Cycling holidays are among the fastest growing ways to travel and also among the most enjoyable when properly prepared, and the most miserable when improvised. These are the twelve pieces of advice most repeated by people who have been doing it for years, plus one logistical idea that solves the most awkward problem of all.
The 12 pieces of advice for starting out
- Start short. Forty or fifty kilometres a day on the first trip. You can build up later.
- The bike you own will do. You do not need to buy anything special for a first route on quiet roads or a rail trail.
- Carry less. The universal beginner mistake is overloading. Everything weighs double on the third hill.
- Buy decent padded shorts. The one item not to economise on.
- Spread the load across both panniers and as low as possible.
- Learn to fix a puncture before you leave, not in a ditch.
- Plan the water, not just the mileage. In summer it decides a stage.
- Look at the climbing, not the distance. Forty flat kilometres and forty mountain kilometres have nothing in common.
- Start early in summer and avoid the middle of the day.
- Carry lights even if you do not plan to ride at night.
- A rest day every three or four days of riding.
- Leave margin. Mechanical problems and headwinds exist.
The best routes to begin with
Traffic free rail trails and canal towpaths are the ideal terrain for a first trip: no traffic, gentle gradients and good signposting. The National Cycle Network maps the full British network and is the natural starting point.
The pilgrim routes by bike, the great river valleys and the national sections of the EuroVelo network, designed precisely for long distance cycling, all work well too.
The logistical problem of cycling holidays
Here is the point almost no guide mentions. A cycling trip comes in two formats, each with a drawback.
The touring format, sleeping somewhere different each night, forces you to carry everything and to book accommodation stage by stage. And the radial format, where you have a base and ride circular routes, is far more comfortable but requires a long accommodation booking, which in high season is expensive.
The fixed base that changes the trip
A home exchange solves the radial format outright: you have a whole home for two weeks, you head out each day with a light bike and you come back to sleep in the same place.
The practical advantages are considerable. No panniers to carry, a washing machine for technical clothing, a garage or shed to store the bikes, and a kitchen, which matters more in cycling than people realise because you eat a great deal.
And there is a bonus: many exchanging families leave their own bicycles available. Asking in the first message is entirely normal and saves transporting yours.
How to take the bike
On regional trains it usually travels without difficulty and at no extra cost. By plane it has to be dismantled and boxed, with a charge that varies enormously by airline. By car, on an approved rack.
If the destination is distant, comparing the cost of transporting your bike against hiring one there usually gives a clear answer.
Cycling holidays with children
They work better than people imagine, on three conditions: traffic free routes, stages of twenty to thirty kilometres, and a fixed base. Rail trails meet all three.
Trailers work up to four or five years old; beyond that, a tag along bar lets them pedal without setting the pace.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be fit for cycling holidays? For forty flat kilometres, no. Riding a few times beforehand is enough.
Electric bike? Perfectly valid, and it solves differences in fitness within a group or family.
What does a trip like this cost? Without accommodation and cooking for yourself, it is among the cheapest ways to travel.
What if it rains? Waterproofs, pannier covers and accepting that an unplanned rest day ruins nothing.
The base first
Choose an area with good routes and look for a two week exchange there. It is the most comfortable way to start. The process is in the complete home exchange guide and the calendar in the vacation planning guide.