The route runs from Oxford to London over eight days, following the Thames for much of the way. The operator's own description names the landmarks you pass: Windsor Palace, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the river itself as the spine of the trip. Oxford, the university town, is where it starts.

This is a self-guided tour, so the shape of each day is yours. You get route notes and a bike, your luggage is moved between hotels, and there is no group to keep up with. The operator classes the difficulty as easy-going, which in practice means shorter days and gentler terrain than their moderate Cotswolds & Stonehenge tour.

Cycling Country is a Spanish company based in Granada, running bike tours in Spain, Portugal, France, England and Canada. They are registered with the Junta de Andalucía as a bonded travel agency and are members of the Adventure Travel Trade Association. They also run official La Vuelta bike tours and were named a Best Bike Tour Spain winner by TripAdvisor.

The England programme sits alongside a second English tour, Cotswolds & Stonehenge, which is graded moderate and also runs eight days. This one is the easier of the two and the one built around the Thames and London.

What you actually do off the bike is the reason to pick this over a pure training trip. Oxford's colleges, Windsor Castle, Hampton Court and central London are all on the itinerary, and the operator points guests towards British books, films and a full English breakfast as part of the trip.

What's included

- 8-day self-guided cycling route from Oxford to London - Luggage transfer between hotels - Route notes

What's not included

- Travel to Oxford and home from London - Travel insurance - Meals and drinks unless confirmed by the operator - Bike hire unless confirmed by the operator