Everyone who goes on a Headwater holiday will be emailed a link to our post-holiday questionnaire where they can give us an honest assessment of all aspects of their holiday - everything from how quickly we answer the phone to how clean the hotels were - plus an overall rating and comments about their holiday.
Any feedback collected is posted to our website, so that people can make an informed decision based on past experiences before heading off on holiday. We don’t edit the reviews, the only thing we do is proofread them and alter any typos, where necessary, to ensure they are easy to read for everyone. All reviews will be published (except in certain extreme circumstances), and a member of the Headwater team will respond to any constructive criticisms/comments under the reviews, at their discretion. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of our holidays, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.
We had a great holiday. Everything was well organised and went smoothly
Good hotels, well organised. The App worked well.
An efficient service which delivers an excellent product. I have travelled several times with Headwater and have always been happy with the trip.
Seamless organisation. Great hotels. Beautiful landscape.
Good choice of route and hotels
Everything worked well, especially as we had a slightly quirky arrangement whereby our son was holidaying with us but not returning to the UK with us.
Booking was very easy and all the arrangements were excellent
Good communication, excellent routes, good hotels
Service, variety
Good routes, good hotels, good support
Headwater staff are very helpful at arranging the whole package eg at arranging flights, transfers , and extensions in order to tailor make the holiday and tweak it to exactly what would suit you best for each day. As well as having a portfolio of cycling holidays that are all wonderful experiences in all of our 17 different trips
We really enjoyed our trip. The cycling app and routes were great and the overall quality of the experience was very high. Staff were very responsive to our questions and needs throughout the booking process.
Headwater holidays are excellent from the initial information, speaking to customer service through to enjoyable and detailed routes and staying in interesting places that we just wouldn't find ourselves. All of a high standard. We would recommend Headwater every time.
I have been on a previous holiday with Headwater and i knew there would be no problems.
Staff are so helpful in the UK and France
I appreciated the help and information.
apart from some minor communication glitches/booking mistakes which were speedily rectified Headwater were very responsive to our needs/requests and booked us a v good ebiking holiday at short notice
Helpful attentive staff through the initial booking process. Well chosen cycling routes with good standard of hotels , excellent bikes and very happily everything ran to plan.
The holiday was very well organised. The accommodation was good. Headwater answered pre-trip questions.
Having arrived in Beaune, the start of our week with Headwater all the arrangements went very smoothly and we enjoyed the hotels which were all very comfortable and accommodating.
Kate was very available on the phone to ask questions and knowledgeable of the area we were visiting. Lots of tips and advice provided.
Good hotels, canoeing was well organised, great place to holiday. People like to take out door pursuits.
A great team that is constantly in contact and helpful in finding the right trip and then making sure you have everything you need for a safe and wonderful journey
Perfect organisation from start to finish
1 Itineries well thought out with excellent route notes.
2 Bikes fit for purpose and well maintained
3 Local support excellent
4 Accommodation up to expected standard
Great itinerary, accommodation good, and staff were helpful and friendly when booking.
Everything went to plan , transfers, cases were in our rooms on arrival at each hotel , routes were great .
I love the accommodations and felt that the route was perfect.
Hotel bookings and luggage transfers worked well. Excellent communication beforehand. Route was good.
This was our first cycling holiday and Headwater took away all the stress of organising the whole lot.
Everything was wonderful and logistics were perfect.
A very well organised holiday. Great accommodation and restaurant recommendations. excellent support from the Headwater team
The locations were fantastic, everything worked and we had a great time.
The holiday was extremely well organised, and the navigation app made sure we didn't take too many wrong turnings. All the hotels were to a good standard, well located, and the food was great.
Very well organised, friendly and personalised booking process.
Great cycling routes and lovely hotels.
What a fantastic way of exploring the Loire and its rich history. The hotels are well selected and perfectly situated to enhance time spent in beautiful locations.
Very enjoyable few days. Would definitely use Headwater if planning a similar trip in the future.
Very good trip with great route maps that kept us off any busy roads and took us through beautiful countryside
Always a good holiday with Headwater. Good activities in great places with well chosen accommodation
Very good communication - it is always easy to speak to someone.
Another superb trip with Headwater. This tour is excellent in that the cycle lanes are very good quality and you have time to see the various memorials and museums which are a must. Fascinating historical tour. Very poignant and emotional. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you
Overall we enjoyed the cycling in such lovely countryside. I know it would have been difficult on this particular trip but a circular route would help those of us who do use our cars to get to the start point as we had a lots of organisation, time and expense to get back to our car on this holiday.
Professional, personal, efficient service with great routes, well described and easy to follow, through beautiful landscapes with lovely hotels to relax in at the end of each day. What more could you ask for? Oh and lovely weather too, but I imagine that is outside your control!!
We were quite late booking but Headwater were very helpful in finding us Hotels to suit. The Routes were great with only minimal on road travel. We were unfortunate in that one of our party became ill and was unable to complete the cycling part of the holiday. The bike company were very happy to collect our cycles from 2 different locations.
We had a good holiday. Most of the days we followed excellent routes and enjoyed wonderful country side, quiet routes and good weather.
Most of the hotels were very good - good standard of comfort, space and food.
An absolutely fantastic holiday, great itinerary and excellent support before and during the ride, would have no hesitation in recommending Headwater to anyone on looking for a self guided tour.
Great holiday except for the travel through Paris - the persistent problems with the navigation app detracted from the enjoyment of the cycling
Easy to book. Helen very helpful sending links to our trip info.
The cycling was tougher than expected due to some poor surfaces (lots of dirt/gravel sections which were slow) - combined with the heat. Cycling along the canal became a little boring and we wished we had a 'rest day' in the middle when we could have explored the local area. The guest house style accommodation was preferred to the chain hotels which generally had small rooms.
Overall we really enjoyed the trip but wouldn't cycle along a canal again - a little too boring.
We were very happy with the organisation and communication from Headwater.
The amount of cycling per day was just right for us and the App was easy to use.
It was great that our luggage was waiting for us on arrival at the next hotel.
Loved the holiday . Itinerary excellent and the intel for things to see and do. Great help with finding restaurants. Liked all the accommodation.
We were very pleased that everyone we dealt with at Headwater, including its local representative, dealt speedily with any questions or requests that we had. In particular, Sergio worked so hard to find a holiday that met our requirements in terms of dates, flight times and our interests.
Wonderful trip, beautiful countryside and well thought out routes. We did not have e-bikes, which we might have enjoyed on a couple climbs, but we enjoyed the challenge and the accomplishment! Wildflowers were in bloom, with poppies everywhere. Amazing food at all locations. We did a different side trip than suggested one day, and I will share that as a potential option for this trip.
We loved that every thing was arranged, bikes, app and all info was ready for us. We enjoyed having the freedom to cycle at our own pace, stops and look around beautiful villages, castles and chateaus. Lovely wine and food on our way .
If you like exploring, have an independent spirit and enjoy an active holiday, tours like this tick all the boxes. With the improved quality of the accommodation, and (in this case) the freedom to choose where to eat that comes with B and B, we happily recommend Headwater to others. The Alsace tour was really pretty and despite getting truly soaked one day, our enjoyment was not dented!
Lovely cycling holiday in Normandy. The local team were very friendly and helpful, and there is so much to see in the area. Fascinating and moving to see all the D-Day beaches and museums. The Bayeux Tapestry is truly a wonder, and don't miss the brand new La Mora museum in Honfleur, where they are building a replica of William the Conqueror's boat!
We enjoyed our holiday very much. As indicated we were generally pleased with the accommodation. We didn’t meet a rep before the start of our cycle, not sure if we missed them. We were surprised on the first morning g however when we were called for our luggage at 9am. We were told the driver had a schedule to follow. We realised then that we were part of a much larger group, not actually Headwater but a Loire cycling group so we felt some of the individual attention was lost on this holiday. (They will not have received this e mail?)
The app was generally good but needs updated as some of the eating places/boulangeries etc were actually closed permanently.
Our group consisted of 2 couples and despite asking several times to contact each couple individually we always received only one e mail with information, invoiced etc., which I then had to forward. This was irritating, especially as our friends have also travelled with Headwater previously and are on your database.
Fantastic vacation. The hotels were all fantastic and the bikes were very good. One bike had troubles but with phone call to local contact we got it fixed. Thank you.
Good service from start to finish.
Great team at Headwater especially Helen and the lovely chap who explained GPX files brilliantly. Would travel with Headwater again - Umbria or Loire or Vietnam or Thailand. But the price is relatively high we thought.
Efficient, informative and great selection of hotels
This was our fifth Headwater cycling holiday and we really enjoyed it.
We did feel that the quality and facilities of the first (and last) hotel was well below that of the others and probably our only disappointment
We loved the holiday and the routes were carefully planned and easy to follow on GPS. There was one occasion when we had to cross a motorway (the A10) which was a bit scary
We enjoyed visits of castles, gardens, caves, small villages and country side while following an excellent road map. Electric bikes are a must because the road can be sometimes quite hilly !
We had a fabulous first cycling holiday. The route was beautiful and the mileage just right for us. We loved all the places we cycled through from the beautiful countryside to the little towns, where we found plenty of opportunity and time to explore and have lunch. The hotels were all good - some better than others, but all comfortable and clean. We particularly enjoyed our stay at the Abbaye d'Alspach on the second day, it was so very charming and the village was the same, like going back in time. Although relatively fit, we are non cyclist at home and this was our first cycling holiday so I did find some of the hills a bit challenging, particularly on the second day but managed through it (my husband better than me), sometimes getting off to push! The hard work was worth it though as we came back feeling fit and healthy and having cycled through some breath taking scenery. The route guidance and GPS tracker were excellent and meant we never got lost. I would highly recommend this holiday.
Very well organised with excellent hotels routes with apps and points of interest clearly indicated. Let Headwater take the stress out of planning for the perfect cycling holiday ! It's worth paying for !
Great location for a cycling holiday - super hotels and a variety of options available to eat out in the evenings if required. Very good service from Randovelo and we appreciated the extra service they provided.
Excellent locations some hills which are quite hard due to the weight of the bikes
A well judged trip with easy cycling and great places to visit
A very enjoyable short break cycling in France in a region easily accessible by train from Paris. The routes were rather hillier than we were expecting from the description but easily managed given the relatively short distances and afforded some fine views, especially on the final day. Auxerre and Chablis are both lovely and there was plenty of time to explore them both. They both have some excellent restaurants but these get booked up especially at weekends so you would do well to book for any that you fancy trying in advance of this trip.
An excellent holiday through lovely scenery. The cycling could be as energetic as you wanted and the contrast between the easy canal towpath /voie vert and the few ascents and descents on roads was about right: the roads are nothing like as busy in France! Great food and wine.
Cycling the Loire Valley with Headwater Holidays was a great experience. The maps and instructions provided were first class and we were able to cycle mostly on dedicated cycle paths. The itinerary was well thought out and we were able to stop and visit other villages/towns along the way if we wanted to. We were also able to arrive in the next town early/later afternoon - just in time for an ice cream and check-in at the next hotel. The bikes were quite heavy but easy to ride. The gears made the few hilly areas a bit easier but we did have to walk up one or two steeper hills. The bike panniers were very useful and meant that we did not need to carry a rucksack. The hotels were lovely; each one very different to the next. The only problem was that one hotel had no air conditioning and it was very hot during our holiday. A fan was provided but it was no substitute for real air conditioning. Overall, we really enjoyed our trip along the Loire Valley.
Wonderful cycling route along the Route des Vins d’Alsace- relaxing and stimulating scenic route with fascinating stops.
Enjoyed overall , most of the route was on main roads, many motorcycles , we expected more of a cycle route, my wife is ‘ gluten free’, she indicated this on the booking but the hotels weren’t aware of this., some of them could provide something but mostly not. The Astoria in Bastia is close to the station but access walking with luggage is difficult.
lovely but not too challenging cycling, good accomodation, food everywhere outstanding. All in all a great week
Very well organised and efficient service providing routes bikes and luggage transfer enabling us to enjoy a relaxed week of cycling and sightseeing with confidence. Route was well designed with minimal sections on roads and all roads used were quiet and felt very safe for cyclists. We loved the Roadbooks app which made it almost impossible to get lost.Plenty of options for sightseeing en route all well signposted via the app and instructions. Rando Velo also an excellent partner We thoroughly enjoyed the trip .
Well planned route & easy to follow. Occasional hills but nothing too strenuous. Mostly on cycle routes or very quiet roads so traffic never a problem. Worth booking ahead in Beaune & Cluny for meals out but plenty of options. All hotels were clean & comfortable. Sturdy bike. & reliable baggage transfer. Need to highlight that TGV station in Macon is not the one near your final Ibis hotel so will need to book a 20 min taxi ride
Cycling the Vineyards from Beaune to Macon. The idea of this holiday conjured up idyllic images in my mind beforehand and they were borne out by my experiences on this trip. The countryside, vineyards, villages, rolling hills and scenery and - perhaps most of all - the amazing quality of the off-road cycle paths all more than lived up to my expectations. Unfortunately, I missed the initial briefing due to a mysteriously cancelled SNCF train. However, Active Tours kindly arranged a briefing for me the next morning.
The paper route maps were a helpful adjunct to the GPS, but the place names and marker points on the open street map were sometimes difficult to reconcile. It would help if the points on the map could be numbered as per the associated schedule of directions. I was new to using an electric bike, but the one supplied was good quality and fully operational. I was pleased to find that, with reasonable use, there was no risk of the battery running out during a day's ride.
sublime, the locations, itinerary, food, service and ease of the whole holiday was excellent. We were very lucky with the weather too- the recommendations of where to stop for coffee/ lunch very wise and welcome. End of May is glorious- the honeysuckle, fields of wild flowers, swift and house martins everywhere and so many lovely spots to stop and rest/ picnic. The velo vert route was lovely when we were able to use that too
Booking arrangements good but a couple of minor glitches. Travel to and from destination good but see comment below.Cycles reliable and easy to use.Cycling involved quite long distances on minor roads and dedicated cycle tracks. Mostly excellent although muddy and slippery in one or two points. Chateaus did not disappoint although visits a bit hurried after a day on the bikes. If repeated would allow an extra day at Blois. Hotels and restaurants generally excellent but that at Amboise overlooked a noisy street and did not serve dinner.All in all an excellent break and would do again in another part of France.
Really interesting and entertaining trip. Route notes need very careful study though.
Great trip well supported and will book again
This holiday was a new challenge for us as we are occasional cyclists and normally organise everything for ourselves. The experience was just great! All of the arrangements worked perfectly and we had a fantastic holiday. The cycling was perfectly suited to our standard and the chateau and landscapes were magnificent. We arrived home and immediately grabbed the brochure to plan our next trip.
This was an excellent holiday on all fronts. The Headwater staff were their usual helpful self, including a mix up with bikes in France which was resolved very quickly. The hotels and locations were first-class and we could not fault anything at all. This was our third Headwater holiday. Much more interesting than the last one in Chablis where the villages were almost deserted in August and on a par with our first one in Umbria. A big thanks to Helen, Sara, Katie , Steph , Cecile and all who helped. Not cheap but we think great value for money and just what the doctor ordered after COVID!
Good itinerary. Comfortable distances even though weather was hot
Wow wow wow! Wonderful scenic routes, amazing hotels in St Emillion and Blaye! Great cycling on good routes and very good quality bikes
A beautiful area to cycle in and the Headwater electric bikes were brilliant. So comfortable and easy to use. The route was well planned; lots of interesting places to visit and just the right distances so that on hot days we could do most of the miles in the mornings.
Will do this on feefo
A very moving cycling tour. Lovely countryside and only the odd long hill!
Local agents advice and help was invaluable.
Perfect first family bike trip!
Please see separate trip report which we will email to you
A very enjoyable cycling holiday, lovely scenery especially the paths along the river and through the woods. It was hard work for those of us not that used to cycling, but a good achievement to have made it! We enjoyed visiting some of the chateaux along the way. Lovely food and wine, of course! However, the Gastronomic package of 4 days of half board was unfortunately poor value for money. It would have been better to have our dinner reservations made and for us to pay locally. We packed our cycling helmets and water bottles as the information we received indicated we needed them but these were all provided by the local agent so we didn't actually need to bring them and could have saved a lot of space in our bags.
A generally enjoyable trip slightly marred by a couple of issues which were not Headwater's fault. As part of the holiday booking, we paid for three 'gastronomic' meals in the places we stayed, where local alternatives were very limited but found only one of these could be remotely worthy of the term 'gastronomic' and we could have purchased the same meals much cheaper directly at the hotels concerned.
Cycling per se was enjoyable. Very angry to be offered a family room at Chenonceaux when we are not related. Gastronomic meal on the last night never materialised.
Experience left a bitter taste.
Headwater response:
Thank you for your comments. We are really pleased to read that you enjoyed your cycling , however sorry that your experience was impacted by the hotel accommodation with your friends and the disappointment with your meal on the last evening of which we have responded in writing.
We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Booking through Headwater was easy, though in retrospect we could have booked the same holiday ourselves much cheaper. Our contact, Joanne, was very helpful in sorting out our late booking.
The Loire region was lovely and a great holiday location. This was our first cycling holiday so, we chose a level 1 trip. .But We found 40 kilometres a day to be far to long and took too much time. We had minimal time to visit places of interest. We struggled with some directions and indeed were lost on 3 occasions. Also be aware that the gps on phone overheats on the hot days so you do need to master the paper routes. We suggest booking 4* hotels as we found the 3* a bit basic.
Dordogne beautiful area to travel round can be very hilly in parts,local people very helpful
We thoroughly enjoyed cycling the Wine Route of Alsace. It is a very picturesque part of France, and the villages we visited were lovely, including storks nesting on rooftops. The second day was a bit hilly, but nothing we couldn't manage and the length of ride each day suited us well.We were very fortunate to have perfect weather, which made the holiday even more enjoyable. The hotels were very clean and comfortable and in the evening there was a good choice of restaurants in every town or village. Lots of interesting ice-cream flavours to try too, such as rhubarb, gooseberry, red currant etc in most towns. All in all a great holiday, and we returned home with lots of photos and happy memories.
Cycling hillier than expected, Lascaux caves a highlight, food at Les Glycines excellent, prefered new longer 25mile rather than 20mile trips with 2 days at one location, grateful for taxi for 2hour trip to Toulouse when train failed but strongly dislike single person supplement
We really enjoyed the biking adventure, we are not avid bikers, but found the routes a good pace for us. We did have one challenge because we did not receive our last days GPS map, so our advice to others is to double check to ensure you have them all before you go.
A great holiday but it does have a few flaws!
We had a fantastic holiday mixing exercise with beautiful scenery, excellent food in a tranquil environment. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend a cycling holiday with Headwater.
An excellent balance of cycling (some challenging hills!) sightseeing, eating and drinking with plenty of opportunity for relaxing as well.
The briefing by the reps about the bikes and the Ride with GPS app was very good. The route notes were also useful. The bicycles were excellent. The ladies needed the electric bikes in the Dordogne because they had not done much cycling preparation beforehand. The meals at each hotel were very good. The countryside was beautiful and there were many interesting sites to visit.
We had the best cycle briefing ever from Nick, the Headwater rep, who was friendly and professional. All the hotels were lovely to stay in with great food and beautiful swimming pools to relax in at the end of the day's cycling. We were warned about the steep climb at the end of day one and maybe, given the hilly nature of the Dordoigne area, we should have anticipated the hills. They were quite tough going in places. The GPS made finding the way easy .
On the down side, some of the rides were a bit dull. We cycled in Umbria last time and enjoyed it more; great architecture, villages and generally more fun. The French drivers all give you room when passing but pass at high speed and most of the cycling is on roads, not cycle paths.
I will save up for another Headwater holiday though but will spend a little more time looking at the area first. Lovely weather!!
Lovely area, great hotels mostly, very enjoyable
A lovely way to explore this beautiful and historic area of France while building up a good appetite for a classic french meal
We had a relaxing week in the Dordogne, with cycling and beautiful food every day. The routes, although appearing short, are very hilly in places and are not to be taken lightly. We really would recommend kayaking on this trip, as there were lots of opportunities alongside the cycling and it added a great extra dimension. There are lots of ancient monuments and castles to explore, but simply soaking up the medieval architecture is a treat in itself. In August, it was nearly 40 degrees so be prepared, and get the cycles done early, so you have time to relax. Try the local vin de noix, and all the lovely cheeses and meats. After all, you will cycle them off! And do NOT forget insect repellent!!
Great easy cycling for the most part amongst beautiful countryside with interesting places to visit all along the way.
Most enjoyable holiday cycling through beautiful quiet countryside with stunning views. There were plenty places of interest from Chateaux to Caves. The food and accommodation was of a high standard. The Vielle Auberge in Souillac could have been more comfortable but we forgave it for the food.
After reading previous reviews, we hired electric bikes this year. This was a good decision as, although we still had plenty exercise, we enjoyed each days cycle without feeling terminally exhausted. We saw more as we always chose the longer route. It is a very hilly region and definitely a grade 2 cycling holiday.
Great cycling, fabulous food, quiet roads in a busy area, plenty of local places of interest, well done Headwater.
Nice area though hillier than we expected when we booked. Well maintained bikes, though rather heavy. Good food. We were lucky that we had a cooler than average week for August.
We like the Headwater cycling format to the extent that we cannot remember the number of holidays we have been on.
The Dordogne is a beautiful area. Good routes on quiet roads but testing hills! Accommodation is very good and the food lived up to the expectations as advertised. If anything the four course evening meal every night is too much but no doubt others will disagree! We felt the grading system was slightly underrated as at times the hills were testing given the very warm sunny days we enjoyed. Overall a lovely week in a lovely part of the world. Thank you
Excellent holiday in a truly beautiful part of the Dordogne. Extremely comfortable hotels with some fantastic cycling and so many varied places to stop including villages, chateaus, gardens,caves etc which meant every day was a different experience. However, a word of caution. If you are not a reasonable cyclist consider an e bike or choose more direct routes between hotels which avoid some good hill climbs.
If you like being outdoors and lots of exercise, this is a perfect balance to stay active and work up an appetite to indulge in the gastronomy and wine. Compared to the South East of England the lack of traffic and potholes is wonderful!
This was not our best holiday with Headwater the weather in the Dordonge was just awful and we had to contend with a train strike none of which Headwater could have done anything about. We dried out on the last three days in Sete which was lovely. Electric bikes are wonderful
This was our first trip with Headwater (recommended by our New Zealand travel agent) and we are very pleased with our choice and will definitely look at another cycling trip in the future- most likely in France. We were particularly impressed with by the friendliness of all the hotel staff we encountered - and their helpfulness!!
An excellent way to see the countryside without the stress of organising all your own itinerary.
Excellent routes, great hotels, fabulous countryside, lots to see and good food to fuel your journey!
Extremely enjoyable, well organised and busy with an excellent mix of quiet countryside cycling and fascinating places to see and visit.
Fantastic holiday all round. Accommodation, food, service etc all excellent if a little bit variable. The cycle routes were well planned and took us through some lovely areas. Would definitely recommend an e-bike for anyone who is not a regular cyclist or accustomed to hill work. The food was very good all round if a little heavy on the gourmet- we will not want to see any more frois gras or duck for a long time! The one exception is the bistro at Hotel Pere Leon - best avoided and easily done with the plethora of good alternatives in Toulouse.
We especially appreciated the well-chosen routes through beautiful countryside on little roads with little traffic. A highlight is the long downhills we enjoyed from ridges to river level.
Thoroughly enjoyed our holiday the excellent hotels and food were welcome relief at the end of a challenging day's cycling. Beautiful countryside and villages to visit on route.
A very rewarding type of holiday. A very good way to get insight into a particular region.
This was a fantastic hotel. The best hotel was in montignac, however the worst eating experience was in motignac at the terrace restaurant next to the building site of lascaux 4. In our opinion you should consider foregoing the 'gastronomic title' for one night and let your customers eat at one of the many riverside restaurants and save the taxi fare and let them upgrade their meal with the difference.
This must have been 15th Headwater holiday for me and I have no complains about any of them. My late husband and I have used two other companies in the past (one in Germany and one in France) but always came back to Headwater. The formula is excellent (rest day between cycling or walking), the hotels are always good and very often really excellent. The reps are very helpful. You know someone else has done the background work researching for suitable roads to cycle and hotels to stay, yet it feels like an adventure as you have to find your way from one hotel to the other. I have recommended Headwater for several of my friends looking for active holidays and hope I will do many more myself in the future.
The holiday was terrific. Lots of wonderful villages, castles, and caves. The biking routes were well planned and very enjoyable. This was our third Headwater Holiday and all of them have been phenomenal. The food was great too, The trip notes were excellent. The bikes were very good bikes. The holiday was not exactly leisurely. If one does just the trips on travel days, it still would not be leisurely due to many tough hills. If you do the optional trips on 'lay over days,' the accumulation can be quite exhausting. However, many of the really great things to see are on 'layover days' - so resting on these days is not really an option. Personally, we enjoyed the level, but agree with others that the level needs to be at least moderate. I would rate this trip as moderate to challenging. The good news is that even if you are not an active cyclist, you can always hop off your bike and push it to the top of the difficult hills - pushing is not as difficult as it might sound. And once you get to the top, it is worth the effort for long rides with great views on quiet roads. The sights Headwater recommends in the notes are perfect! The Headwater reps (Keith and Claire) were very helpful and went out of their way for us.
This was a really excellent holiday despite the cycling being a little harder than expected. The food throughout was outstanding. Keith and Claire were friendly and helpful giving excellent advice and support.
Very good. We have always enjoyed our Headwater holidays.
1. Be prepared for one disappointing hotel amongst the other gems
2. If cycling, some training beforehand will enhance your holiday
The Dordogne is a beautiful area for cycling, but be aware this is a hilly route. The benefit is that the cycling works off all the wonderful food you will be presented with at the hotels.
The hotels, with the exception of Le Quercy are first class,but the food is excellent at all.
