A typical day on a self-guided trip is simple. You have breakfast at your hotel or B&B and leave your bags at reception for the luggage transfer. Then you set off with your route notes and map. The riding takes up most of the day, broken up by a coffee stop, lunch in a village, and whatever you want to look at along the way. You reach the next night's accommodation by late afternoon, and your bags are already there. Dinner is usually at the inn itself or somewhere nearby.

The routes vary a lot in difficulty. The Cotswolds are relatively flat, with honey-coloured stone villages like Guiting Power close together. Hadrian's Wall follows the line of the Roman frontier across northern England. The Coast to Coast is the challenging option, with long climbs over places like Black Hill. In Scotland, routes take in places like the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. Further afield, the operator lists trips in France, Italy, Germany, Hungary and Austria.

There are three main formats. On a self-guided trip, the logistics are handled for you but you ride alone or with your own group. On a guided small-group trip, a leader rides with the group. On a bike-and-barge trip, a boat with berths, a bar, a dining area and a cook moves along the water while you cycle sections each day.

The main difference from booking it all yourself is the planning. Each booking is handled by one named member of the in-house team, so you deal with the same person throughout. The operator has been running walking and cycling holidays for over 45 years. The accommodation is picked partly for location, so you sleep in the middle of a village rather than out on a ring road.

There's no single instructor on these trips. On self-guided routes the 'guide' is the route notes and the local hosts, who tend to know the area well. On guided departures, a trip leader rides with the group.

What's included

- Locally run accommodation (hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses or country inns) - Luggage transfers between accommodations - Comprehensive route notes - Maps and guidebooks - Trip organisation by a dedicated in-house team member - Onboard accommodation and cook on bike-and-barge trips

What's not included

- Travel to the start and from the finish - Travel insurance - Lunches and most dinners on self-guided trips (varies by trip) - Drinks - Electric bike hire (option on most trips, check per trip) - Berth upgrades on barge trips - Personal expenses