Freewheeling Adventures

This quiet and peaceful region remains seemingly untouched by mass tourism, and is an insight into ways of life that have been maintained in Southern Italy for centuries. The terrain is bicycle-friendly, and the climate is perfect for spring and autumn visits. The inns are welcoming, and the dining divine! The adventure takes you first to Matera where you’ll have the opportunity to explore the Sassi – century old caves, carved from rock cliffs and lived in up until the 1950’s. From there you will ride into the lush Val d’Itria to stay among olive groves at a converted farm, then to Otranto, whose castle inspired the first Gothic novel. The last ride is along a gorgeous coast road overlooking the Adriatic Sea. As you ride your bike through this calm and mysterious region, and sample its exquisite cuisine, you will often feel as if you are traveling back in time, experiencing an Italy that is very different from the well developed and busier tourist routes found in the northern parts of the country.

Prince Edward Island’s Confederation Trail follows the abandoned rail bed through fabulous pastoral landscapes. Originally constructed by a contractor who was paid by the mile, it follows an unusually circuitous route for 280km (174 miles) through many communities whose existence is mainly due to the old railroad. The cycling is relatively easy on flat and smooth, well-maintained crushed stone surfaces, and the distances are moderate. You will have many opportunities to leave the trail and explore surrounding towns and villages and will be delighted by the abundance of charming caf√©s, restaurants, and galleries along some sections of this idyllic ride.

You will bike PEI from one end to the other along The Confederation Trail, stopping to enjoy the beaches of PEI National Park before heading through rolling farmland to the picturesque East coast. The East Point lighthouse, superb dining, fabulous inns, blueberry farms, and some of the nicest long, deserted beaches you'll ever see, are the highlights of this trip. Come and discover the magic with us!

Trip history: A summer destination for generations of Atlantic Canadians, PEI’s beaches and warm waters make it a family favourite. Most FA staff are familiar with its secrets and charms. Until 1997 it could only be reached by ferry or air, which gave it an exotic, island cachet. There is now an 8-mile bridge connecting it to the mainland – good for farmers, and still of debatable merit to residents and summer visitors.

The Eastern Townships of Québec combine the convenience of access from Montréal with the true pleasures of Québecois tradition and culture, and a largely anglophone culture. Outstanding cuisine is being discovered, and the quiet roads, charming towns and green pastures are a perfect canvas for this exquisite holiday. The flavours and luxuries will pervade your senses and lead you to a deep appreciation for the townships, known locally as L’Estrie.

You will tour through the vineyard region near Dunham, and bicycle through forests and villages past stone churches toward Sutton, stopping for great bowls of caf√©-au-lait and rich croissants at fabulous bakeries along the way. At L’Abbaye St-Benoît-du-Lac, you can try the cider and cheese made by monks in their picturesque lakeshore monastery. Circumnavigating Lac Memphremagog, you will enjoy splendid views on your way to a particularly luxurious final two nights, where the dining is among the most highly rated in Canada. Be careful! Not only will this adventure treat your palate, but the local joie-de-vivre will easily rubs off on visitors, and is likely to send you to new heights of lively appreciation for all the Townships have to offer.

Why this trip?
Fabulous, hilly cycling easily accessible from Montreal, on bike paths and paved roads.
Haskell Opera House straddles the Canada-USA border.
Québécois tradition with Anglophone culture.
Vineyard region near Dunham.
Pedal on an aerial bikeway through the trees near Sutton.
Cider and cheesemaking at L’Abbaye Saint-Benoît-du-Lac.
Excellent cuisine, including sweet maple syrup, delicious ice wine, great beer, fantastic cheese, aromatic bakeries, and generally wholesome meals.

Slovenia lies at the heart of Europe, where the Alps and the Mediterranean meet the Pannonian Plains and the Karst Plateau, but this is a delightfully less-developed country than much of Europe. You will experience amazing contrasts during this week of relatively easy bike touring, including the pristine Triglav National Park in the Julian Alps, and the Bohinj Lake countryside.

This route offers stunning views of snow-capped mountains and valleys whose clear skies are popular hangouts for hang gliders. Challenging climbs are avoided using short train hops through the mountains. You too will enjoy the vitality that comes from mountain travel, clean air, and perhaps the healing waters of the Soca Springs, as you descend through the limestone labyrinth of Karst, following the same trails upon which Napoleon led his army.

Wild beauty is everywhere. From the heart of the Julian Alps you will ride through old-growth forests and winegrowing hills, and eventually to where you can swim and relax on the Adriatic shore of the Mediterranean before returning to Ljubljana.

Slovenia is rich in resources, naturally gorgeous, and beautifully peaceful. It is simply a pleasure to explore by bike the countryside and affluence of this country on the sunny side of the Alps, and to fathom its roots in the Habsburg Empire and the Venetian Republic. We hope you can join us for this fabulous ride, an adventure for all senses!

Iceland is awe-inspiring. The landscape, so newly formed, refreshingly pristine, and geologically active, defies portrayal with words and pictures, although it will inspire you to try! Steam rises from hot pools on volcanic mountainsides, and glacier-fed waterfalls tumble down to the lush lands below. We have combined the best scenery with the least used roads, and the most comfortable hotels, to create a bicycle tour you'll never forget. We provide abundant vehicle support, while you ride the wide open spaces, breathing clear air warmed by the Gulf Stream, and bathing in water heated by the earth. When the road beckons in front of you, and the sun illuminates the rivers, pastures, and icecaps all around, you will be moved by the sheer magnificence of your surroundings. You may ponder, as you gaze into the Mid-Atlantic Rift, or soak in your hotpot beneath the midnight sun, the humbling power of the dynamic earth.

The cycling begins in Hverager√∞i, not far from Reykjavik. You will ride your bike around the lake of √ûingvallvatn to the ancient parliament at √ûingvellir, then to Geysir and the impressive waterfall at Gullfoss. Skirting the mountains on fairly level roads at their base, you will cross the fertile Biskupstungur (“Fields between Rivers”) to the lava fields below Mount Hekla, and riding under the M√Ωrdalsj√∂kull Glacier between Hvollsvollur and Vik before taking a ferry to the spectacular Westman Islands for a final afternoon of exploration on foot. You will rest in a charming combination of small inns, Scandinavian-style guesthouses, and comfortable hotels. You will be able to bicycle until your heart’s content.

Bring your sense of wonder and adventure!

This route is a continuation of the cycling trail from Passau to Vienna and winds its way along the Danube between the two important European cities of Vienna and Budapest. They hold the legacies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the form of exquisite and impressive architecture.

The route goes through the capital city of Slovakia – Bratislava, and the historically significant towns of Gyor and Esztergom where you can marvel at the largest cathedral in Hungary. The fascinating town of Szentendre is a highlight. Full of churches, galleries, and museums, such as the renowned Hungarian Open Air Museum, you can enjoy this town’s charm and situation on the banks of the Danube below the Pilis Mountains.

This bicycle tour gives you relaxed and easy cycling all the way to Budapest on quiet roads and bike pathways, through a nice balance of vibrant centers and rustic, traditional landscapes of fields, vineyards and forests.

Delve into the history, culture and geography of the Netherlands and Belgium on this flat and leisurely bike ride linking Amsterdam and Antwerp, two of Europe’s most historic cities. This region appears made for the bicycle; the tulips, cheeses, dykes, canals and windmills enhance the intrinsic pleasure of cycling one of the world’s best developed bicycling networks, beside the friendly, practical, and charming Dutch populace that use the routes on a daily basis. The countryside here is a quilt of colour from spring to fall, as the crops of tulip, hyacinth, daffodil, narcissus, and crocus give way to canola, sunflowers and potatoes as the seasons progress. Cycling along the North Sea coast, you will also be amazed to see firsthand the effort and engineering ingenuity the Dutch have invested in their dyke systems. The recently finished “Delta Works” took over 30 years to complete, and are designed to protect a large part of the country against such massive flooding incidents as the numerous ones in the 13th century that left their toll on the people here and their way of life.

We recommend arriving in Amsterdam a few days early. Bikes are in amazing abundance here and beyond the multitude of sites and museums you’ll be tempted by opportunities to explore several great bike rides through the city and surrounding countryside.

The cliffs, coves, beaches, moorlands, and beautiful, quiet lanes of Western Ireland are the setting for this fabulous bicycle tour. Dramatic skies, bracken and heather-clad hills, and remarkably emerald fields create scenery beyond your imagination. This is the landscape that inspired Yeats and Joyce to their litany of legendary prose. Populated by the musical folk of Celtic descent, the pub-peppered villages create wonderfully photogenic opportunities for exploration and indulgence in rich Irish culture. This is a place where you’ll wish you lived.

Starting at the Cliffs of Moher, you will descend to the coastal village of Doolin. From there, you will ride around the ancient Burren before ferrying out to Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands, to see such highlights as the cliff top fort of Dun Aengus. Another short ferry will take you to County Galway, where you will meander along the convoluted coast and many of the wee villages which make Connemara such a stimulating, rewarding place to ride. You will spend two nights in a lodge near the shore of Lough Inagh, surrounded by inviting mountains and breathtaking stillness. An exceptionally scenic ride will take you along the Sky Road and to Westport on to Achill Island.

Gliding along quiet, hedgerow-lined roads of Normandy and along the emerald coastline of Brittany, this memorable bicycle tour takes you into the heart of rural and beachside France, where the pulse includes fabulous French gastronomy and some very civilized notions of European holidaying.

Bicycle paths and coastal roads link the ancient fortified town of Dinan to the fairytale world heritage site of Mont St. Michel – one of the veritable marvels of the western world. You will be able to sample the shellfish and seafare in Cancale, and the farm and orchard fare in Calvados and Normandy. You will appreciate the historical significance of the area first as you visit the beaches, military sites, and cemeteries of WWII, and even more when you see the Bayeux Tapestry - a unique record of the invasion of England by William the Conqueror, including the Battle of Hastings, and events of 1066.

One of the biggest thrills is understanding how customs originating here in medieval times have survived to influence the modern western world. This is both a simply lovely and a thoroughly thought-provoking cycling holiday.

Leave the snow capped Alps behind as you cycle towards the Italian Po plains, and the Renaissance jewel of Venice on the Adriatic. Lush green valleys, forests, vineyards and orchards will make the backdrop for your adventure, and a boat ride the length of Lake Garda is a highlight.

You will start with an exhilarating descent from the top of the Brenner Pass into the Isarco River valley. You will follow the Isarco to its confluence with the Adige on riverside roads and paths through picturesque villages, near ancient forts, and between hillsides covered in vineyards and orchards.

A relaxing boat ride will carry you the whole length of the famous Lago di Garda. A final transfer will take you to Venice, known affectionately as the Queen of the Adriatic. During the evenings, you will savor the region’s finest wines and cuisines, considered even by Italians to be the best the country has to offer, and you will rest in well appointed villas and inns. This is an easy ride through beautiful country that will appeal to active travelers who enjoy a relaxing pace, the comforts of hearty food, delicious wine, and comfortable rest.