Byways Breaks

There are plenty of places to visit on this cycling holiday, including a Cheshire Cheese and Ice Cream Farm, Beeston Castle, a working Water Mill, Shire Horse centre, antique shops and pretty villages like Tarporley and Bunbury. There are plenty of good pubs and cafes for lunch stops, including one of our favorites The Dysart Arms at Bunbury, with a lovely garden overlooking the church. Adding an extra night to this cycling holiday near Chester takes you to Wrenbury on the Shropshire Union Canal and Cholmondeley Castle Gardens.

The Canals, Castles and Chester cycling holiday is ideal for a long weekend. The gentle option is good those wanting easy cycling with plenty of time to explore. The moderate holiday offers slightly longer distances exploring Delamere Forest and this interesting part of Cheshire.

Highlights

• Roman city of Chester
• Cheshire Cheese and Ice Cream Farm – award winning ice cream
• Cholmondeley Castle Gardens
• Beeston Castle
• Shire Horse Centre

Choose the easy break, or the moderate break with slightly longer cycling distances. This is an exceptionally quiet cycling holiday with small lanes and few cars making it an ideal holiday for those wanting a peaceful wind down for a few days. Shrewsbury is nearby allowing opportunity to visit this historic town either at the start or end of your break.

Cycle along quiet lanes, through pretty villages like Loppington, English Frankton and Clive, and past many small lakes dotted around the Shropshire Plain. Visit Colemere Country Park, the pretty town of Ellesmere (with its weekly market, Mere, heron watch and canal wharf). The three night break also passes Hanmer Mere, Hawkstone Park and Follies, and Morton Corbett Castle.

Highlights

• Pretty lakes and Colemere Country Park
• Hawkstone Park
• Wollerton Old Hall Gardens
• Pretty market town of Ellesmere, with canal, lake and visitor centre

Tarporley has a pretty High Street with good shops for browsing and choice of pubs and tea shops. Circular rides along quiet lanes and through pretty villages like Bunbury and Tattenhall. Visit Beeston Castle, Cheese and Ice Cream Farm. Delamere Forest has lovely cycle trails and a visitor centre.

Enjoy this easy Byways Breaks cycling holiday and stay at Willington Hall Country House hotel near the Georgian village of Tarporley, or the Cholmondeley Arms Inn, a country pub and regular good pub guide entry near Cholmndeley Castle Gardens. They are both close to Beeston Castle and the Peckforton Hills. The surrounding countryside is great for cycling with quiet lanes and pretty villages.

Visit Beeston Castle, the Ice Cream Farm, Delamere Forest, Shire Horse Centre and pretty villages like Tattenhall and Bunbury with the Dysart Arms, one of the best pubs in the area. Can be combined with some days walking.

Highlights

• Cheshire Cheese and Ice Cream Farm
• Delamere Forest
• Beeston Castle
• Cholmondeley Castle Gardens
• Shire Horse Centre

Cycling distances – Choose from gentle 10 -15 miles, moderate 20 -25 miles, strenuous 35 – 40

The one centre Borders Break cycling holiday explores the canals, rivers, meres and mosses of North Shropshire. Stay in a comfortable farmhouse on the edge of the small pretty market town of Ellesmere, on the Llangollen canal, or the Shropshire market town of Wem in a country house hotel.

North Shropshire is undiscovered, so not busy with tourists or cars! Cycle the peaceful lanes to Colemere Country Park, Whittington Castle and many of the small lakes in the area including Colemere and Hanmer Mere. Explore the small town of Ellesmere pleasantly situated with the Shropshire Union canal on one side and the Mere (a small lake) on the other side.

Highlights

• Pretty lakes and Colemere Country Park
• Whittington Castle and tea shop
• Hawkestone Park and Follies
• Pretty market town of Ellesmere

Cycling distances – 20 – 25 miles or 10 – 15 miles a day, or selection of rides of different distances. We also have some strenuous options.

From here head south through quiet parts of west Cheshire to Nantwich, the canalside villages of Audlem and Wrenbury, then along the welsh border into the pretty Shropshire lakes area.

Start at Little Budworth, near Tarporley, explore Delamere Forest, and then head south, through Nantwich, and the canalside villages of Audlem and Wrenbury, where the the Dusty Miller pub makes a good lunchtime stop, to watch the canal boats negotiating the swing bridge.

From here along the welsh border to the market town of Ellesmere on the Shropshire Lakes. Spend 2 nights here with a circular ride along the canal and passing some of the small lakes in the area to Wem and Whittingon Castle. Finally head back to Little Budworth through the pretty countryside and villages along the welsh border.

Highlights

• Delamere Forest
• Cholmondeley Castle Gardens
• Whittington and Beeson Castles
• Market towns of Nantwich, Ellesmere, Wem,
• Shropshire Lakes and Whittington Castle

Cycle routes of 35 – 40 miles a day or 40 – 50 miles a day.

The holiday starts from the Cholmondeley Arms near the Peckforton Hills with a gentle afternoon ride to the Candle Workshops and lovely Pheasant Inn at Higher Burwardsley.

From Cholmondeley, wind through the quiet countryside to the market towns of Ellesmere (on the Llangollen canal) or Wem depending on accommodation choices. This area has many small glacial lakes (meres), and has several sites of scientific interest with rare mosses, plants and abundant wildlife.

The route on the Cheshire and Shropshire Lakes cycling holiday is particularly quiet and peaceful with some lanes that rarely see a car. Spend two nights in Ellesmere or Wem and take a circular cycle route exploring the lakes or Whittington Castle. Head back to Cholmondeley through the market town of Whitchurch and small village of Marbury, with its lovely views of the Mere from the churchyard.

Highlights

• Peckforton Hills, Pheasant Inn and Candleworkshop
• Lakes, mosses and wildlife near Ellesmere and Wem
• Whittington Castle and tea shop
• Hanmer and Marbury Meres
• Cholmondeley Castle Gardens

Cycling distances: Moderate – 25 miles a day. Strenuous – around 35 miles a day

The Peckforton Hills and Country Pubs cycling holiday explores the pretty Cheshire countryside and also visits some of the best pubs, tea shops and farm shops with opportunity to taste some of Cheshire’s finest produce – many of them award winners!

The cycling holiday starts near Tarporley at the Alvanley Arms with its Shire Horse Centre (with free entry for B & B guests) and Lakeside Cafe. On the first day explore Delamere Forest or Little Budworth Country Park. From here cycle over the Peckforton Hills (not high!) to Farndon and village of Tilston on the border of Wales. From here the route passes through Malpas to spend a night at the Cholmondeley Arms.

This cycle tour explores the quiet countryside, villages and pubs in the west of Cheshire towards the Welsh border. Visit Beeston Castle, Stretton Water Mill and Cholmondeley Castle Gardens, stopping at some of the many pubs on the route, many of which are in the Good Pub and Good Beer Guides like the Dysart Arms at Bunbury, the Rising Sun in Tarporley, and Cholmondeley Arms.

Highlights

• Peckforton Hills
• Stretton Water Mill
• Cholmondeley Castle Gardens and farm shop
• Some excellent pubs!
• Beeston Castle
• Little Budworth Coutry Park

Cycling distances – 20 – 26 miles a day.

Starting near Chester, explore Delamere Forest or Little Budworth Common, then to Tarporley with its Georgian High St and good selection of places to eat. From here the route takes you to pretty villages like Bunbury and the market town of Nantwich.

On the moderate route you then head on to Audlem with the busy Shropshire Union canal, and a long stretch of locks, before joining the gentle route near Wrenbury where you can watch the boats negotiate the swing bridge from the canalside pub. Head back to Chester through the unspoilt borders area around (not up) the Peckforton Hills, past Stretton Mill and through the pretty black and white village of Tattenhall.

There are lots of interesting things to do along the route including a visit to Hack Green Nuclear bunker a fascinating ‘cold war’ nuclear bunker which is now a museum, Dagfields crafts and antiques centre, Cholmondeley Castle Gardens, Beeston Castle, Stapley Water Gardens, and Nantwich Museum.

Highlights

• Chester – Roman ruins, cathedral, museum
• Nantwich, market, museum, independent shops
• Delamere Forest
• Black and White villages like Tattenhall

Cycling distances – Gentle 10 – 15 miles a day, moderate 20-25 miles per day

Head to Shropshire’s Lakeland to explore the lovely small lakes that dot the area.

This cycling holiday starts near Chester allowing an opportunity to visit this Roman city at the start or end of your break. Explore Delamere Forest, the largest area of woodland in Cheshire, Mount Pleasant Gardens, Beeston Castle and visit the Dysart Arms one of the best pubs in the area, before heading to Shropshire’s Lakeland.

The Ellesmere area has many small glacial lakes, mosses, rare plants and wildlife and cycling is particularly quiet and peaceful with some lanes that rarely see a car!. From here head back to Chester along the Welsh border through the pretty villages of Bangor on Dee and Farndon. Can add an extra night staying in the Ellesmere/Wem area with circular rides to Colemere Country Park and Whittington Castle.

Highlights

• Roman city of Chester
• Delamere Forest and Little Budworth Country Park
• Beeston Castle
• Cholmondeley Castle Gardens
• Lakes, mosses of north Shropshire

Cycling holiday distances – Gentle 10 – 15 miles (one day 19 – 20 miles), Moderate 20 – 25 miles a day, Strenuous 35 – 40 miles. This is a flexible holiday and we can offer a mix of distances for different days if you want a couple of easy and a couple of moderate/strenuous days.

Explore the whole island including the inland areas as well as the coast. The varied coast has wonderful estuaries, the beautiful Menai Strait, long sandy beaches like Newborough and Red Wharf Bay as well as the high cliffs at South Stack.

The island of Anglesey is great for cycling, most of it not too hilly, but with a few short challenging hills. Much of the Anglesey coastline is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There are beautiful beaches and fantastic views over to Snowdonia. This is a challenging cycling holiday for more experienced cyclists.

Visit lighthouses, many ancient monuments, Beaumaris Castle, Penmon Priory and a working watermill. Stop off in some of the lovely towns like Beaumaris, Cemaes Bay and Menai Bridge. There is plenty of fine local produce on the island and many lovely places to eat and drink.

Highlights

• Fabulous beaches like Red Wharf Bay, Newborough
• Pretty seaside towns, Beaumaris, Menai Bridge, Cemaes Bay
• More challenging distances
• Wildlife including dolphins, porpoise, seals and many sea birds

Cycling distances 40 – 50 miles a day