To share our excitement for the times ahead, and to help you plan, we wanted to look at some of the trends we believe will go the extra mile once we’re able to travel with our bikes again.
Wellness on wheels
We all know travelling will take you out of our daily routine and that cycling is good for your body and mind. With the nations love for cycling growing, it seems more people than ever before are discovering the benefits of the humble bicycle. But your trusty stead can offer more than just a tool to get you from A to B. It can be a transformative travel experience or an achievable challenge!
So, we invite you to go beyond the classic yoga or wellness retreat, and instead consider a cycling tour in 2021. Not only will it get you out into the great outdoors, but you’ll also experience an amazing sense of achievement and it will leave you feeling energised after. We’ve some great options to choose from right here in the UK, including popular challenge routes such as the C2C. All of our cycling holidays have been carefully crafted to suit a variety of levels and abilities – we even have itineraries perfect for beginners looking for lots of Gentle Pedallin’ along the way. For enthusiastic road cyclists seeking more of a challenge, our Escapes collection could be perfect for you.
Re-exploring classic destinations
According to our own research – France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Holland came out as the top 5 destinations you wanted to visit in Europe when you travel next. With many holiday plans to these popular European countries disrupted in 2020, it’s great to see so many of you are still keen to get back to the places you know and love in 2021.
We want to make sure when we do return, we’re doing it responsibly. At Skedaddle, we work with local teams to develop itineraries that endeavour to maximise the benefits to the areas and communities we visit. As we like to say,‘we don’t to passing by, we do pedallin’ through’. Our local teams and their knowledge give you an unrivalled opportunity to discover more about the people of a country and their culture – to really meet a place you’ll never want to forget. From our guides favourite days in the saddle to the incredible places you could call home for the night, our team of experts are on hand to help get you inspired for future adventures on the bike. For more inspiring local insights don’t miss our seasonal guide to 2021.
Going electric: The great ‘e-qualiser’
The rise of electric bikes has taken the world by storm in recent years and sales have continued to soar during the pandemic in 2020. The possibilities these bikes allow really are endless and thanks to electric bikes, more people can choose holiday itineraries and trails that might have otherwise been out of reach before. But that’s only the beginning, read more about the benefits of them here.
We now have over 90 electric bike holidays in our range available with power assistance, including some of our most popular long-haul tours in Chile, China and Vietnam. And there’s more! Pedal assisted electric mountain bikes are the latest wave of advancements, and we have 4 additional itineraries that have been specifically honed to suit the capabilities of these bikes. In 2021, we’ve also just launched our first ‘electric-bike only’ leisure ride, offering more of you the chance to tackle one of our most loved routes in Italy, from Tuscany to Rome.
Cycling off the beaten track
Our cycling holidays have always been designed to get you off the beaten track – your chance to explore the great outdoors at the speed of the bike and enjoy a real adventure! Getting back to nature seems more popular than ever before, so we wanted to share some of the tours in our range which immerse you in some of the wildest landscapes on the planet…
For a taste of true wilderness, you don’t have to travel too far! Our adventures in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland really are epic in every sense of the word. The wild and rugged county of Northumberland is also England’s least populous and our tours of the region’s unspoilt beaches have always been a hit with Skedaddlers. Over in Europe, there are still places that remain unspoilt. In Northern Spain, remote mountains provide the backdrop to some of our most thrilling adventures, including an ancient pilgrimage and a coast-to-coast extravaganza through the dramatic Spanish Pyrenees. Our Italian expert and guide Naomi would also tell you the predominantly mountainous and protected region of Abruzzo is one of our favourite places to ride her bike! Failing that, the wild Italian island of Sardinia, which she calls home, is another Italian gem which feels very different to the mainland.
For a true adventure experience, the far-flung destination of Chile is not to be missed. Home to volcanoes, hanging glaciers and towering monkey puzzle trees, it’s one of the most remote and pristine corners of the globe, little changed by the modern world. Our new adventure here, Carretera Austral, is one of our wildest to date and is a region still relatively unknown to many!
Private adventures
We’ve helped tons of Skedaddlers create their own bespoke cycling holidays over the years. More of you are keen to enjoy an exclusive cycling experience, shared with those who matter most in 2021.
You can turn almost any Skedaddle holiday in our range into a private departure. But for those seeking greater flexibility to tailor a trip to suit your group’s specific needs, why not take a look at our Skedaddle Classics, Your Way collection. These tours are all based in places our local teams know like the back of their hands and the holiday elements can be tweaked, from the number of days, you’d like to cycle, to bike hire, the level of support, accommodation and beyond. For those looking for something a little bit different, take a look at our dedicated Tailor Made page and drop us a line with your idea – we’ll do our best to turn it into a reality!