Pedal Nation Cycling Holidays

It is perfect for keen road cyclists who like the idea of a coast to coast challenge but don’t want to take part in the pressurised Raid Pyrenean (the famous West to East ride that must be completed within 100 straight hours and includes sections on very busy dual carriageways). Please note, however, that this is still a “challenging” ride! It is a memorable, bucket-list type of tour from which you will get a great sense of achievement and lifelong happy memories, and not necessarily a “stop and smell the roses” kind of bike touring holiday.

Unlike fixed based tours, you will also enjoy the changes in culture, scenery and climate that you will experience as you journey through the regions of the Pyr√©n√©es-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyr√©n√©es, Haute-Garonne, Ari√®ge and Pyr√©n√©es-Orientales. The ride tries to avoid the busier French roads and as well as the hill climbs it enjoys many sections alongside fast-flowing rivers, through steep-sided gorges and beautiful vineyards.

Starting with a dip in the Atlantic Ocean, day one provides a gentle warm up to the rest of the week as we gradually head into the foothills of the Pyrenees. The following six days includes some of the most well-known mountain passes of the Pyrenees that feature frequently in the Tour de France including the Col d’Aubisque, Col de Soulor, Col de Tourmalet, Col d’Aspin, Col de Peyresourdes, Col de Portet d’Aspet and Col de Pailheres.

We will be cycling between 50 to 135km per day with between 1000m and 2700m of ascent. Making an early start each morning gives us plenty of time to each cycle at our own pace up the climbs and spend time enjoying the scenery, stopping for espressos and pastries and taking the time to make the most of the numerous photo opportunities en-route. Although many of the climbs are challenging our support van will wait at convenient points along the route to provide any assistance you might require. The main aims of each day are to have a great time, laugh a lot and make it to the hotel before sunset.

Intended for anyone booked on one of our holidays, considering one or just wanting a fun weekend cycling in the Peak District our aim is to make your two days as enjoyable and instructive as possible. We hope you'll leave not only having improved your group riding skills, navigation and hill climbing techniques but also with good memories of a fun weekend.

The event is planned as an example of how a day could be on one of our holidays along with the added advantage of useful tips from our guide. The course aims to give you the opportunity for some back to back days cycling and to have the opportunity to discuss some of the issues around riding in groups. We'll also cover the essentials of bike maintenance and roadside repairs. We will be supplying gpx files of the routes beforehand so you can practice using any navigation device you are planning to use for your holiday.

We have a full day cycling into the Peak District planned on Saturday and a half day on Sunday, a good way to get some hill climbing practices and give you a chance to cycle with and meet like-minded people who could be your fellow trip mates on your next holiday with us.

You’ll definitely be challenged with an overall distance of 729km and almost 10,000m of climbing needed to reach our end goal at the resort of Faro. We designed the tour to be achievable for most regular cyclists, however hill training and consecutive days in the saddle beforehand is essential. Throughout the tour our cycling guide will be on hand to offer guidance and encouragement when needed. Also our support van be available at convenient points along each route to provide assistance

Highlights

• Cycle North to South of Portugal
• Ride across 4 mountain ranges, 11 rivers and 29 municipalities
• Free bike transfers from the UK
• Celebrate final night in Faro
• Small group size we limit the numbers to 12

This part of northern India. Ladakh, often called ‘Little Tibet’ or the ‘Land of Many Passes’, is renowned for its stunning mountain landscape and Buddhist culture. Locals make their living from pastoral farming by irrigating small plots of land to grow buckwheat and barley. Traversing the region by bicycle means that we can observe at close quarters some truly spectacular scenery and get the chance to interact with the villagers who reside in this tough, arid landscape.

We believe you will find it an exhilarating, challenging and life-affirming adventure. If you’ve tested yourself on our Lands End to John O’Groats tour or Road to Vienna, maybe this could be your next adventure?
You will cycle against the backdrop of the magnificent Ladakh Range, which is a segment of the Karakoram mountain range. It spans the borders of Afghanistan, China, India, Pakistan and Tajikistan. We have designed the High Passes of Ladakh cycling holiday so you can enjoy the best that the region has to offer.

Highlights:

• Cycling in the Himalayas
• Crossing highest motor-able road Khardungla 5602m
• Beautiful scenery
• Buddhist culture
• Opportunity to see some interesting animals such as the Asiatic ibex, Himalayan marmot, the dzo (which is a cross between the yak and domestic cattle), the Himalayan blue sheep (also called a bharal – which is the staple diet of the snow leopard) as well as the kiang, a native of the Tibetan plateau and only found in Jammu and Kashmir.

At times, the deserved popularity of Rajasthan's key sights leaves little room for a spirit of adventure. Traveling by cycle and taking of the big draw cards like Jodhpur, Ranakpur, and Udaipur is the perfect answer.

Our back-road discovery tour takes us to remote villages through the barren desert and lush oasis where the traditional life of Rajasthan continues, as it has done for centuries untouched by the outside world. We start our journey cycling up through the Aravali Hills, then the route passes through back-country flatlands to the holy town of Pushkar. Next up is Jaipur, a town overlooked by the splendid hilltop Amber Palace. We take rest stops along the way at the principal attractions as well as at a few more remote places where there is a chance to experience rural Rajasthan first-hand. We also visit Bharatpur National Park and the magnificent Taj Mahal, surely one of the 'must see' sights of the world.

The Himalayan scenery is stunning and the fresh crisp mountain air, combined with the very light traffic conditions make Bhutan a very appealing destination for cyclists of all denominations.

We find the best bicycle for this tour is a hard-tail mountain bike, equipped with slick tyres. As you would expect in the Himalayas there are some strenuous climbs but these are ameliorated for by the beauty of this landlocked diminutive kingdom which measures just twice the size of Wales.

You will remember for many years to come the rice terraces that cling limpet-like to the hillside and valleys carpeted with patchwork of various shades of green cultivated by generations of Bhutanese subsistence farmers. Beyond the cycling there are some amazing cultural sights that we will be visiting including the world famous Taktsang Monastery (Tiger's Lair). Although visitors are actively encouraged to this Buddhist kingdom, the numbers of tourists are strictly limited by the government which takes the time to measure the Gross National Happiness of its people.

Over the course of the tour we will be ascending some of the most famous mountain passes in Bhutan including Dochula, Pelela, Yotongla and Thrumshingla and for every climb you will be enjoying kilometre after kilometre of exuberant descent. At the end of this cycle tour you will have a lifetime to ponder on the nature of Bhutan, is it a modern day 'Shangri La' ? Come on this tour and you may come closer to the answer.

This trip is part of the EuroVelo route 2, or the Capitals route, which starts in Dublin and takes you all the way to Moscow. It takes in seven European countries passing through Berlin, Warsaw and Minsk and combining various cycle paths.

Our trip starts in Amsterdam – one of the most cycle friendly cities in Europe – and heads east to Berlin. Cycling some of the best traffic-free paths with gorgeous scenery, history and modern cosmopolitan cities to see on the journey. We finish at the iconic Brandenburg Gate.

The total ascent is the equivalent of cycling to Camp 3 on Mount Everest, twice and we haven’t even mentioned the wind, it’s almost guaranteed to blow and as we are navigating the coastline at some point it will be in your face. Yet this tour is perfect for the sportive rider, looking to test him or herself on some of the most challenging and spectacular scenery that the United Kingdom has to offer. We will be following the official NC500 route as far as Thurso and then choosing a very quiet and safe route back to Inverness via Strath Halladale, Strathnaver and Altnaharra. For a number of safety reasons we will not be using the A9 south of Wick for the return ride to Inverness.

Travelling by train and arriving into Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands gives a taster of the countryside that will be on offer during the following week. Plan to arrive the night before the tour departs and you will have chance to savour the sights and sounds of the city that is the starting point of what will become a memorable cycling adventure into the Far North of Scotland.

The holiday starts and finishes in Cochin taking in the hill stations and tea plantations of Munnar, the cardomom fields of Thodupuzha and the backwaters of Kumarakom, with a daily mileage of around 60km and some longish ascents (and descents!) and plenty of stops for refreshments and photographs, this moderately challenging trip is suitable for all regular cyclists.

Accommodation is in some lovely hotels and, on the backwaters, a houseboat. As we make the return journey towards Cochin we will be cycling along the Old Beach Road, an experience definitely not to be missed.
‚ÄãThe weather will be pleasantly warm, around 23 to 25 degrees, providing a perfect remedy to the British winter.
India High Places began in India in 1987 when our very first trip set off to trek in the Garhwal Himalayas in north India.  We have gradually widened our destinations and now also go to Ladakh, Sikkim as well as Kerala. If you are looking for an authentic and active holiday in India, we are the specialists. Moreover we hold India in great respect and have a deep regard for the land and its peoples.

To travel with High Places and our sister company Pedal Nation Cycle Tours will disprove many of the myths you might hold and leave you with a sense of wonder and incredulity. There is a life force in India, which we may already have lost in the west. You must come and see for yourself.

There are 14 major languages in India and around 200 minor languages and dialects. Malayalam is the spoken language in Kerala. It came as a shock to discover that our hard-learnt Hindi was virtually useless here. English is often spoken but is not as widespread as in other parts of India.

The cycling will be relaxed and easy and importantly it will be on dedicated cycle paths so we are away from the traffic. Joining our ‘Road to Vienna’ cycle tour in Nuremburg, we will first head to Regensburg. From here, the EuroVelo 6 will take us all the way to our destination in Vienna passing through Deggendorf, Passau, Linz, Persenbeug and Krems an der Donau on the way. Expect to see picturesque towns and villages, birdlife, lush forests, towering escarpments, romantic castles, tourists ships, working boats and the Danube in all her glory.

Included in the price (based on two people sharing) all accommodation, breakfast and a picnic or packed lunch each day. Your luggage will be transferred in our support van each day and we will be on hand to deal with any minor mechanical issues, and if we can’t fix it on the trail we will get your bike to a local repair shop and you can ride our spare bike until it is fixed.

#eurovelo6