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Daylesford is an organic farm, market garden, cafe and cookery school. Located near Kingham in the heart of The Cotswolds, with its lush green valleys and rolling hills dotted with sheep, it has become an increasing pull over the years for our customers, who love visiting this area of quintessential England and this very English establishment. And if you're still one of those people that associate England with bad food, think again - we promise you'll be pleasantly surprised! Think risotto of asparagus and new potatoes wild garlic pesto and Parmesan, or beetroot cured salmon with sour cream, Sicilian lemon and pumpernickel bread. Mmmm delicious... our taste buds are watering already!

If you're into food, Daylesford is a pretty inspiring place to visit; the produce in the shop is presented beautifully, and menu in the cafe is full of fresh ideas for making the most of the season's crops. Follow their Instagram for a sneak peek. If you want to go one step further and invest in the organic lifestyle for the long term, we suggest you book a place at their cookery school. There's a wide array of workshops and sessions to choose from, including 'Wild Food & Foraging' (our personal favourite!), 'Artisan Bread Making for Beginners', 'Seasonal Dinner Party', and 'Perfect Puddings', to name but a few.

Shopping in daylesford

Most of the produce you can buy and/or eat at Daylesford is from the farm itself, which is committed to sustainable principles and farming methods that are in harmony with the environment. As they explain: "all our food comes straight from our farm to your fork: our meat and poultry, fruit and vegetables from our market garden, bread from our bakery, and cheese, milk and yoghurt from our creamery." Where they sell other products, they source from artisan suppliers who share their commitment to quality and sustainability.

Cycle or walk to Daylesford Organic Farm with The Carter Company

Many of our bike tours and walking holidays in The Cotswolds pass Daylesford Farm Shop en route. Whether you prefer guided cycling holidays or a self-guided weekend cycling break, we've got something to suit you. Follow this link for cycling breaks or click here for our walking tours in The Cotswolds. Equally, if you're not planning a cycling break to The Cotswolds, but you are in London, you can visit one of their shops in Pimlico or Chelsea for a slice of the Daylesford experience.

In the coming weeks, we will have an exciting announcement to make about a special joint venture between The Carter Company and Daylesford... watch this space for more info!

Here at The Carter Company, planning cycling holidays for families is a speciality of ours. In fact, our connection to cycling breaks with kids runs deep - it was an extended Carter Family cycling trip to Austria - see photo above - many years ago (comprising of 4 adults and 5 children from 9 to 15 years old!) that inspired Wendy, our Director, to found The Carter Company back here in the UK. With dozens of cycling trips with kids in tow under our belt since then, we have learnt a fair few things over the years about how to plan family-friendly cycling holidays.

Tip 1 - Traffic-free cycle routes

Do your research and try to find a trip that uses mainly traffic-free routes. Certain areas in the UK are better for this than others - Dorset, for instance, has miles and miles of disused railway lines that now function as bike paths, which makes it a great choice for a UK cycling holiday with kids. Another thing to check out is the terrain... where possible it's a good idea to avoid steep hills. Little legs get tired quickly and you don't want a tantrum to ensue en route (!)

Tip 2 - Points of interest galore

Cycling all day and only stopping for lunch isn't just tiring; it feels like a bit of a frogmarch, and doesn't allow for those moments when you want to follow your nose and explore all that your surroundings have to offer. We love slow travel by bike here at The Carter Company - it gives our customers the chance to really stop and engage with all there is to see and do wherever they are. So we recommend picking a trip that factors in plenty of spare time (with perhaps in total only 3-4 hours actual cycling time in the day), and choosing an itinerary that has lots of things to see and do along the way - nature reserves, museums, castles & palaces, beaches or lakes to swim in etc.. After all, it's not really about the cycling, it's about the places en route.

Tip 3 - Choose gentle distances

In our experience, it's sometimes quite surprising how far kids can actually cycle (they do have a lot of energy), but there's nothing worse than having to cajole a kid another 10 miles when they've had enough.. so err on the side of caution! Definitely anything more than 25 miles could be too much. We would also recommend asking your tour operator for a local taxi service number just in case they run out of steam.

Tip 4 - Child-friendly bike trips don't necessarily involve the kids cycling!

If your children aren't quite riding a bike all on their own yet, or don't have much stamina, there are a number of options. If you're looking to hire a child-seat, make sure you request one that will fit your child right. They are designed for for kids of 6 months to 5 years, so getting the right size is key. Tagalong bikes are a good option for kids aged around 4-9. Bike Hub have a great article on carrying children on bikes if you want to read about these options in more detail.

Tip 5 - The real secret to success

Ice cream. Make sure that ice-cream features somewhere along the way. It's a surefire way to guarantee success.

Our Top Family Cycling Holidays

For a complete list of The Carter Company's easy, family-friendly cycling holidays for children under 10, over 10s and teenagers, see this dedicated page on our website.

Blenheim Palace is an absolute must-see for anyone visiting Oxford or The Cotswolds. A number of our cycling and walking tours pass this fascinating place en route - including our 'Day in Oxford & Blenheim' cycling trip. This gentle guided tour by bicycle takes in the city of dreaming spires, the surrounding rural Oxford countryside along the Thames river and some charming Cotswold hamlets, before arriving at Blenheim itself. The cycling only takes up half a day, leaving you with the whole afternoon to explore the palace, park and gardens. We will transfer you back to Oxford at the end of the day.

Why is Blenheim a must-see? Well, apart from being a wonderful piece of English heritage (you can't get more quintessentially English than this!), it's an incredibly fine example of Baroque architecture. Ornate details and intricate interiors make the whole experience a feast for the senses; add on top of this grand tapestries, imposing paintings and artisan furniture and you've got quite a palace on your hands! Built in the early 18th century as a gift to the First Duke of Malborough, today Blenhiem is the only 'non-royal' residential palace in Britain - it is still inhabited by the family today. Perhaps the most well-known resident is Winston Churchill, grandson of the 7th Duke, who was born and spent much of his time at Blenheim Palace. The 2,000 acres of Park and Gardens, designed by the famous Capability Brown, are also well worth a visit.

Blenheim Palace Flower Show

The 2014 Blenheim Palace Flower Show runs from June 20th-22nd, and is the perfect excuse to cycle Oxford to Blenheim. This year looks set to be a winner, with celebrity guests including Monty Don and Frances Tophill, a stellar line-up of designers exhibiting Show Gardens (always packed full of inspiring ideas), and of course there will be The Grand Floral Pavilion... last year there were 27 Blenheim Palace Flower Show Gold Medals awarded - will it be more this year?!

Tailor-made Blenheim holidays

Here at The Carter Company we specialise in creating bespoke cycling tours based on specific needs and requirements, so if you have something particular in mind, drop us a line and we'd be happy to assist you! In the past we have organised numerous tailor-made Blenheim holidays, involving a stop off at the palace en route, so we're well equipped to plan a cycling or walking trip that combines a bit of history and culture with some gentle activity.

There are so many brilliant blogs about cycling out there on the internet. As with most things online however, they can be tricky to track down. We thought it would be nice to share with you some of our favourites. It's nice to see that there is a rapidly growing and very vibrant community of bloggers out there flying the flag for all things cycling!

The Carter Company's top cycling blogs

1. IBikeLondon blog These guys are all about promoting and celebrating cycling in London and the rest of the UK. They have a natty range of IBikeLondon products and regular free social events. Their blog is full of photos of their latest themed rides and other bike-related news.

2. CycleChic is a girl after our own heart who likes to have fun on two wheels! She loves beautiful bikes and (genuinely) beautiful clothes you can wear whilst on and off the saddle. She's also launching a book, The Girl's Bicycle Handbook which is out tomorrow (April 3rd)! Her blog is both fun and informative. We like it because it makes cycling feel accessible to everyone, not just the lycra-clad road racers.

3. VeloVogue is a really cool blog that focuses on cycling culture and the way of life cycling inspires. There are lots of fun photos of interesting people on two wheels plus other bits and pieces on cycling culture that provide some real food for thought.

4. Copenhagenize reaffirms once again that the Scandinavians are leading the way when it comes to the revolution of urban travel. 50% of Copenhageners use a bicycle each day - amazing really isn't it? The blog is full of thoughtful comments and articles on the state of urban cycling today, plus many schemes and initiatives happening in Denmark right now. They also have a sister blog 'Copenhagen Cycle Chic' proving how chic those Danes really are!

5. Change Your Life Ride A Bike is about the "small shifts in perspective that can come from bicycle riding, and how these can lead to big changes in how we see the world and how we live in it. Changes in our impact on the earth, or even just noticing how nice it is to have the wind in your hair". We couldn't agree more - travelling on two wheels somehow encourages you to slow down and really engage with what's around you, as well as to be more mindful of your own presence. It's a beautiful thing!

6. Cycle Love, beautifully presented and thoughtfully curated, with a dash of wit thrown in to keep you on your toes, this blog is really a gem of a find and comes very highly recommended by us!

7. Velo-City-Girl is full of great product reviews and recommendations for cycling-friendly apparel. There's also lots of interesting nuggets of info on cycling culture in London and things for the aspiring cyclist to see and do in the capital. A must read for any girls out there who like cycling and fashion.

As part of our recent press trip, which saw 11 journalists from the likes of the Daily Telegraph, National Geographic Traveler, Canadian Living, The New York Times, The Times of India, The Sun and more ride our Shakespeare's Way cycling tour, we secured an exclusive preview of the Lee Valley VeloPark, which opens to the public at the end of this month (March 31st).

The focus of our visit was the velodrome, although you can also try your hand at racing the road circuit, tackling mountain bike trails or riding the berms on the re-modelled Olympic BMX track. Unusually, the VeloPark hosts all 4 disciplines in one location.

We were lucky enough to have a very informative and animated guide who let us in on some of the secrets behind the building of the velodrome. For example, he told us that Sir Chris Hoy (our star GB track cyclist for those of you who don't know, somewhat of a national hero after London 2012!) was consulted at the start of the design process. The architects implemented his 3 main suggestions, which were:

1. A 360° audience - which is very unusual for a velodrome

2. Increased air temperature to reduce aerodynamic drag acting on the cyclists

3. A toilet (!) right next to the start line (which is situated just underneath the track)

Now here at The Carter Company we like gentle cycling and pottering about on a bike at a relaxed pace (as did most of our journalists). So naturally many of them were pretty nervous about having a go as there are some crucial differences between standard touring bikes and velodrome bikes. First of all, there are no brakes on the bikes, so to slow down you have to use the strength of your legs. And secondly, unlike normal hybrid outdoor bikes, you can't balance on these bikes without support, so you have to hold on to a rail to get started.

It's quite scary at first but you do get the hang of it! By the end, every one of our journalists was absolutely raving about the experience. It's very exhilarating once you're moving, and it's great fun to feel part of this quite special place where so much of Britain's excitement was focused during the summer of 2012.

The velodrome is now bookable (although it is already booked up weeks in advance as the Olympic fever pitch lives on and the popularity of cycling in England continues to rise!) and costs £30/hour which includes tuition. See their website for more info.

PS. thanks to Paula from The New York Post who took this photo!