The Best Way to See Rural England is on Two Wheels

One of the best ways to see the charming English countryside — with its welcoming villages, peaceful pastures and flower-filled fields — is by bicycle.

Freewheel Holidays, the UK’s specialist cycling vacation provider, added three self-guided UK tours to its 2017 portfolio. The new tours concentrate on England’s rural southern regions. Choose from a five-night Devon coastal tour, an Oxford and Cotswolds adventure and a five-night Stamford and Lincoln excursion.

The five-night Devon Coast-to-Coast Tour spans the county of Devon, along one of the UK’s most-loved cycle routes. Ride 22–32 miles per day from Ilfracombe on the north coast to Plymouth on the south coast, past Norman castles and 12^th-century churches. A trip highlight includes the three-mile Woolacombe Beach.

The six-night Oxford and Cotswolds tour offers experiences in Oxford and Blenheim Palace, one of England’s grandest stately homes, before heading to the charming villages of the Cotswolds. The route offers quiet country roads and enchanting scenery.

The five-night Stamford to Lincoln ride includes the famous market town of Stamford with its iconic Georgian architecture. The rural route also includes castles, stately homes, Lincoln Cathedral and Rutland Water, Europe’s largest man-made lake. Ride to the Vale of Belvoir taking in the views of the Belvoir Castle and ride through the villages of Trent Valley to the historic town of Newark, an important town during the English Civil War.

The self-guided tours include inn and/or bed and breakfast accommodations, bike rental, luggage transfers, route maps and notes and tour host services.