England

Well planned tour. The guides were exceptional, warm, knowledgeable and patient. Trip hotels were thoughtfully chosen. I liked that most of the rides started or ended right at the hotel we were staying in.

This was a fabulous trip made special by excellent biking, wonderful guides, excellent hotels, and some of the most beautiful views/vistas. Our trip was also great because of my fellow travelers. We had a great group of people and as a solo traveler was made to feel welcome/included by the guides and everyone on the trip. I initially was hesitant about the electric-assist bikes being an old-school cyclist but by day two was fully on board and happy to have them since the terrain was hilly. They made biking all the more enjoyable. Great trip all around and now one of my favorites.

We really lucked out with the weather, signed up for the trip in Sept. the year before. Lovely scenery for bike riding, we choose E-Bikes after reading other reviews, a first, usually ride road bikes or Hybrids, glad we did, it has some punchy hills, made for an enjoyable ride I think 17 out of 20 guests also rode e-bikes. Also with an e-bike you have some suspension, which came in handy as some of the road surfaces are chunky or bumpy. The Hotels and Inns were charming with smallish rooms and good dinners and breakfasts offered. Dining out in the smaller towns was limited, lots of choices suggested by VBT were very good. Oxford and Bath were fun towns with lots of history and good pubs.

Every detail of this trip was well thought out, perfectly planned and expertly, as well as thoughtfully led by Dan and Hattie, who live in the area. Their connection to the Cotswolds personalized this trip in ways that would not have been possible without their guidance. VBT organizes their trips with an emphasis on interesting, varied and challenging routes, as well as as focusing on the cultural traditions and history of the area. Ending this trip in Bath, with its 2000+ years of Roman history was incredible, and was the perfect contrast to the English countryside. The accommodations, as well as the dining experiences, were first rate in every location we stayed, charming and indicative of the history of the area and people who live there. This trip exceeded every expectation I had. Dan and Hattie were skilled, knowledgeable and most of all genuine in their concern for each of us in the group and making this trip a lifetime memory. Again, thanks to them both for their sharing their home with us in so many meaningful ways.

What a fantastic trip this was. This was my 6th time going to England, but my first for the Cotswold region and what an extraordinary time it was. The food was fantastic, everywhere you looked the views were spectacular. It was fantastic trip which I would do again in a heart beat.

My husband and I did this self-guided tour in early September and absolutely loved it. Country Walkers did an impeccable job taking care of every detail--booking hotels, moving our suitcases between hotels, and, best of all, the "route notes" book was so detailed and had everything we needed from step-by-step directions and restaurant suggestions to history and ideas for things to do. It felt like a wonderful adventure following the famous paths through sheep pastures and little forest thickets, past gardens and ancient churches, and climbing over or around all the different gates. It was often overcast and misty in the mornings, but the mid-day sun burned it all away. Our highlights are choosing to stop for an hour to check out the Hailes Abbey Museum and rubbing elbows with some locals at the only pub in a tiny village. So many great memories! We liked the intimate experience of doing a self-guided trip and the independence (without the planning!) that it provided. We spent some extra days in London at the end of our trip...that was just icing on the cake.