Cycling in the heart of the Cotswolds

You arrive independently to Moreton-on-Marsh, a lively market town at the top of the beautiful Evenlode valley. This charming place has a main street lined with small shops and galleries, and is a perfect base for starting your cycling adventure through the Cotswolds. If you arrive on a Tuesday, you'll experience the town's large open market – the largest in all of the Cotswolds. Also take the opportunity to see the White Hart Royal Hotel, a former manor house where King Charles I sought shelter during the civil war. The evening is free for dinner at one of the town's many restaurants.

After breakfast, you set out on a round trip west of Moreton-on-Marsh. Today's cycling route goes through the small villages of Upper Brailes and Lower Brailes, located in Warwickshire and in the northern part of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The area around Brailes is hilly, and you'll encounter some hills along the way. The name Brailes comes from an old Saxon word for forest, and the village is already mentioned in the Domesday Book from 1086. During the tour you pass more idyllic villages with stone houses, farms and blooming gardens, perfect for photo stops and coffee.

Today's stage takes you through some of the most iconic landscapes in the Cotswolds. You leave Moreton-on-Marsh and first cycle towards Sezincote House, an unusual house in Indian style surrounded by romantic water landscapes that is really worth a stop and a walk through the gardens. Then you continue to the twin villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter, where the name derives from the old English word "slohtre", meaning muddy place – today two incredibly charming villages to walk around in. After this you continue through beautiful, gently rolling landscape via Snowshill on your way to Broadway.

This day gives you a longer round trip on the country roads around Broadway. The route first goes westward towards Elmley Castle, where you can see the ruins of the old castle, and then continues through charming English villages like Ashton under Hill, Alderton and Gretton. Just south of Broadway lies Stanway, where you have the opportunity to visit Stanway Manor House and its famous Jacobean gardens with water parks and spectacular installations from the 1700s – one of the finest English gardens to see in the area. After this break you cycle back to Broadway where the evening's dinner and rest await.

Your short but rewarding cycling adventure in the Cotswolds ends after breakfast. An included transfer takes you back to Moreton-on-Marsh train station so you can continue your journey onwards. If you rented a bike, it is usually collected from your accommodation. If you instead came with your own bike, there's the possibility to cycle back to Moreton-on-Marsh – about 9 miles on the main road or a bit longer if you choose quieter country roads.