EBike Tour 12
Autumn is a wonderful time to escape to the countryside for a gentle EBike cycling holiday. Admire the autumn colours as you cycle along peaceful woodland tracks and lanes and listen out for the bellow of the deer as they rut. This 3 night cycling tour is packed with places to explore along the way, including National Trust's magnificent Calke Abbey, National Brewery Museum, English Heritage Ashby Castle, The Ferrers Crafts Centre at Staunton Harold. gardens and arboretums full of autumn colour and the shops and cafes of Mercia Marina. You'll find plenty of sheltered outside spots to enjoy a warming coffee, lazy lunch or well earned locally brewed craft beer in the autumn sun. We will of course share our favourites with you! A warm welcome is guaranteed at each of the comfortable small hotels or luxurious B&Bs along the way. They are handpicked for their and high level of service and are situated in lovely villages and small market towns. You'll find a choice of fabulous pubs and restaurants to enjoy a delicious meal at the end of each day's gentle adventures.
NIGHTS
3
AV. DAILY MILEAGE
20 - 30
AVAILABILITY
Start any day, all year
PRICE
From £522 per person
Price includes
Electric bike hire, accommodation on a b&b basis, luggage transfer each day, car parking, detailed self-guide route to follow at your own pace, helmets. We're on hand to offer local support when required
Price excludes
Travel to your holiday starting point. Entry to attractions. Single supplement. Dinners. Extra nights. Travel insurance
ROUTE HIGHLIGHTS
Enjoy the National Forest's spectacular display of autumn colour and look out for the deer rutting. This 3 night cycling holiday is full of places to explore along the way, including magnificent Calke Abbey, Ashby Castle, a Crafts Centre, gardens and arboretums full of autumn colour and Mercia Marina, perfect for a drink on the canal-side boardwalk. You also pass Mount St Bernard's Abbey, England's only monastery producing Trappist beer.
ITINERARY
DAY 1: Your electric bike cycling holiday starts in the wonderful rolling Charnwood countryside, which glows with colour in the autumn. You'll hear the deer in local Bradgate Park long before you see them – the bellowing noise as they rut echoes through the countryside. Once you have settled in, we will bring the electric bikes to you and ensure that they are fitted to suit you. Our electric bikes are fitted with GPS, making it easy for you to navigate along the way. We'll answer any questions and provide you with options for an afternoon cycle ride, should you wish. The local villages are full of lovely places to eat, from delightful traditional stone pubs to Michelin starred restaurants. We will of course share our favourites with you. There is also often the option for a delicious home cooked supper, prepared at the B&B and served in your own personal snug and dining room.
DAY 2: A breakfast full of home cooked delights, will ensure that you're ready for a day full of adventures. Today you will cycle through wonderful woodland and up to Beacon Hill, a site of Special Scientific Interest and one of the highest points in Leicestershire. It'a a great place to admire the colours of autumn. From here your journey takes you past Mount St Bernard's Abbey, the only English monastery producing Trappist beer. You can buy the beer in the shop at the monastery. A woodland cycle takes you past an abandoned Priory and onto an old railway line that has been converted into a cycle path. Follow the route to the lovely little market town of Melbourne, where we recommend a walk around the gardens, when open. Melbourne is the perfect place to relax and enjoy lunch or coffee and cake. Rejoining the Cloud Trail, you will eventually meet the Trent and Mersey canal. Your route now follows the canal towpath, where the hedgerows glow with berries. The boardwalk at Mercia Marina is the perfect place to enjoy a drink outdoors, before you end your day's journey in the ancient village of Repton. It's the perfect place to stretch your legs after a day's cycling. We recommend a visit to the ancient anglo Saxon crypt in the church of St Wystan's. Beer lovers will delight in sampling the many options produced by the craft brewery at the hotel where you will spend the night. Lovers of good food will be very happy too!
DAY 3: A short cycle ride brings you to the driveway of Calke Abbey. Lined with lime trees, the long driveway is magical in autumn, with a canopy glowing orange as the trees begin to shed their leaves. The National Trust property is full of areas to explore. Gardeners will love the walled garden and the old orangery is the perfect place to enjoy the sun on a cold but sunny autumn day. A woodland cycle takes you from Calke Abbey to the craft courtyard at Staunton Harold, another sun trap and cycling hot spot! Follow the path through walnut groves and other native species and onwards to the village of Smisby, where you can enjoy a wander around the hidden and stunning Bluebell Arboretum. The Arboretum is a mass of different colours in autumn, perfect for a gentle amble before the final stage of your journey today. Lovers of history will enjoy exploring the ruins of Ashby Castle, which was mentioned in the novel Ivanhoe. The countryside becomes flatter and less wooded as cycle along peaceful country lanes to the small market town of Market Bosworth, famous for being the site of the Battle of Bosworth and a multi award winner of the Britain in Bloom competitions.
DAY 4: History lovers may wish to begin the day with a slight diversion to the Bosworth Battle Visitor Centre, where you will learn more about the death of King Richard III. Today's EBike ride takes you back into glorious woodland as you cycle towards your starting point. The grand finale of your EBike cycling holiday is a cycle through Bradgate Park, where you may see the deer that you heard at the start of your electric bike holiday. Your luggage will be waiting for you back at your starting hotel and we hope to welcome you again soon.
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11