Bikes, Boats and Birds
Two days of easy riding take you to the ancient battlements of Berkeley Castle past the half timbered cottages of Frampton's village green (the largest in England) and to the wonderful habitats of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. Another more energetic trip leads to the Cotswold village of Uley, nestled beneath the ramparts of its Iron Age hillfort. Attractions: Butterfly Collection, Jenner Museum, Oldbury Visitor's Centre, Owlpen Manor, the Severn Bore and St. Augustine's Farm. This tour includes bed & breakfast accommodation, a tour pack (including colour coded route directions and a map), bicycle hire, luggage transfers and emergency telephone assistance.
2 days, 1 night
This tour includes 2 cycle rides to be completed at the rider's leisure.
Ride 1 - Set off from Slimbridge to Berkeley, a modest little town with a long, varied and important history. It is recommended that you spend time here and visit the Castle and Jenner museum. Continue on to see the visitor's centre at Oldbury Power Station before heading for a welcome drink at the Windbound Inn. This pub nestles almost under the banks of the Severn and if the weather is clear you should be able to see the original Severn Bridge to the left and possibly the new one beyond that. The pub got its name from the old barge men who came ashore for a drink and would explain the lost time to their bosses by claiming they had been windbound!
Ride 2 - Today's ride first takes you to St Augustine's farm, a charming and informative combination of the traditional farmyard and modern dairy techniques. You continue on to Frampton on Severn, which boasts the largest village green in the country at 22 acres. It is not only the size which makes it so impressive but that it also has the elements of the ideal green; a cricket pitch, two pubs, three ponds and an old fashioned shop and benches from which to watch the world go by. It is also surrounded by a wonderful collection of buildings from humble little cottages to the classical splendour of Frampton Court.
Hotel Price: £153.00 (price per person, based on two people sharing)
3 days, 2 nights
This short-break will include the two rides above, but will also include an additional ride for the third day:
Ride 3 - A short straight out and back ride today as you climb nearly 500 feet into the Cotswolds, giving you plenty of time to stop and see the great views. Continue on to Uleybury Hill Fort, among the finest Iron Age encampments in the country dating from around 300 BC. In its final phase of development the natural defences of the landscape had been supplemented by three huge earth banks. The enclosed area was large enough to include a number of small fields as well as the dwellings making it quite self sufficient in the event of siege. A path runs round all four sides of the top bank and the views from there are breathtaking, and it is worth leaving your bikes and walking up to the top.
B&B Price: £240.00 (price per person, based on two people sharing)
