News

As enthusiastic proponents of family-friendly cycling holidays, we have organised a fair few trips in our time that cater for both the old (thank you electric bikes!) and the young (thank you tagalongs and trailers!) Trailers were affectionately known as "brat-mobiles" amongst the Carter clan due to the tantrums they sparked when a young family member was told their time was up on the tagalong, and it was their turn to sit in the trailer - which is a lot less fun! They are actually pretty great though, allowing families with children as young as two or three to take a cycling holiday all together. We provide them on a number of our holidays, and they work well on diverse terrains such as cycle paths, bridle ways, towpaths, and roads.

A new star is emerging on the urban cycling scene: the cargo bike. And if you're only going to be cycling on roads, then the cargo bike is a real winner! It's a lot more enjoyable for both small passengers, who can sit up front and see what's going on, and drivers/cyclists, as the structural design of these bikes is specifically geared towards cargo. They are surprisingly light both to lift and to handle on the road. In fact, we tested one only the other week at London Green Cycles.

It's the first specialist cargo bike shop in London, and the guys there really know their stuff about cargo bikes. They told us that the gold standard at the moment in the cargo bike world is the Christiana. These bikes originate from Copenhagen in Denmark, where of course cargo bikes have been part of the lifestyle for years. The idea for these bikes came from a mother in the Christiana community, who wanted a bicycle that could transport her kids to school. Someone got busy building, and these bikes were the result. The standard size can fit four small children in it - amazing!

Whilst we've been a bit slower to catch on here in London, partly because safety and road provision for cyclists just isn't what it should be (but that's another story for another day...), we are starting to see increasing numbers of cargo bikes on the streets. And not just for transporting children - businesses are using them as delivery bikes for everything from flowers to croissants. Check out the London Cycling Campaign's 2015 Cycling Awards, which has a whole category this year for 'business by bike'. Nominees include courier service Deliveroo and E8 Bakehouse. We hope to see more and more cargo bikes on the streets of Britain in the years to come!

Visit England are busy promoting National Walking Month on social media at the moment. Of course we are in full support, so we thought we'd do a little blog post on all things walking related.

Whilst The Carter Company started out as a cycling holiday specialist, over the years we've spent so much time out in the field exploring and designing routes, that we realised we were perfectly placed to offer walking holidays too. Our extensive local knowledge, from secret paths to ancient churches, to the best cafe in the Cotswolds for traditional afternoon tea, could easily translate to walking holidays. And so it began!

Walking holidays are just like cycling holidays in that they are all about cultivating the art of slow travel. It's an ethos that's close to our heart here at The Carter Company. Butterfield & Robinson talk about 'slowing down to see the world', and if you've ever taken a cycling or walking holiday, you'll no doubt understand why slow travel is so fantastic. Often on holiday we have a tendency to rush about from place to place 'box ticking', without actually stopping to absorb our surroundings and soak up the local atmosphere. Travelling by bike or on foot does facilitate the more 'authentic travel experience' we talk about in our tagline, because it slows you down and encourages you to engage with the detail. And it's the detail that you tend to remember at the end of a trip: the chitchat you had with a local on the Thames Path, the little kiosk selling freshly baked croissants on the Camel Trail cycle path in Cornwall, the rare bird you saw wading on the Isle of Wight's nature reserve.

Walking has so many benefits. Apart from discovering hidden treasures and local gems you wouldn't otherwise have stumbled upon, it's also a great way to get get some fresh air, it's much greener than taking a car or a coach, and it's good for the soul! In Buddhism, walking meditation is a principal method of meditation, and one that has enjoyed a popular revival recently thanks to the Mindfulness movement.

So whether it's a lunchtime stroll with your dog in tow, or a walking holiday you're thinking of, we encourage you to pull on your walking boots and head into the great outdoors for adventures aplenty! If you're in need of some inspiration for longer walking trips, check out our page dedicated to walking holidays in the UK. Our favourite trips include 'An amble around London and the Cotswolds', 'Ceredigion Coast', 'Hadrian's' Wall' and 'The Thames Path from source to London'. Enjoy!

Last weekend we hosted a stand at SPIN LDN, the urban cycle show, which was held at The Old Sorting Office in Holborn. Apart from the fact the building was a little chilly (a bit like hanging out in a giant larder!), it was a fantastic venue for the show. Apparently it's also used during London Fashion Week, and it certainly has an 'undone', trendy industrial feel to it. We've been in contact with the lovely SPIN team for a while, and this year we decided to take the plunge and exhibit ourselves. The show had a friendly and fun boutique vibe, with quite a range of exhibitors, from Rapha to Pelago.

There was also a real range of visitors: if you're worried that cycle shows are full of MAMILS (middle-aged men in lycra) and road cycling speed nerds, think again! We were pleasantly surprised at the number of leisure cyclists. Most people there either commuted to work on their bikes and were starting to get more interested in cycling culture (and holidays, we hope!), or enjoyed the occasional recreational cycle ride at the weekend, or were families with a passion for a good old bike ride, however short in distance. Of course all of the above are our kind of people. Our specialities are gentle bike tours and family-friendly cycling holidays, so it was great to meet so many people whose eyes lit up at the prospect of a leisurely cycling holiday in Britain or Europe.

We also very much enjoyed perusing the stands ourselves. Below we've listed our top picks from the show:

1. Bobbin Bicycles

Bobbin customers are our kind of customer. Luckily we were positioned opposite the Bobbin stand, so not only did we get to meet the lovely Sian and Tom, who started and run the business themselves, we also got to ogle at all their gorgeous bikes all day long. Sian and Tom met in Amsterdam, fell in love with bicycles (and each other!) there, and decided to open up a bike boutique back in London. Specialising in distinctive brightly-coloured traditional bikes, panniers, helmets, bells and lights, they now have an amazing range of bikes sold in a variety of stockists around the globe. We love the Blackbird and the Daytripper models.

2. The penny farthing comeback?

It appears the penny farthing is making a comeback. Well, a type of penny farthing. SPIN hosted a brilliantly conceived 'test track' in the basement of the building, where you could try out the lastest bikes on show. This included a remarkable 'tall bike', that looked a little like a penny farthing for 2015. We're not quite sure how you get on and off, but you certainly have your head in the clouds when riding this one! Head over to our Instagram for a mini video of said bike in action here.

3. Peloton & Co coffee

Peloton & Co are based in Shoreditch usually, but they brought a lovely pop-up van to the show from which they sold the most delicious coffee and a variety of snacks (try their gluten-free banana bread). Peloton say they are as passionate about coffee as they are about bikes, and it shows! Their cafe-cum-shop in Shoreditch is a great place to meet a likeminded friend, mingle with the London cycling community and browse their gorgeous range of cycling accessories and apparel.

4. Braasi backpacks

This cool urban brand is run by a Czech duo, in Prague. They use Czech-made materials wherever possible, and their chic urban backpacks, anoraks, hats are inspired by the simple mountaineering equipment of the 80s. Most of the backpacks are rolltop canvas numbers, but they also use leather and suede. The best thing about them though is the shape (nice and boxy) and the colour palette, which is absolutely gorgeous. We wanted to buy them all! Currently not stocked in the UK but head to their website for more info.

5. Cargo bikes

Cargo bikes are just really great. We love how many people are adopting the Copenhagen and Dutch way of life by cycling wherever possible. Cargo bikes take it to the next level: now you can ferry your kids to school in a bike, or make commercial deliveries with a bike, or even pay a specialist London bicycle-only courier to do it for you! This is surely the next step in finding greener, more sustainable transport solutions in urban centres. So not only individuals, but now businesses too, can use bicycles are their primary mode of transport. And you don't have to pay the congestion charge! Check out the London-based, bicycle-delivery-only baker, the Little Bread Pedlar, or this hero, who recently cycled from Amsterdam to London with his cats in his cargo bike to drum up some PR for his new cat products. Hooray for bicycles!

SPIN is held twice a year, so if you're thinking about going to the next one, do! We can't recommend it enough. Over and out.

We're going to tell you a little story. Years ago, when The Carter Company started, one of our first ever enquiries was from a group of South African journalists, who were writing a book about fascinating journeys by bicycle around the globe. England was one of their last stops, and they asked us if we could suggest a trip that was 'geographically interesting'. We proposed the Thames Path and they accepted, intrigued. When we met them after they had completed the route, they told us they'd had a real hoot (that's old-fashioned English for a wonderful time, if you're reading this from outside the UK!) They also told us something that's stuck with us ever since, and that's kept us going since the days when people thought we were mad to try and sell cycling holidays. They said that they'd cycled all over the world, but that Britain was unsurpassed in terms of the sheer density of interesting things to see along the way. Britain is indeed a compact country, and it has bucketloads of history, so it's perhaps not that surprising when you think about it. We do think it's one of the biggest selling points though for cycling holidays in the UK, and it's something we've worked very hard at maintaining when designing our trips abroad too. The luxury of a gentle cycling holiday is that there is plenty of time to hop off your bike as and when you please, to visit the local places of interest, and to take in the local atmosphere, culture, history, heritage, cuisine, and of course, horitculture!

One of our favourite places to visit whilst on a cycling holiday is a garden. And our tours take you past the front door of a fair few absolutely spectacular ones. We count down our favourites below.

1. Hidcote Manor Gardens in the Cotswolds features on our aptly named Cotswold gardens cycling holiday. Created by the talented American horticulturist, Major Lawrence Johnston, its colourful and intricately designed outdoor ‘rooms’ were a conceptual innovation at the time. Explore the maze of narrow paved pathways and discover secret gardens, magnificent vistas and plants that burst with colour. Many of the plants found growing in the garden were collected from Johnston’s many plant hunting trips to far away places. We love the Skunk cabbages and the multicolour tulip blooms.

2. Kew Gardens need no introduction. It's hard to pick out highlights, but if we had to, we'd say the Princess of Wales Conservatory, which recreates ten climatic zones; see Madagascan baobab trees, orchids from Central America and carnivorous plants from Asia here. Second, The Palm House and Rose Garden, for its steamy jungle-like interior and fantastic architecture. Finally, the Kitchen Garden - recently updated by Raymond Blanc - where a bountiful range of mouth-watering fruit and vegetables can be seen growing here across the seasons. Visit on our London bike tours along the Thames, including this one.

3. Cluny House Gardens is a magical woodland garden in Perthshire created by Bobby and Betty Masterton in the 1950s. It contains two magnificent Wellingtonias, including Britain’s widest conifer, with a girth of 11 metres! The Mastertons had a particular interest in Himalayan plants and many of the seeds they grew are now large trees, such as the Tibetan cherry, notable for its mahogany peeling bark. You'll also glimpse 4m high lilies and blue poppies. Cluny is also home to extremely rare red squirrels. It features on our tailor-made Scotland cycling holidays, and on our soon-to-be-published Trossachs' tour. Contact us for more info if you're interested.

4. The Flower Island of Mainau (see photo above) on the shores of Lake Constance in Germany is a sight to behold. It may only cover 45 hectares of land, but it is home to an extraordinary diversity of trees, flowers and shrubs. Its other attractions include a 13th century baroque palace, a palm house and the biggest butterfly house in Germany. It was created by a Swedish prince, Count Bernadotte. Among the particular treasures are rare and often very old trees, for example the Viktoria lime, planted by the grand duke in 1862 to mark the birth of his daughter, or the bizarrely knotted pagoda tree, also around 150 years old. Visit on our Lake Constance cycling holiday.

5. RHS Rosemoor in Devon was created by Lady Anne Berry, and is a true plantsman's garden. The seasonal displays here are pretty impressive; they planted 30,000 English bluebells last autumn under a beech woodland that overlooks Lady Anne’s garden, which will erupt in magnificent sea of blue. The Queen Mother Rose Garden contains a fantastic collection of Hybrid Tea and Floribunda roses. You can visit this garden on our longer Devon cycling holidays.

We've just returned from a reccy trip to Scotland, where we spent the past two weeks scouting out new routes, local boutique hotels and those all important hidden gems that we like to share with our customers. Unfortunately, this usually means trying out lots of different cafes and restaurants, and nattering away to friendly locals... life is tough sometimes! We're very excited to announce that the trip will result in a total of FIVE new Scottish cycling holidays, which will be revealed in full detail soon.

What makes these Scottish cycling tours special?

We're particularly proud of the range and variety in the new tours, from challenging MAMIL (that's "middle-aged men in lycra" for those of you not familiar with the term!) routes, to gentle 'pottering around' tours, and everything in between. Yes, surprising as it is, you can in fact design a 'gentle' cycling holiday in Scotland.. you just have to work a little bit harder to find appropriate routes! The other thing we're really proud about with these new tours is the accommodation. We will be offering 'classic' versions of each tour as we normally do, but the cherry on the cake (and the reward for a day's cycling) are our luxury hotels. Scotland is known for its luxury hotels, and with good reason! It is full of old country houses with sumptuous interiors in magnificent settings. We've been working closely with 'Connoisseurs Scotland', a collection of the finest hotels in Scotland, to put together some of the new holidays. And they are absolutely fantastic, if we do say so ourselves!

As always, we like to share a few of our discoveries with you here on the blog, just as a teaser of the treasures you might encounter. If we've tickled your interest, we hope you'll get in touch and book a tour with us soon.

Highlights

1. Mhor 84 Motel in Balquhidder, Lochearnhead
   This place is amazing. Like, so amazing we were actually jumping up and down with excitement when we walked through the door. Sadly, a lot of the more budget hotels and B&Bs in Scotland are in desperate need of a new lick of paint and a new lease of life. So we were especially surprised when we found the relatively recently opened Mhor Motel (sister of the luxury Monachyle Mhor Hotel, which is 4 miles down the road). It's unlike anything else in the area... a fresh and fun interior, full of light and quirky, kitsch touches, friendly staff and individual bedrooms that are simple yet utterly charming. The 'Mhor' family began with a bakery in Callander (also well worth a visit if you find yourself there), and has slowly expanded to include a gourmet fish & chip shop, the luxury hotel and now this cool little 'motel'. We even heard they're going to hold a folk festival this summer (an extension of their Thursday night folk nights at the motel). With a heritage like this, you can imagine that food is something they take very seriously. And we weren't disappointed! We had a smoked haddock and beetroot pâté, a fantastically tasty salad and honestly the tastiest soup we have ever eaten in our entire lives. Ever. So, in summary, it's amazing. Stay here!

2. 'Just you and the landscape'
   This sounds like a funny highlight to put in, but what really struck us about Scotland was the ragged and wild beauty of its remote landscape. We say remote, because it really is remote. Most of our customers tend to live in big cities or at least close to one. The Carter Company team spends a lot of time in London. But in Scotland, it's just you and the landscape. Especially on some of the routes we've found, where you're unlikely to encounter much traffic, be it cyclists or motorists. You climb aboard your saddle and pedal off into the distance along roads that snake through the countryside, affording some epic views along the way - which are so fantastic that we had to keep stopping every two minutes to take photos. And the colours are just spellbinding: mosses and lichens in every shade of green imaginable, burnt oranges and flashes of bright yellow, bunny-ear browns and slate greys, and then the most unusual hues of purple in the trees and heather bushes. It's an artist's paradise.

3. Pillars of Hercules
   This place was a real find! We had just stopped off at what turned out to be our favourite village of the trip, Falkland. Falkland is completely unspoilt and charming; it almost looks like it's been plucked out of Provence in France... it's all old stone buildings with architectural quirks, narrow lanes and a sweet little square with a shop and a cafe in it. As we continued on our journey, a sign about half a mile out of the village caught our eye. Curious, we turned off the road and soon found ourselves at Pillars of Hercules, which is an organic farm, farmshop and cafe. It even has a campsite attached to it. Situated adjacent to a number of popular cycling and walking routes in the area, it is perfectly positioned to offer healthy and utterly delicious seasonal food to hungry passersby. The place was completely packed when we visited - despite the fact it feels like it's in the middle of nowhere. They have a stunning selection of teas, home-made cakes and lunch plates. We recommend their hot chocolate, made with huge coins of real dark chocolate and hot milk. Out of this world!

4. The little touches
   We all know the beauty is in the details... and some of the places we stayed in really nailed it when it came to little touches. Without giving too much away, we'll mention just a few. The welcome you get at The Old Course Hotel in St. Andrews is second to none, with champagne on arrival and unbelievably delicious macaroons awaiting you in your room. The huge bathroom in the honeymoon suite at Boath House (see pictures on our Facebook page), with its two old bathtubs looking out of the window and directly on to the walled garden, is just to die for... as is the tasting menu at their Michelin-starred restaurant. The bar and lounge at Andy Murray's hotel, Cromlix, manages to tread that incredibly difficult line of 'modern classic' design to a tee, and serves up the best tea we had all week. Try their Smoky China loose-leaf with a finger or two of their home-made shortbread.