wheelywonderfulcycling

British Cyclists smash world records at Track World Cup

Wheely Wonderful Cycling — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:38:45 +0000

Fantastic news & well done to Victoria & Jessica & all the team – but what’s that got to do with Wheely Wonderful Cycling holidays? Well, we hope it inspired you to get on your bike. A track event looks like a million miles away from the leafy lanes and views of the Welsh borders. But all track cyclists started their cycling careers on short country rides. The enjoyment of the sheer physical experience of cycling – exercise combined with changing scenery, the smell of hot pine & honeysuckle, the feeling of wind & sun are what inspire cyclists to keep on cycling. And some of course, take it all the way to the Olympics, others take it as an excuse to eat more cake!

If you are wanting to start out try our Black and White Villages Cycle Tour

The New Inn on the Black & White Villages cycle tour - its only 600 years old

And if you want to push yourself a bit more – try our Radnor Ring Challenge

Its all downhill after this. Classic road cycling on the Radnor Ring Cycle Tour.

New Cycling and Walking holiday brochure for 2012

Wheely Wonderful Cycling — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:49:33 +0000

We’ve just published our 2012 Cycling and Walking holiday brochure. If you would like a copy, just leave us details on our website order form. As well as all our old favourites, we have two new weeklong holidays; a Grand “Country House Cycle Tour” and perhaps our easiest tour yet, a week long “Family Farmhouse Cycle Tour”.

Over 50 great cycling and walking holidays in the UK

We’ve won the Shropshire Hills Sustainable Business Scheme Award

Wheely Wonderful Cycling — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:47:58 +0000

Had a great barbecue last night at the National Trust’s Cardingmill Valley at the foot of the Long Mynd. And as a total surprise – we won an award …. THE SHROPSHIRE HILLS SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS SCHEME ACHIEVER AWARD 2011….for all the work we were doing on reducing the impact of our cycling & walking holidays’ on the environment. It was a great honour & felt like the perfect end to a great summer of cycling and walking holidays.

We won an award - Shropshire Hills Sustainable Business Scheme

The barbecue was to celebrate the work of the Shropshire Hills Sustainable Business Scheme. A long title for a group of very diverse businesses based in the Shropshire Hills, who are keen to make sure that their customers & guests have a wonderful time exploring the area & eating & drinking the equally wonderful produce from this area.

All the members of the Shropshire Hills Sustainable Business Scheme have to demonstrate their green credentials & pledge to reduce their environmental impact on this wonderful landscape. We of course think that the best way to do this is to explore by bike. So come & find out – by trying one of our Shropshire Cycle tours…

Cycling around the Shropshire Hills on the Shropshire Castles Tour

Art in the Sticks – Herefordshire’s H.Art week starting 10 September

Wheely Wonderful Cycling — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:53:54 +0000

From 10-18 September, Herefordshire & the Welsh border’s thriving arts & crafts community open up their workshops & studios to visitors. Many of the artists have chosen to live, work & be inspired by local landscapes, which means that their studios are tucked away down tiny lanes, well off the beaten track.

Last year when I cycled around the studios my first port of call was Edward Ball’s studio - sound sculpting, perspex and the latest computers. It all seemed a million miles away from the country lane with grass in the middle that I had just cycled along – very exciting. The next stop was the complete opposite. Underneath the arches of the Knucklas’ viaduct and close to the ruins of Knucklas Castle, Will & Lottie O’Leary’s stone carving barn, did have electric light – but that was the only modern feature. The carvings were outstanding.

This year’s selection of artist’s are just as diverse and cycling is definitely the best way to get to see these studios. This year I’m looking forward to visiting the wood carver – Andy Pearson & his new”Earthship” Studio,

Erasmus's First attempt at the Computer - Andy Pearson

and having tea & cakes at Mistletoe House Gallery.

Evenhay Valley - Tania Pearson

Try cycling round the studios yourself. Our Welsh Borders Cycle tour enables you to visit up to 20 studios over 2 days . Full details in this Borderspdf

Hopton Castle is now open to visitors

Wheely Wonderful Cycling — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:41:37 +0000

For the last few hundred years (since the English Civil War to be precise), Hopton Castle has gradually become more ruinous. The crumbling ruins have also hidden the story of the gory siege during the Civil War…but now after a great deal of fundraising by the local community and a visit from TV’s Time Team – its open to everyone. And you can read all about it – on the Hopton Castle website

It makes a great ride from our Explorer’s Country House Cycle Escape cycling holiday.

Hopton Castle open for visitors

Then when you have admired the Castle & its history cycle to nearby Rocke Cottage Tearoom – which has just been voted the UK’s best tearoom. What more could a cyclist want – idyllic country lanes, a bit of history and a great big slice of chocolate cake?

Tour of Britain starts on Sunday

Wheely Wonderful Cycling — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:57:44 +0000

All the excitement of the Tour de France – including the presence of Mark Cavendish, Green jersey winner of the French tour – but in the UK. Here’s the link to the official site - which shows you when it is coming to your area. We’ll be going to watch it at the spectacular Powis Castle – the start of the Welsh stage – visiting many of the highlights of our Lon Las Cymru Cycle Tour.

You won’t need to cycle as fast as the Tour…. or go up all the hills featured – our routes follow the valleys – but the scenery is fantastic. Full details of this holiday can be found on.Lon Laspdf

National Bike Week in Shropshire 18th – 26 June

Wheely Wonderful Cycling — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:46:50 +0000

Loads of great events going on during this week – all to encourage you to get back on your bike & start cycling.

There are easy cycle rides like the “Tour de Ludlow”

a great cycle ride - part of our Ludlow Country Estates cycle tour.

and Castle Cyclists (from Bishops Castle) have a whole week of rides mapped out. And if you want to get going before this the Sun Inn is running another ride on 12 June. On’Yer Bike Sun June 12 2011 Why not hire a bike to take part in one of these events

At the beginning of the week – is the wonderful Shropshire Hills Highland Challenge – not for the fainthearted – 500 cyclists riding 66 miles and climbing 6,000 feet. Our cycle holidays try to avoid all those hills!

If you’d still like to take part in a challenge – there are still spaces on the unique (only one in the world) Bishops Castle Tandem Triathlon on Saturday 2 July – closing date for entries 10th June….. but you do need a tandem!

Bats and brimstones: a British wildlife safari by Dixe Wills in The Guardian Saturday May 28 2011

Wheely Wonderful Cycling — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 08:50:42 +0000

Just like to thank Dixe Wills for a great write up in The Guardian this Bank holiday Saturday.

“Cruising backroads on which we were the only traffic, we entered Sned Wood, a haven for butterflies. We slowed our pace and were seduced by the dappled charms of chocolate-coloured speckled woods and brilliantly camouflaged brimstones, flitting about like tiny yellow leaves that had taken flight. Overhead, hovering buzzards were replaced by whirling red kites as we pushed further west and briefly into Wales.”
If you’d like to read the full article click here

Row. row, row your boat gently down The Wye

Cycling and Canoeing Safaris in the Guardian

Wheely Wonderful Cycling — Fri, 27 May 2011 13:00:06 +0000

Look out for The Guardian Travel section tomorrow (Saturday 28 May) to see what journalist Dixe Wills thought of his Wheely Wonderful Cycling and Canoeing Safari. He cycled around the Black & White Villages of North Herefordshire, crossed the River Lugg into Wales, spent his evening watching badgers & bats & finally paddled gently down the River Wye. Since Dixe did his Safari, we’ve added a couple of new options for overnight stops ( see below)

Paddling gently down the River Wye in search of kingfishers, herons & sandmartins

Cycling and Canoeing Holidays
Short Breaks (3 days – 2 nights) from Adult £205 Child £145
This is an action packed holiday, combining a two day cycle tour with a wonderful canoe trip down the River Wye. You can stay in an Elizabethan half-timbered hotel, a farmhouse on a working farm, or on an organic smallholdingwith nature trail. Your two day cycle tour takes you through the welsh borderlands & the Black & White villages of Herefordshire. On your third day pick up your Canadian canoes and paddle downstream to Hay on Wye for lunch, then float down the Wye to the famous toll bridge an The Boat Inn at Whitney on Wye, where you’ll be collected and returned to base.

Bikes and Books

Wheely Wonderful Cycling — Wed, 18 May 2011 09:41:16 +0000

Two new books to get you inspired about cycling and cycling in the English Welsh borders.

First up ” A Guide to Slow Travel in the Marches” by Les Lumsdon. Loads of ideas of how to get around the Marches (which means the borderlands of England & Wales), without using a car. And of course bikes are integral part of that… as well as buses, trains and your feet. If you’d like to find out more about Slow Travel visit their website or order a book, click here (in the spirit of slow travel its being produced by a local publishing firm)

How to get around the English /Welsh borderlands without using a car.

The next book has had more national media coverage – its all about how to design the prefect bike & the skills of the makers of the various components. “Its all about the Bike” by Robert Penn. Bikes are perfect machines for getting us around & it would be a joy to be able to follow Robert Penn’s example & put a custom made bike together…. (although not necessarily with the air miles involved in making his book & film). In the meantime, it makes you appreciate the sheer skill & precision engineering of the various component makers & the joy of getting a bike to fit you exactly – which always makes pedalling easier.

We use Trek bikes for our cycling holidays, & spend a lot of time getting the right bikes & accessories for our cycling holidaymakers & fitting them out correctly when they arrive to start a holiday. Like Robert Penn, our holidays are all about “The pursuit of happiness on two wheels”. If you’d like to buy a copy of the book, click here

The perfect bike