Cycling Holidays

Walking Tours

2010 brochure [9.4Mb]

FAQ

What happens to our luggage?

While you are cycling or walking the route each day, one of our representatives will take all your belongings in our minibus to the next hotel - ensuring they are in your room by mid-afternoon.

Our bicycles come equipped with a rack and pannier bag, so anything you may need during the day can be easily carried. We recommend that walkers bring a small daypack.

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Where do we stay?

One of the highlights of your holiday will be the marvellous hotels and guesthouses in which you stay. Mostly small and family-run, they are handpicked for their comfort and individual character, not to mention the warmth of their welcome.

All rooms have private bathrooms.

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How do we get there?

Getting to your holiday destination couldn’t be simpler. We offer scheduled flights with British Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss, Czech Airlines and KLM to Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Salzburg, Zurich, Genèva and Prague from a choice of up to 15 UK departure airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, London City, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Belfast, Cardiff, Bristol and Jersey.

Using scheduled flights, we tailor your itinerary to your needs – allowing you to extend your stay in Germany, Austria, Switzerland or the Czech Republic, before or after your holiday. We will be happy to advise you on possible arrangements.

Onward transfer to your base hotel is made as easy as possible. Our representative will meet you at your arrival airport and you will be driven to your base hotel by minibus. For those wishing to drive to Germany, Austria, Switzerland or the Czech Republic, there is ample safe parking at all our base hotels. We provide detailed instructions on how to find your base hotel and, at the end of your holiday, we arrange transport back to your starting point to pick up your car.

We are also able to arrange your Channel crossing with Brittany Ferries, Hoverspeed or Eurotunnel.

For travellers arriving independently, we provide information on how to find your base hotel using public transport. Holidaymakers arriving by air from a country other than the UK, may also be able to join our normal airport-to-hotel transfer.

All holidaymakers making their own travel arrangements qualify for a price reduction – please refer to the price details for each tour.

What is the food like?

Enjoying authentic regional cuisine is an important element of our tours. During a day’s cycling or walking, a little local flavour always adds to the overall experience. Throughout Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, first-time visitors are pleasantly surprised by the quality, quantity and variety of the food. Surprisingly, even areas renowned for their meat dishes still cater well for vegetarians. In every location, £10-£18 purchases a tasty meal to satisfy the heartiest appetite. For alfresco dining, picnickers will find an extraordinary selection in even the smallest village shop.

The culinary possibilities are limitless... Whether it’s three–cheese fondue in the Swiss Alps, Bavarian Weisswurst (white sausage) with Weissbier, roast pork with dumplings in Southern Bohemia or Austrian Weichselstrudel (sour cherry strudel), you’ll discover classic regional specialties and new gourmet sensations throughout your tour. And, of course, you’ll also sample the finest wines and beers from each region. Cheers!

Our information pack includes an extensive translation section to help you choose from the exciting menu options available.

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What are 'One Night Stops'?

2010 sees another innovative addition to our programme - ‘One Night Stops’, enabling you to stay for two nights in your first hotel followed by just a single night in each subsequent hotel. We are now delighted to introduce this alternative format for those who want the complete cycling adventure but simply have less time to spare. Available on selected dates for all tours, ‘One Night Stops’ is well worth considering.

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How difficult is a Bents Bicycle Tour?

A Bents Bicycle Tour is no Tour de France! Instead, imagine a gentle potter at your own pace through the lush German, Austrian, Swiss and Czech countryside with time to savour all the atmosphere of these friendly regions.

In Upper Bavaria, we take you to the mountains but not over them. Immediately south of Munich, the rolling hills of the alpine foreland rise up, gradually growing until they reach the Alps at the border with Austria. Once in Austria, majestic mountains are all around – however, where there are hills and mountains, there are valleys and lakes, and these are the ways we have found for you.

The Moselle is a joy for those wishing to take it easy. The journey follows the meandering river downstream and, whilst the scenery is spectacular with vineyards and castles clinging to steep hillsides, the only ascents en route are the bridges as you hop from one river bank to the other.

The terrain in the Black Forest is more challenging, but again we have minimised the difficulty. During the course of the tour, there are perhaps three or four longer climbs. However, what goes up must come down and there are an equivalent number of long descents. We have also reduced the distances in the Black Forest, so you will have plenty of time to take it easy.

Bohemia in the Czech Republic is a wonderful patchwork of lakes, rolling pastureland and wooded hills. Our tour follows valleys and contours for a relaxing journey through the unspoilt landscape.

Switzerland is a mountainous country and certainly the scenery is spectacular. However, our routes through Appenzellerland and, from Gruyères to Lake Genèva, are no more strenuous than those in Bavaria or Austria. Gently undulating alpine meadows, meandering valleys and lakeside cycle paths are the routes we have chosen.

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Who can enjoy a Bents Bicycle Tour?

Anyone who is healthy and can ride a bike will enjoy our holidays. We try particularly hard to cater for children, so that the whole family can cycle together.

We have a range of lightweight bicycles for the over 8s, and we find that most children from this age have no difficulty in wearing out their parents! For infants and toddlers, we have the latest in child-seats from Kettler (probably the safest and most comfortable on the market) and suitable for children under five. For children aged between 4 and 10, we also have top-of-therange Burley trailer bikes which attach to the back of an adult bicycle and effectively transform it into a tandem. The child can pedal while remaining completely under the control of the adult bicycle. With your luggage carried for you, you won’t find it a chore to bring the children along.

Fit and healthy grandparents can also come along for the ride!

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What kind of bikes do you provide?

Premium quality bicycles

We pay particular attention to the quality of the bicycles provided. After thorough testing, we have decided upon the Sonoran, a Dawes top-of-the-range trekking bike.

The bicycle is perfectly suited to the terrain encountered on our tours, designed for both roads and tracks. It combines lightness with robust dependability and features 24 gears, comfortable sprung saddle, mud guards, rear carrier, pannier bag, and chain guard.

A limited number of Dawes mountain bike tandems are available which may be booked on a first-come, firstserved basis for a small supplement.

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Can we explore at our own pace?

Freedom to Roam

Two to three weeks before your holiday, we’ll send your airline tickets, together with a comprehensive information pack of daily maps highlighted with our suggested routes, accompanied by detailed written instructions.

You are now free to explore each day at your own pace, leaving plenty of time to absorb the atmosphere of charming villages, enjoy leisurely picnics among the cornfields, and swim in the many inviting lakes. All secure in the knowledge that a comfortable bed awaits at the end of each exhilarating day.

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