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Here at The Carter Company, we absolutely love tea and cake. It's no secret there's a serious case of sweet tooth going round our office.. and it's not just members of the Carter family who are guilty! Emma, our Office Administrator, is an absolutely stellar baker in her own right. For evidence of her amazing skills, see this blog post which features a photo of the incredible personalised cake she made to celebrate our rebrand as The Carter Company. It's quite a creation.

Wherever we travel, we always keep our ears (and noses) to the ground in search of the local sweet specialities. Our top tip for anyone travelling to a new region is to do a bit of research online first - there's no place quite like the internet to uncover some useful nuggets of information, especially when it comes to niche products - and talk to the locals once you get there. Sometimes you need a bit of help to find the real gems, and no-one knows the area like a longstanding local resident. Of course, it goes without saying that a self-guided, gentle cycling or walking holiday offers the perfect opportunity to sample the local sweet treats, as you can stop whenever and wherever takes your fancy, indulge in a bite or two to eat, hound the proprietor of your chosen establishment for the recipe (to varying degrees of success), and then continue on your route until you work up enough of an appetite again to warrant the next pit-stop. Ideal!

Without further ado, below we share our favourite discoveries for anyone who is similarly inclined to the occasional/hourly sweet treat whilst travelling.

1. Apfel strudel, found on cycling holidays in Austria

An all-time favourite of the late John Carter, loved as a symbol of heartfelt Austrian hospitality as much for its delicious sweet yet sharp flavour, this country takes the simple apple tart to a whole new level.

2. Macaroons, found on cycling holidays in France

Excuse the pun, but for us, macaroons take the biscuit. Cooked right (and yes we have been known to visit several patisseries in one day in a French town just to track down the perfect specimen), they have a lightly crisp shell, a soft chewy inside and a melt-in-your-mouth creamy filling. And they look just gorgeous! Pierre Hermé make our favourite colours and flavours. See our new tour through Provence and the wild Camargue if all this talk has you salivating at the mouth!

3. Tinginiai, found on cycling holidays in Lithuania

Tinginiai, literally meaning “lazy bones”, are half-moon shaped dumplings with a filling of freshly crushed blueberries. An unusual variant on koldūnai (dumplings), which are pretty much the national dish in this part of The Baltics.

4. Mandolato, found on cycling holidays in Greece

Mandolato is black and white nougat, and a local speciality in Corfu. It's a traditional delicacy which combines the gorgeous natural flavours of almonds and honey. We love the soft, chewy variety. Taste it for yourself on our 'Jolly around Corfu' bike tour

5. Castagnaccio, found on cycling holidays in Italy

Castagnaccio is chestnut cake. It's a local speciality in Tuscany, it's typically eaten in the autumn. Try it with ricotta for an authentic touch. It can also locally be known as baldino, ghirighio or pattona, so make sure you take your phrase book with you so you don't miss out on this one, because it's worth it!

We recently returned from a 'reccy' trip in the wonderful Lake District. It's not the first time we've visited - in fact, the Lakes hold a special place in our hearts, full of memories of long summer days filled with friendship, laughter, good food, good wine, and fantastic walks (plus a little rain - it wouldn't be the Lakes without a downpour or two, hoho) Nevertheless, nothing quite prepares you for the moment when you enter Lakeland, having exited off the dreary M6 motorway a few miles back. The landscape creeps up on you, and before you know it, you're surrounded by the lush, dramatic scenery of valleys, mountains and majestic waters. Everything takes on a poetic quality; the light becomes luminous somehow, and the air smells fresher.

Anyway, enough eulogising. Here are our observations of note from the trip:

1. Autumn is an excellent time to visit the Lakes

Of course summertime means you can combine walking with a dip in a lake or the Derwent river, but there is something about the colours in Lakeland during Autumn that is absolutely spectacular and not-to-missed. Otherwordly purples, deep greens, ragged greys, and moody blues... it's all pretty dreamy!

2. What looks like a simple stone wall may in fact be.... a pioneering feat of Cumbrian engineering

Take a anticlockwise stroll along the 'Coffin Trail' (pictured above) and a short while before you reach Rydal Mount, the home of William Wordsworth, you may notice what looks like a simple stone wall to your right, not 20m from the main path. It is in fact part of the Thirlmere Aqueduct, a 95 mile-long network of pipes and tunnels which supplies water to the city of Manchester, built by the Manchester Corporation Water Works. It took a team of 8,000 men eight years to build. A feat of Victorian engineering, it uses only the power of gravity and not a single pump to transport 220 million litres of water a day to the city. In October this year, it celebrated 120 years of service.

3. Ambleside has some fantastic restaurants

We strongly recommend anyone visiting the Lakes, as well as making a booking at the Michelin-starred L'enclume and The Samling, to head into Ambleside and sample the numerous foodie havens there, including The Old Stamp House, Lake Road Kitchen and The Fulling Mill. If you're vegetarian, check out Fellini's - where you can choose simply to dine or enjoy a two course meal followed by a screening of the latest arthouse film releases in their studio cinema. Fellini's also has a sister restaurant Zeffirelli's, which is great for a more relaxed bite to eat (we hear the pizza is excellent) and retreat Yewfield, a luxury vegetarian country house hotel.

4. If you want to avoid the crowds, head north or west

Peak season in the Lake District, particularly during the school holidays, can be quite busy, so if you don't know what you're doing, you can end up feeling like you're in Piccadilly Circus. Which is obviously not quite the objective when visiting the Lakes! So if you're heading to the area during peak weeks, we recommend avoiding Windermere and Ambleside and finding somewhere further north or west. Borrowdale valley is particularly nice and fairly quiet, and there are some fantastic walks nearby such as Castle Cragg and Great Gable. Another option is to head to Ullswater, where you can stay at Sharrow Bay - which we think has the best view of a lake of any hotel in the region, big claim!) and do some walking from Patterdale and Glenridding.

5. Everyone should drive over the Kirkstone Pass at dusk

If your nerves can handle it, this is an extraordinary drive along a road that connects Patterdale in the Ullswater valley to Ambleside in the Rothay Valley. At an altitude of 1,489 ft, it's not for the faint hearted, but if you make it up there, we recommend stopping for a breather at the Kirkstone Pass Inn. Perfectly positioned on the summit, it is the third highest pub in England. We loved taking it on at dusk, when the spectres of Red Screes and Stony Cove Pike loom up ahead, as thick and black as midnight on a moonless night. Nimble drivers only need apply - there is even a turning off the pass down a lane signposted as "The Struggle" (!) which only adds to the drama of the whole experience.

Here's a little ode to Ordnance Survey maps. An essential piece - possibly THE most essential piece - of kit for any self-respecting walker or cyclist. We give all our walking and cycling holiday customers one on the first day or their trips, just as a reference to use alongside their detailed written Route Directions. For those who like to follow their nose and take the occasional detour, the maps are invaluable in helping them relocate onto the designated route. Here at The Carter Company however, our fondness for OS maps goes beyond an appreciation of their functional utility and into pure, unabashed sentimentality. It's not just the sound they make when they crumple neatly (or messily, depending on your dexterity with these things, I've never quite got the hang of it!) back into a handy pocket size, or the subtle yet beautifully selected colour palette of the design... although we very much like these qualities.... it's that they represent a world of uncharted territory, a Famous Five style adventure, a treasure trove of natural wonders just waiting to be discovered. Just looking at one makes us want to jump up, tug on our walking boots and head out into the wild.

We're not the only ones who love them. Last month, the BBC ran a feature entitled Why do people love Ordnance Survey maps?, which is a very interesting read.

Having travelled all over the world, we think they are the best maps on earth. They may seem dry on first encounter, but they are absolutely brilliant. Below we share some of our favourite things about OS maps below:

1. It's nerdy but we love how they honour the details: delineating between paths and bridleways, showing where locks are on the canals, marking out which side of rivers the towpaths are on

2. Wendy our Founder and Director has fond/painful memories of O-level geography where she had to calculate the difference in elevation through a cross-section of map using the contour lines. But seriously the contour lines are brilliant - just from a glance you can tell where the terrain is steep!

3. We love the photos they put on the front of each edition. Again, very geeky but we like to play a little game in the office where we have to guess where the photo is taken (Wendy usually gets it right, surprise surprise)

4. They are almost too detailed (!) and what looks like a little lane is actually a private road (not so good if you're trying to use it as a cycling route hoho)

5. The maps marks pubs, which we think is a very friendly nod to thirsty walkers or parched cyclists who are in need of some refreshment. We also like it where they mark little springs, disused railways, old Roman roads.... but we're less sure about why they are still marking telephone boxes (although you never know when your phone battery might run out).

If all this talk of maps has got you salivating to set out on an adventure, then what are you waiting for? Head over to our dedicated UK cycling holidays and UK walking holidays pages and book your OS-accompanied trip today.

The Carter Company's bike tours are created on two principles: 1) gentle cycling along thoughtfully designed routes is the best way to get to know a place and 2) a day of gentle cycling should always be followed by a night in a luxurious but characterful and unique hotel.

We believe strongly that the beauty is in the details and we want our customers to enjoy the finer things in life - because that's what holidays are for! With that in mind, it will come as little surprise that we spend a lot of time looking for unusual, boutique accommodation to use on our tours. The criteria is typically: quality, service, location and character. We know that customers visiting from overseas want to experience a slice of authentic England, not stay in a hotel that looks and feels the same on the inside as every other hotel. So we get to work on the ground, speaking to locals about their favourite places to stay, visiting endless establishments, and finally selecting our favourites.

One of our Spanish tours uses some very special accommodation indeed - traditional Paradors. "What are Paradors?" you ask. Well, they are ancient buildings - monasteries, castles, palaces and manor houses - that have been turned into hotels. Spain has a long, rich history and some remarkable buildings to show for it. Much of this architectural heritage dates from the time of the conquest of several countries in South America, which bought much wealth back to Spain. However, by 1928, many were falling into disrepair, so an organisation was formed to help restore, refurbish and reutilise these spectacular buildings as hotels.

Our Land of the Spanish Conquistadors cycling holiday for softies features a number of Paradors, including Parador de Trujillo, which is in the former convent of Santa Clara. As you can imagine, it's stunningly peaceful and calm and boasts two wonderful cloisters, one of which features Renaissance arches and columns. The Parador de Jarandilla, where you stay on the fourth night, is surrounded by a lush landscape of olive and orange trees and known for its absolutely delicious authentic local cuisine. Originally a castle (with awe-inspiring fortified towers), it once played host to Emperor Charles V for several months. Finally, we must mention one other: Oropresa, which dates back to 1402 and offers exceptional panoramic views of the Gredos mountain range.

Spain can be a little too hot to cycle in during the peak summer months, so we usually recommend the 'shoulder months' of March, April and May to take our Spanish bike tours. So if the sound of these unique Paradors has whet your appetite, you really have the perfect excuse to book an early summer holiday for next year!

Whenever The Carter Company team heads to travel trade conventions, either home or abroad, to meet with other like-minded people and organisations to discuss all things cycling and walking related, we are always struck by how many foreigners mention the stunning English countryside as a key reason to book a holiday here. Of course, we couldn't agree with them more! What is so unique about a bike tour or walking holiday in Britain is that you can enjoy cityscapes and countryside all in the same trip. Even just a stone's throw away from London there are some fantastic walking routes that feel very far from the madding crowds and allow you to get up close with England's beautiful flora and fauna.

Which walks in England have the best views?

One the questions we are most commonly asked is: "Where are the best walks with stunning views in England?" Below we have listed our top 3 choices.... let us know if we've missed any of your favourites!

1. Hadrian's Wall & Housesteads Roman Fort

The dramatic view of Hadrian's Wall riding on the west of the Whin Sill (an outcrop of hard rock) is simply astounding. There are also some stunning panoramic views to enjoy from the walls of the ancient fortress of Housesteads, which is situated on an escarpment of Hadrian's Wall. It is widely recognised as the most complete example of a Roman fort in Britain, and is among the best-known from the entire Roman Empire. The site has been the focus of antiquarian and academic enquiry since the 18th century. Hadrian's Wall country is a great choice for a walking holiday as it has something for everyone - world class archaeology, spectacular landscapes, rare wildlife, complete solitude, vibrant cities, wonderful pubs and a population of friendly and welcoming people.

2. The Ceredigion Coastal Path

Our next suggestion is to head to Wales and take in the views over the Atlantic from the Ceredigion Coastal Path. Seals and dolphins are residents in abundance here so if you're lucky you might spot one as you walk this route. Discover the area’s rich history, from iron-age hill forts to medieval fish traps to 19th century harbours, and expect stunning scenery, picturesque villages and a wealth of wildlife. The variety of landscape is quite incredible, with the dune system at Ynys-las, high cliffs, storm beaches, sandy bays and sea caves. Four sections are designated as Heritage Coast whilst two areas within Cardigan Bay are Marine Special Areas of Conservation because of their importance for wildlife

3. The North Coast of Devon & Exmoor

Book a walking holiday here and delight in pretty views of the seaside towns of Lynemouth and Lynton. Our route then turns inland and offers the opportunity for some amazing views of the moors. During rutting season, you may see (and hear, they make quite an extraordinary noise!), magnificent stags. Our host in Devon spotted one in the Dunkery Beacon area, which is the highest point on Exmoor and in Somerset, England. The beacon is blanketed in heather, which gives it a deep purple colour during the summer. In terms of wildlife, there are Exmoor ponies, red deer, wood warblers, lesser spotted woodpeckers, redstarts, snipe, and kestrels. Horner Woods nearby are also the home to 14 of the 16 UK bat species, which include barbastelle and Bechstein's bats. A treat indeed!

We offer tailor-made walking holidays in all the areas mentioned above - please contact us for more details.