The Carter Company

The Trossach hills provide a fabulous backdrop to your route, which leads you through stunning wooded glens and beside quiet lochs. Float along the serenely beautiful Loch Katrine on a steamship and pedal along the water's edge of Lochs Katrine and Lubnaig, where little breaks the silence. Spend two nights in the village of Callander at the heart of the Trossachs and two nights in a peaceful glen location, where feasts for real foodies await. Pedal along the dramatic Glen Ogle Pass using the former Callander & Oban railway line, and over the Glen Ogle viaduct, with views to die for. This area of Scotland is known for its beauty, its landscape, its wildlife, and more recently its cuisine, and the hotels we have chosen won't disappoint either.

From the sandy shores of the Moray Firth east of Inverness to the dramatic and rocky west coast, south of Fort William, this tour includes a wondrous variety of scenery from historic highland towns to tiny fishing hamlets, mountain ranges to deserted lochs and gorgeous off shore islands and stretches of countryside in between.

Remarkably, this isn't a tough ride with just one day of riding uphill and the remainder with few hills. Yet Ben Nevis is in close up and you brush awesome Glen Coe. Stop at local favourite the Dorres Inn on Loch Ness and pedal the towpath of the Caledonian Canal as you head through the Great Glen. Immerse yourself in history with a visit to Culloden battlefield, the site of the last full-scale battle to take place on British soil. Learn about the local legends at the castles of Cawdor and Brodie, stuffed to the turrets with antique furniture, paintings and ceramics. Ride through pine forests, past sweeping sandy beaches, across estuarine bridges and down a disused railway line hugging the seashore and virtually touching the western isles. Sample a 'wee dram' of local whisky at a traditional Scottish distillery en route and explore a pioneering eco-village at Findhorn. Ferry hop from Fort William and ride the length of the island of Lismore on the last day of your tour enroute to Oban. It's all part of the romance of the Highland coast!

And you will be beguiled too as you pedal our Captivating Cornwall tour around the coast from St Ives and Padstow on the north coast to the Lizard peninsula and Eden Project on the south.

The terrain, particularly on the coast, is very steep but our inclusion of E bikes makes this cycling holiday one we are so delighted to offer, enabling you all to enjoy this captivating blend of history, panorama and greenery. Coast by eye watering seafood, over deep estuaries by ferry and along disused railway tracks to a pottery or two. Freewheel past basking seals and sheltered sands to descend into a tin mine, drift through lost and glorious gardens and the film sets of Pilcher, Poldark and Doc Martin, breeze across wild moorland and up twisting village lanes and sail by ancient ports into wonderful vineyards and fascinating art galleries before sinking into a cosy inn at the end of a fabulous day. With stays in 6 coastal retreats from art mecca to fishing harbour and from cliff top to cool foodie hub and stylish waterfront, its not surprising we call it Captivating Cornwall!

As if that were not enough, the ride embraces a rich history. From Cirencester and Bath's Roman heritage, to Oxford's historic university - which dates back to 1167; from the 13th Century village of Lacock, to the grandiose Blenheim Palace and two rural canals - which are extraordinary feats of Victorian engineering. There's also lovely Tetbury and delightful Bradford on Avon to explore. All this is topped off by a really wonderful selection of rather unique hotels and inns you'll be staying in along the way.

Ride beside the sea, through lush green valleys, touch the edge of Dartmoor National Park and enjoy gorgeous scenery and grand views. Pedal along former railway lines, through tunnels and across breathtaking viaducts and bridges. Enroute you will discover magical villages and cream teas you can't resist. Essentially rural but peppered with characterful towns, we have designed the tour with a leisurely tempo, balancing mileages and slopes to ensure as gentle a cycle each day as possible - that's the way we like to do things. And of course, every night you'll relax in our hand picked guesthouses and hotels.

Much of this route is traffic free as it slices through Devon from the north to the south. It includes the bike paths of the Tarka Trail, the Granite Way and the Plym Valley.

It may be short and it can be as laid back as the moment requires, but it encapsulates all that is so appealing in this much loved area. Pedal through a string of pretty hamlets and along forgotten leafy lanes. Enjoy the market towns of Stow on Wold and Moreton in Marsh and a farm shop extraordinaire. Discover medieval wall paintings, splash through fords and freewheel along hidden bridleways. And at the end of the day, we are sure you will love the characterful inn we have chosen for your 2 night stay and the excellent food and friendly hospitality it offers.

This break comes with quite a range of route choices and a huge flexibility in distances - from 10 to 40 miles per day, so you can have as relaxed or packed a break as you fancy. Gems on offer include Chipping Campden, the gardens at Hidcote Manor, the Slaughters, honey coloured stone thatched cottages, Bourton on Water, gurgling streams in hidden valleys and the oh so unspoilt market town of Burford.

It has inspired numerous writers, artists and poets and you will not fail to fall under its magical spell either as you pedal its stunning length from serene Lake Bassenthwaite in the north to magnificent Lake Windermere in the south.

This is a strenuous cycling holiday with an utterly staggering ride we are proud to have created, which we want you all to enjoy, and as a result we are recommending electric bikes which are just perfect for this terrain. Our Electric Lakes tour will enable you to cruise not only by steam boat on Ullswater, by launch on Coniston Water and by steam train to Windermere, but also to cruise on two wheels past fells and crags, hill hamlets and hidden valleys, sheep clad slopes and of course, dreamy lake shores too. Much of the route is off the beaten track, through stunning woods, past cosy inns and over fords to small breweries and tiny water mills. Enjoy wonderful gardens, a Georgian town, an intriguing castle, the homes of Ruskin, Wordsworth and Potter, a vibrant food scene and stays in 4 different locations from tranquil lake side to ancient market town and buzzing waterfront. No wonder we call it Electric Lakes!

In celebration of his legacy, we decided to create our Shakespeare's Way cycling holiday, so you can pedal the route that the poet perhaps took on his journeys between the Globe Theatre in London, where most of his plays were first performed to public acclaim and his home in Stratford-upon-Avon, where his wife Anne Hathaway and his children lived. Discover along the way the places and people featuring in Shakespeare's life and works. Leave the heart of London following the River Thames and travel through the beautiful countryside of the Chilterns and the Cotswolds passing some of England 's finest attractions - London, Hampton Court, Windsor, Oxford, Blenheim Palace and Stratford-upon-Avon. This was Shakespeare's way.

The Trossach hills provide a fabulous backdrop to your route, which leads you through stunning wooded glens and beside quiet lochs to the highland town of Pitlochry. Float along the serenely beautiful Loch Katrine aboard a steam boat and ride along the water's edge of many a loch, where little breaks the silence. Pedal along the dramatic Glen Ogle Viaduct using a former railway line with views to die for. Forests alternate with sheep clad slopes, castles and distilleries where you can stop for a 'wee dram' with isolated hamlets and classic Scottish towns. Feasts for real foodies await too; not only is this area of Scotland known for its beauty, landscape, and wildlife, but more recently its cuisine has come to the fore.

Your cycling adventure ends in Pitlochry; from here you ride the train to Edinburgh and explore this vibrant capital with an overnight stay in the heart of the city.

Tucked into the peaceful landscape are pretty villages and charming estuaries where maritime history abounds. And just off the coast lies the delightfully English Isle of Wight.

Using awesome gravel tracks through the forest and disused railway lines, much of this tour is free of traffic and leaves plenty of time to explore. Discover: forest life and villages at Burley, Brockenhurst and Beaulieu with its fine estate and Motor Museum, maritime delights at Buckler’s Hard and Lymington, the Isle of Wight experience and the charms of Yarmouth where your ferry arrives. You'll be very tempted to return!