunch at the hotel we took the bus into the centre of Lancaster for some sightseeing.
As the date for the Danube trip approached there were more rides trying to replicate what would be expected for those who had not done a multi-day ride before. Finally on Monday 4th September we flew to Munich in two groups, David and Sue from Heathrow on BA and Linda, Lin, Sue, Mick, Brian, Ray and I on Easyjet from Gatwick later in the day. From the airport we took the local city bus to Freising where we were staying overnight at the Bayerischer Hof, a traditional German hotel - if you are over that way it is thoroughly recommended.
As a result of the date change for the Danube trip, Mick and I were to cycle the ViaRhona from Lyon to the Mediterranean Sea on the original Danube dates in June. Unfortunately, Mick had to pull out, but Brian stepped in to take his place.
As the day approached for the Trans Pennine Trail tour, the weather forecast changed each day and it was difficult to tell if it was going to be warm and sunny or wet and windy – so we packed for both.
For this two day ride we had to get the six of us - Brian, Barbara, David, Mark, Ray and I to Bristol by train. We had bought advance train tickets for the journey with bike spaces booked on the Reading to Bristol leg – only £16.15 each with a railcard. We decided it was sensible to split up the group for the Basingstoke to Reading leg, but as a cautious bunch, everyone wanted to take an earlier train rather than chance not getting on the 8:05. As it turned out Mark and Ray and I caught the 07:08 and Brian Barbara and David caught the next one at 07:36, so we had plenty time to wait at Reading before catching the 8:59 Intercity.