Freewheeling Adventures

The land and sea of the Snaeffellsnes peninsula are filled with tales of a bygone era. Explore sites such as Berserkjahraun, a 4000 year old lava field, whose name originated from Icelandic folklore; in the Eyrbyggja Saga, a long-standing feud between Snorri Go√∞i and Arnkel Go√∞i was responsible for the creation of the path through the spectacular field.

The fascinating culture is surpassed only by the landscape. Winding coastlines, moss-covered lava fields, massive basalt-column cliffs, migratory bird communities, glacial mountain ranges, gushing waterfalls, and geothermal heated pools create an other-worldly experience.

You will breath the fresh ocean air, feel the bright northern sun on your skin; you and your bicycle will be one strong, beautiful, and capable machine rolling down these country roads. Fully immerse yourself in the local hospitality, traditions, history, and of course, the freshest and finest local cuisine: Skyr (Icelandic yogurt), Hangikjot (smoked lamb), Klenat (pastry), cheeses, incredible unique ice cream, reindeer meat, and abundant seafood. Bring your sense of adventure, appetite, and camera for this experience of a lifetime.

Tuscany straddles the Apennine hills in the heart of Italy, where cypress trees, olive groves, vineyards, and soft, verdant hills create a landscape reminiscent of Renaissance paintings. Giotto, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci traveled these same landscapes centuries ago, and fortunately, not much has changed. Their influence is evident in many towns and villages along the route, and as you ride quiet routes along sun-drenched ridges, you will enjoy expansive views over the landscape of their inspiration.

If you can spare some extra time, we recommend that you plan to spend a day or more in Siena or Florence before or after your Freewheeling Adventure, to see the riches these ancient cities have on display.

Ten days, eleven nights of exploring traffic-free cycle paths and rural side roads through bustling cities, traditional villages, and ancient heritage sites.

Highlights

• Stay at Rakkojae Hanok Hotel - a traditional Hanok Hotel.
• Relax your muscles in the hot springs of Suanbo and Solgi.
• Feast on king crab when you reach the ocean city of Pohang.
• Immerse yourself in the 2000-year-old historical Gyeongju City.
• Relish the hustle and bustle of markets in Seoul and Busan where the contrast of ancient to modern collide.

This Newfoundland bike tour is fantastic - well suited to intrepid explorers with lots of energy for the hills, distances, and sheer joy of traveling through such a wild and exciting landscape. Riding with the prevailing wind through picturesque fishing villages, you will encounter people whose unabashed friendliness is truly extraordinary. You will bike and hike in Gros Morne National Park where the incomparable landscape and unique natural history have earned it a place on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. Hike to the top of Gros Morne Mountain and take a boat into a fjord akin to those of Norway. You will visit the 1000 year old site where the Vikings landed and settled long before Columbus, at L'Anse aux Meadows (another UNESCO World Heritage Site). While you enjoy the landscape, the wildlife, the people and the history, your comfortable support van will always be nearby. This is one of our favourite trips and we hope you can come to see why.

Trip history: Founder Cathy’s family came from Newfoundland, and Philip stopped in its outports while on fishing boats prior to starting Freewheeling. Their familiarity and appreciation for the people and land made it an obvious choice for expansion. In 1994, they thoroughly explored the Viking Trail’s cycling and hiking possibilities. Although the infrastructure was basic, there were some genuinely excellent inns which helped make a particularly attractive itinerary. Freewheeling connected with the College of the North Atlantic based in Cornerbrook, and started employing guides from their outdoor program. These passionate adventurers brought an enthusiasm for Newfoundland’s nether regions that further enhanced our knowledge and familiarity. You will meet some amazing people while having unusual fun on this trip..

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.

Cycling in Burgundy, with its highly developed bicycle infrastructure, is one of the great pleasures of Europe. You will ride along towpaths next to the canals Bourgogne and Central, built between 1784 and 1843 for improved transportation of firewood, farm bounty, and an abundance of wine, to Paris. The lush, viable soil of Burgundy, on the fringe of the Loire River Valley, is flush with farms and wineries, producing some of the world's most highly reputed Pinot Noires and Chardonnays. It is also home to a unique architectural style of clear Roman influence.

Starting in Montbard, an area pegged as “convenient” by Julius Caesar, you will travel eastward along the Burgundy Canal all the way into Dijon. From there you will continue to the central Burgundy town of Beaune, and the picturesque vineyard region along the Saone River. Enjoy riding traffic-free for most of the route, on towpaths and railbeds. Eight days of tranquil, pastoral cycling, elegant lodgings, and fine dining will demonstrate why this is such a beloved place for cycling comfort.

The best parts of Southwest Nova Scotia are its Fundy coast, where the highest tides in the world create fantastic landscapes, and its Lighthouse Route, that so frequently follows the water’s edge. Quiet roads skirt myriad white-sand beaches, and there are many hidden coastal treasures. It is perfect for a gentle bike ride. Friendly people, fishing villages, secluded anchorages, boat builders, antique shops, artists’ hamlets, and beautiful beaches all contribute to the feeling of being in paradise.

This is our home, and we love showing you the secret swimming holes, little-known caf√©s, and fantastic rides along obscure coastal stretches You can dine on lobster, swim in warm lakes or the cool ocean, feel the warm sand between your toes, and appreciate the cooling sea breeze in your hair. You will rest in the university town of Wolfville and the UNESCO heritage township of Lunenburg, whose uniquely crafted architecture reflects skills of numerous shipbuilders and fishermen whose lifestyle built the town. You will cross the cable ferry near the beaches around LaHave, and can venture on foot to two of the most spectacular headlands in the province. This is a perfect introduction to Nova Scotia’s coastal charms, and will show you why many visitors return again and again.

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.

This is debatably Ireland's loveliest corner. Gorgeous sand beaches interrupt heather-clad sea cliffs, and quiet pathways carry you between places of outstanding beauty. County Donegal is sandwiched between the border with Northern Ireland and the surf-ringed headlands of the open Atlantic.

You will begin riding south from the Donegal airport along quiet peninsular roads, past beaches and dunelands preserved as a migratory bird sanctuary. You will spend two nights in Ardara, with a foray to the Slieve League - the highest seacliffs in Europe, near the folk village of Glencolmcille. You will climb into Glenveagh, and descend to a formerly-private majestic castle and gardens of the same name. The northern reaches of Donegal boast more fantastic beaches, and impressive headlands. Fanad Lighthouse adorns one of these, as a stark and beautiful beacon to mankind's habitation of the land/sea boundary.

The ride from there to the similarly imposing headlands near Dunfanaghy takes you to the wonderful village of the same name, where, again, the interface provides fabulous active exploration. If you prefer, you can replace the heady hikes we have planned with golfing on truly remarkable links, surfing, sea-kayaking, horse-riding, fishing, or shopping and simply basking in the appealing ambience of another remote, beautiful seafront village.

The hardest part of this not-too-challenging ride will be leaving all of the wildly sublime beauty behind.

#wildatlanticway #eurovelo1 #EV1

Known for its mild climate and thriving arts community, the coast of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island displays an eclectic mix of nature and rich history. The island has been the homeland of indigenous peoples for thousands of years; abundant artistic, cultural, and historical monuments testify to the presence and influence of these cultures, and you will notice that many place names retain their indigenous origin.

Immerse yourself in seven days of beauty, from the majesty of the rugged coast, to the vast wildlife of the myriad parks, lakes, and beaches you will encounter as you travel along bike pathways and quiet roads. Hiking enthusiasts will relish the chance to explore sections of Salt Spring Island by foot, and Lake Cowichan provides an opportunity to paddle board, surf, or kayak. You will foray to hidden swimming holes, dine on some of the freshest halibut and salmon North American has to offer, and rest in charming inns at the end of each day.