Luxury cycling tours launch in new forest

Five new self guided UK cycle tours are launching in the New Forest and Dorset, for Brits who want an eco-friendly family holiday this summer.

The tours, which are run by the active holiday company Capital Sport, encompass the best tried and tested cycle routes in the area, with top of the range hybrid bikes, and handpicked luxury accomodation in local historic towns.

With no need to use cars or airplanes to enjoy the active holiday, the trips are an attractive option for luxury travellers looking for an eco-friendly adventure. Starting from Burley, which is only 1.5 hours by train from London, they include personal bag transfers so cyclists aren’t weighed down by luggage and seventy per cent of the routes are off road, so that trips stay away from traffic as much as possible.

The leisurely ride from one place to the next will allow plenty of time to see a wide variety of sights, from free-roaming horses and deer in the New Forest to the National Motor Museum and a Michelin-starred restaurant at Beaulieu to picturesque Bucklers Hard and the historic maritime town of Lymington. Some tours bring you across to the Isle of Wight, while others take in unspoilt Dorset, the sandy beaches of Studland or venture further afield to Stonehenge.

Accomodation options include a riverside priory, historic manor house and stylish boutique hotels. 

Wendy Carter, owner of Capital Sport, said: “This is gentle cycling for people who essentially want to see, hear, feel and smell the atmosphere of the place. The forests are magical and there’s so much variety and detail within short distances – woodland, islands, coast, historic houses, sand, panoramic views, maritime history, unspoilt and charming rural Dorset, pretty villages, cosy pubs and woodmen’s cottages. You’ll also usually meet locals going about their business.”

Prices start at £845 for a five-night self-guided luxury Stonehenge and New Forest tour, including bed and breakfast, bike hire, luggage transfer, OS maps, emergency call-out service and a friendly host.

Capital Sport is a family-run business which has been running gentle cycling and walking holidays in the UK for 25 years.

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