London to Bristol via Oxford (8 days, 7 nights)

Starting between Westminster and Kensington (subject to accommodation location) exit London to the west passing landmarks including the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben. The path winds out of London skirting through the London regions of Chelsea and Fulham, crossing The Thames near Barnes.

The route continues, becoming more and more rural towards Sidmouth Wood and Pen Ponds and crosses the river several times before passing through Kingston-on-Thames.

The route continues, passing near to Hampton Court (which it is easy to divert to), through Walton-on-Thames and Staines-upon-Thames before finishing the day in Windsor. Windsor is of course home to Windsor Castle which is a residence of the British Royal Family and the town offers a gorgeous, historic place to explore for the evening.

Stay overnight in Windsor. Luggage will be transferred.

Heading east for a short distance before turning north, the route exits Windsor to the north-east and proceeds north to skirt Strawberry Wood, before crossing the M25 motorway to reach the River Coln. Follow the river north passing Uxbridge Moor and then through the town of Uxbridge, reaching the shores of Savay Lake.

This marks the first in a series of lakes formed along the River Coln and you will continue north along the waterside trail before crossing the river. Here you join an A road for a short distance of 500m and cyclists may choose to dismount and walk until they can re-join the route at Bullsland farm, just outside Chorleywood.

The route winds northwest for several miles before turning more westwards to skirt the Chiltern Hills. This is a beautiful area of countryside and many opt to dismount and rest a while to soak up the views. The day ends by winding through the countryside along a disused railway, “The Phoenix Trail”, to the town of Thame.

Stay overnight in Thame. Luggage will be transferred.

Today’s ride takes you off to enjoy the historic city of Oxford. Oxford is almost due West of Thame, but the route takes a slightly more circuitous path along country roads to enter the city from the south. Exiting Thame to the west, the route continues through the Oxfordshire countryside all the way into the city.

Oxford is most famous for its world-class University, but the City offers extensive historical sites, beautiful boutique shopping, Botanical Gardens and much more. We recommend trying out punting if you can – Oxford's traditional river transport.

Stay overnight in Oxford. Luggage will be transferred.

Although the longest route of the trip, it has been devised to make the most of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, heading west from Oxford. Taking in the towns of Burford, Northleach and Cirencester on the trip into Swindon, this route is one of the best on the trip if the clients can manage the extra distance. Alternatively, an extra night can be booked here to extend the trip, with an overnight stay in Northleach.

Heading west from Oxford the route quickly enters open countryside and is relatively flat on the approach to the town of Witney. From here, there are some more hills, but climbs are limited through the day. Continue west to Burford, which is the first of the gorgeous Cotswold villages you will see today. Burford is famous for its sloping High Street which slopes down to the River Windrush and was originally a wealthy wool town. From here, continue west through the countryside to the town of Northleach before turning South West to head into Cirencester.

The route between Northleach and Cirencester includes a steep climb and descent, followed by another climb into the town. Cirencester was the second-largest town in Britain during Roman times and although now considered a small town, is very bustling and busy. From here, the route turns south-east and remains fairly flat on the descent to Swindon via Cricklade.

Stay overnight in Swindon or add a night in Northleach. Luggage will be transferred.

Heading south of Oxford, the route takes you through urban areas with light traffic to the outskirts of the city and the village of Kennington. Continuing south, the route adopts a largely countryside landscape, skirting Radley wood before entering the village of Radley, and continuing south for several kilometres.

Crossing man-made lakes near Thrupp Farm and just north of the River Isis, the route turns westwards, converging with the river and entering the town of Abingdon-on-Thames.

Here the route turns south again, following the line of the River Isis as it joins the Thames continuing cross-country to the village of Didcot. From here, the route continues and becomes hillier, with some short climbs and limited downhill tracks. Finally, the route descends into Swindon – your stop for the night.

Stay overnight in Swindon. Luggage will be transferred.

Today’s route seeks to maximise the local countryside between Swindon and Castle Coombe, using winding country roads and off-road paths to traverse between the two centres. Exiting Swindon to the southeast, the route curves back on itself to the south of Swindon, before heading north again to skirt the city. The route takes in a myriad of small local villages, interspersed with farmland, including Tockenham, Grittenham and Foxcote.

The route itself runs through a large amount of farmland, as well as through woods and across commons, before running alongside the River Avon for a while. A great place to stop today is Malmesbury, which is a traditional market town, most famous for being the oldest borough in England and for having a 12th century Abbey which is still in use today. Continue on to Castle Coombe where you will stop for the night. Castle Coombe is a truly stunning town and is very famous for its car and bike race meetings.

Stay overnight in Castle Coombe. Luggage will be transferred.

The last leg of this trip takes you from Castle Coombe to Bristol. Exiting Castle Coombe to the south, along the water’s edge, the route quickly turns west to skirt the bottom of a slope before entering local farmland. Much of today’s route crosses the farmland of the Fosseway, offering particularly pretty views of the local region.

The route approaches Bristol from the northeast, and is short enough to allow plenty of time for recreation in the city of Bristol. Bristol is home to Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s famous Clifton Suspension Bridge and the town also has great shopping, an annual street art festival, a hot air balloon fiesta, a fantastic foodie scene and so much more.

Stay overnight in Bristol

As an alternative, clients can opt to end the day in the historic spa town of Bath which is smaller than Bristol and has a more intimate feel. Bath is famous for its historic Roman Baths as well as its thermal spa waters and is a great place to visit. Exiting Castle Coombe to the south, along the water’s edge, the route quickly turns west to skirt the bottom of a slope before entering local farmland.

Much of today’s route crosses the farmland of the Fosseway, offering particularly pretty views of the local region. Not far from the market town of Tormarton, the route turns almost directly south via places including Cold Ashton to approach the city of Bath from the north.

Stay overnight in Bath. Luggage will be transferred.