Great West Way & Cotswolds Ride

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

Days of Cycling

Pace:

Moderate: 13-16km/8-10miles an hour

Terrain:

Low altitude; 80% tarmac and 20% gravel/unpaved

Day by day breakdown

Day 152.9km/32.9miles

Day 243.1km/26.8miles

Day 372.4km/45.0miles

Day 453.0km/32.9miles

Day 575.2km/46.7miles

Itinerary

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Newbury

Day 1
The Kennet and Avon Canal
Starting from Newbury railway station, we get on our bikes and head out into the countryside. Before long we join the path along the Kennet and Avon canal, for so long a vital artery for trade.
After a tranquil stretch by the water, we take the beautifully named Honey street and join the quiet roads in the surrounding areas. Lunch is taken by the canal in an old pub at Crofton before finishing the ride and heading to our hotel for the night via Avebury and its huge stone circle, where unlike Stonehenge you can get up close and personal with the 40-tonne monoliths!
Accommodation: Hotel
Day 2
Kennet and Avon Canal and Bath
Of the many characteristic features of the UK canal system, locks are perhaps the most ingenious. Today we make our way back to the canal l for a wonderful ride, starting down the Caen flight. The name given to 22 consecutive locks over a one-mile stretch, a real feat of engineering. We bike alongside the boats, stopping at the pubs and soaking up the atmosphere as the landscape slowly passes by.
Keeping with the theme of impressively engineered constructions, we pass over the majestic Dundas and Avoncliff aqueducts before finishing the ride for the day in Bath. Though we stay a little outside the city, we should have time to explore. Among the many highlights are the Roman Baths, the Royal Crescent and Jane Austen’s house.
Overall, the going is flat, despite all the locks, though there is one climb at the end of the day worth noting, just over 1km at an average of 6%, perfectly manageable when taken at a modest pace.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 3
Bath into Bristol
We ride all the way into Bristol via a disused railway line. Rest assured the line has been well adapted for cyclists, so leaves on the line will not be an issue. After a short sharp climb early on we will set our sights on Bristol, which as anyone who has visited will know is not flat. Much of the day will be relatively gentle with one short last blast up as we approach the city itself. Once there we can visit some of the historical sites, maybe a craft brewery or go on the Banksy trail. There is also the option to extend the ride through newly renovated railway tunnels and a loop back via the Kennet and Avon Canal.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 4
The Cotswolds
Heading up the hill from Bath we depart the Great West Way® and head to the Cotswolds. The ride is shorter than the previous day, and lunch will be taken in Tetbury, near Prince Charles’ house and gardens at Highgrove. There is also the option to visit the national arboretum at Westonbirt before arriving at our hotel for the night on the side of the beautiful Minchinhampton Common.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 5
The Cotswolds
We head into the Cotswolds on our longest ride of the week for a delightful jaunt through countryside worthy of any postcard. On our route we discover gorgeously traditional villages, including the world-famous Bibury, one of the many local villages to be mentioned in the Doomsday Book. We stop for lunch and a drink in the wonderful Bell at Sapperton, known for its fantastic food and drink selection. We return to the hotel for the night our final meal together in the hotel, the Bear of Rodborough.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 6
Farewells
Meals included: Breakfast

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

Show map

pub stop, Cotswolds

Essential Info

Visas

United Kingdom

UK passport holders do not need visas for this trip. Other nationalities should check with the relevant embassies.

For further Brexit travel advice please visit https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/brexit-advice-for-travellers

Vaccinations

United Kingdom

No vaccinations are obligatory.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts are included.

Lunches can be purchased from local bakeries, cafes, and supermarkets, which will offer you the opportunity to sample local specialities. We might also stop in pubs or cafes along the way.

Dinners will be taken at accommodations we stay at or traditional local pubs along the way.

Weather

As with the rest of England, the weather in the West Country and the Cotswolds is hard to predict. Generally mild, the warmest months to visit are from June through to August, although temperatures start to warm up around April and remain pleasant until October time. We advise you take waterproofs as rain / showers can occur at any time of year.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is rated moderate, level 3.

Cycling is on country roads and cycle paths. Occasionally as we approach towns and cities traffic may become heavier. As such experience of cycling on roads is preferable, however your leader will be giving instructions as required.

The longest day is approximately 75km and there is the occasional longer stretch of climbing, with 1.5km being the longest. In most cases the climbs are gradual, save the odd short burst of a slightly sharper gradient.

Should you choose to bring your own bike please ensure it is suitably geared to allow you to climb at a comfortable pace.

This trip is not designed to be taxing, instead to allow mainly gently countryside riding so as to fully enjoy the scenery.

Throughout the week, the group's luggage will be transferred separately each day between accommodations and as such there is limited vehicle support during the first part of the trip and full vehicle support while in the Cotswolds. The group will cycle some of the canal paths on their own, meeting the leader at various points of the day. A qualified & experienced cycling leader will cycle and be with the group in the Cotswolds.

Call for general departures:

1 844 227 9087

Call for private group trips:

1 844 227 9087

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

Accommodation

Hotels, Inns, Guesthouses

We stay in comfortable, traditional accommodation throughout the trip. All rooms are en suite.

The Kings Arms Melksham - an 18th-century inn offering a warm welcome and an authentic taste of the Wiltshire countryside.

The Premier Inn Bath City - ideally located to maximise our time in this historic city.

The Bear of Rodborough - An idyllic Cotswold hotel in the village of Stroud.

Call for general departures:

1 844 227 9087

Call for private group trips:

1 844 227 9087

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

See all experts

Call for general departures:

1 844 227 9087

Call for private group trips:

1 844 227 9087

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.