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Our 'Really Rather Special Tour' is our most luxury gentle cycling holiday in The Cotswolds and shows off what we do best here at The Carter Company. After many many years of crafting cycling and walking trips in The Cotswolds, we have drawn on our collective knowledge and combined all the most interesting and picturesque routes in the Cotswolds with what we think are the best hotels in the area to create this unique tour. The itinerary and distances can be tailored to suit you, and if you like to have a knowledgeable local guide to lead you, we will be delighted to provide one. It's the perfect way to enjoy the magic of The Cotswolds.

Le Manoir Oxford, Buckland Manor Buckland, Lords of The Manor Upper Slaughter, Barnsley House Bibury and Whatley Manor Malmesbury are just some of the stunning hotels the tour takes in. Also included is a visit to Blenheim Palace and its beautiful grounds, and a guided cycle tour of Oxford.

Click here for more details and to see more images of the holiday

It's that time of year when a little pick-me-up hits the sweet spot. Here are 4 special cities we have got to know with our cycling holidays and a hotel in each we love that offers a bit of luxury and an opportunity to indulge yourself.

Amsterdam A cyclist's paradise of a city. Just 15 minutes from the Rikjsmuseum and with bikes available for hire, try the boutique Dylan Hotel and its Michelin starred Vinkeles restaurant.

Florence Enjoy incredible art in the city, and at the end of the day, unwind from the hustle and bustle in the breathtaking countryside by staying at Il Salviatino - a 15 minute drive into the hills. Enjoy truffle hunting or just a gentle stroll through their 12 acres of Tuscan parkland and gardens.

Madrid Lots of reasons to visit but maybe yours would be to take in The Royal Opera House. From your balcony at Casa de Madrid hear the impresarios warming up.

Paris Fun and romance coupled with utter pleasure staying at Hotel Le Bristol. Enjoy its roof top pool and two Michelin starred restaurants.

We've been out and about putting together some exciting new routes and trips for 2014 and sampling a very nice selection of luxury hotels we will use on the new tours. The weather here is wet or very wet with serious flooding in some places and some very battered coasts. This though was a calm and beautiful evening ...

We are celebrating our first month as The Carter Company with a nice slice of cake.....or two. It has been a busy one for us all with new tours being added and a deluge of enquiries to deal with. Looks like its going to be another bumper year!

We love a bit of shopping here at The Carter Company, especially if it's in unique boutiques that are local to the area and have a genuine identity and character all of their own. Our London bike tours and walking tours in and from the city are thoughtfully designed to allow you plenty of 'nosing around' time, so you can always make a detour or take an hour or so at the start or end of your planned walking time to visit some shops.

London isn't always known for its unique, individual shops. In fact, a trip down our main shopping street, Oxford Street, might lead you to think that you can only find chains here! Whilst that is the undeniable truth on some of our major high streets around the capital, there are in fact some wonderful boutiques well worth visiting... you just need to know where to look!

Below is a list of our favourite streets in London to look out for if you're visiting London on either a bike tour or a walking trip....

• Lamb's Conduit Street, Bloomsbury. Great for cool menswear brands like Folk and Oliver Spencer as well as lifestyle stores like Darkroom. Also boasts a great very English pub

• St James's Gateway, Piccadilly for premium contemporary fashion

• Berwick Street, Soho for a fantastic range of fabric and haberdashery shops. We love The Cloth Shop in particular

• Marylebone High Street, near Baker Street. Expensive but some lovely shops here like Aesop, The Conran Shop, Margaret Howell and a Carter Company team favourite, Daunt Books. The Natural Kitchen makes the perfect place for a pit stop, check out their delicious buffet and fresh smoothie menu

• Church Street, Stoke Newington. A lovely corner of London which has become increasingly popular with creative young professionals in the capital. You can find Nook, a brilliant interiors store here with some to-die-for ceramics. If you have time, take a stroll round the cemetery as well, it's a really peaceful haven and a nice place to take a picnic lunch

• Shoreditch/Old Spitalfields Market, East London for one-off niche brands and some great vintage shops like Beyond Retro (just off Brick Lane on Chesire Street)