What You Will
A short ride away from the lively bustle of Stratford, Broadway or Moreton in Marsh you will find the tranquillity of a sleepy village or a glorious garden. Attractions: Shakespeare's houses and theatres, Chipping Campden, Snowshill Manor, Batsford Arboretum, Stanway House and Hidcote and Kiftsgate Gardens. This tour includes bed & breakfast accommodation, a tour pack (including colour coded route directions and a map), bicycle hire, luggage transfers and emergency telephone assistance.
4 days, 3 nights
Based in Mickleton, you will enjoy circular routes that explore the local area. On the two day tour, you will complete the following:
Ride 1 - Shakespeare Country. Ride along the Greenway cycle path into Stratford to spend the day visiting the playwright's home town. There is an option to cycle to two outlying Shakespeare properties: Anne Hatherway's cottage and Mary Arden's house. Why not take in a play before heading back to Mickleton via Long Marston?
Ride 2 - Classic Cotswolds. Here you will visit Chipping Campden with its numerous important architechtural buildings. Among them is the church of St. James with oriental style lodges nearby. The road then takes you to Broadway Tower, built in 1800, where you are guarenteed some stunning views. In good weather this view takes in twelve counties and stretches into mid Wales. Ride on past Snowshill Manor to Stanway where a Jacobean gatehouse is the dramatic introduction to Stanway House, one of the most romantic manors in the country. Continue on to the beautifully preserved village of Stanton before returning to your hotel through Broadway.
Ride 3 - Cycle to Shipston on Stour with the inns and handsome Georgian brick houses from the period that give the town its character. Continue your ride to Moreton with the Wellington Museum of Aviation Art and the Batsford Arboretum and Falconry Centre. The ride now takes you to Hidcote Manor and Kiftsgate Court. It is well worth visiting one or both of these magnificent gardens famous for their shrubs and roses. If you are unlucky and find them closed then you can still enjoy the views.
Ride 4 - Cycle to Evesham via the Lenches (Lench comes from an Old English word for hillside and this is an area of small hills topped by numerous villages with that name. They are the setting for many charming homes from the black and white Tudor style to the intricate brick of Victorian Gothic.) Evesham is an ancient town that was the major market for the vale of the Avon, famous for growing fruit, vegetables and salads. It developed in the shadow of one of the country's greatest Abbeys and you can still get an idea of it's size from the surviving bell tower. The full history will be found in the excellent Almonry Museum. You can also enjoy the pleasant riverside parks and shops
B&B Price: £331.00 (price per person, based on two people sharing)
3 days, 2 night
Enjoy both rides 1, 2 and 3 as above.
B&B Price: £252.00 (price per person, based on two people sharing)
2 days, 1 night
You will get to enjoy both rides 1 and 2 as above.
B&B Price: £180.00 (price per person, based on two people sharing)
