For years I’ve enjoyed cycle touring holidays, in the UK or further away. Trips have been from a week to three months, including the Outer Hebrides, Ireland, Lands End to John O’Groats, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia, France, Spain, Morocco, West Africa and Poland.
It’s not about the speed or the distance. Long days might be 80 or 90 miles but more usual are days of 30 miles and days ‘off ‘ are not unusual. Cycling is a great way of spending time outdoors, travelling independently and cheaply, getting to places which are hard to reach by public transport and seeing the world at a human pace.
Bikes can be taken on trains, planes and ferries (and sometimes buses or taxis). Typically the holiday will start with cycling to the station or airport, and once we’re in our destination country we often use local trains to get from one area to another when the distances are too far to cycle in the available time.