DESTINATIONS CYCLING | EUROPE


exper expert ASK THE


Frank Cheshire,


cycling product manager, Intrepid Travel


“My number-one tip for an


agent is to sell the experience even more than the physical aspect of cycling itself. In


Château de Chambord, in the Loire Valley, France


CONTRASTS OF PUGLIA HEADWATER From the conical trulli houses of Alberobello to historic wine towns, farming hamlets and talcum-white beaches, Italy’s Puglia region is acclaimed for good reason – and Headwater’s self-guided cycling trip offers adventurous types a chance to explore the best of it from the saddle. The seven-night trip combines rides through fertile landscapes, olive orchards and rugged coastlines with memorable stays that range from a 12th-century former courthouse to a 17th-century farmhouse, ending in the coastal town of Monopoli for a well-earned aperitivo in the old town square. And if newbie clients need reassurance, it’s rated 1+, which the company deems


‘suitable for those who haven’t touched a bike in years’. Book it: From £1,479 including accommodation, some meals, bike hire, luggage transfers and maps. headwater.com


TREASURES OF THE DANUBE EXODUS TRAVELS


With its historic cities, imposing castles and verdant forests, the Danube has earned a solid reputation among the river cruisers of the world, but it’s not only from a ship that this 1,770-mile river can be explored. Exodus Travels offers a gentle, eight-day self-guided cycling trip from Vienna to Budapest taking in the best of the Danube’s riverside settlements, including Bratislava in Slovakia and Gyor and Visegrád in Hungary, giving clients the chance to combine Austria’s elegant capital with storybook villages, baroque buildings, opulent basilicas and more at their own,


leisurely pace. Book it: From £1,029 including four-star accommodation, daily breakfast, bike hire, route maps and luggage transfers. exodus.co.uk


reality, the bike is just a tool that allows you to travel slowly and more richly. Cycling offers the ultimate experience for all your senses and gives people the chance to get closer to the destination without a car or coach window between you and the place you are riding through. For example, most people driving through


Provence will marvel at the sight of endless fields of lavender. On a cycling trip you see it, smell it and even touch or


taste it. That’s the difference a cycling holiday offers.”


² travelweekly.co.uk 2 SEPTEMBER 2021 49


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