Travelling is a joy and a privilege, the past two years have only strengthened our belief in this. At Skedaddle we have always recognised our responsibility to the people and places we visit. Exploring ‘slower’ at the speed of the bike not only enables us to see more remote and rural places but also means we can support and enjoy small, local businesses along the way too.
After a successful 2021 exploring a bit closer to home, we can’t wait to return to adventure with you in 2022. This guide highlights some of the incredible destinations around the world that we explore and our favourite time of year to visit. By taking advantage of the insider knowledge and hometown pride from our local teams and partners in each country, we are confident we can offer you a safe and immersive cultural experience you will never forget.
See which of our amazing group holidays are filling up fast for 2022 here!
Spring (Mar-Apr-May)
Spring in the Northern Hemisphere means more daylight hours, sunshine and warmer temperatures, making it a lovely time to explore at the speed of the bike. With it brings an explosion of new life. The weather can be changeable, but don’t let this put you off! There are also some great benefits of travelling at this time – you can expect fewer tourists, crowds and queues (though Easter on the continent can be quite busy thanks to lots of religious celebrations). Further afield, there are also some special experiences to be savoured too! What better way to get motivated for the summer season ahead?
Chile | Trips: Lake District, Carretera Austral
Spring in the Northern Hemisphere makes a great time to travel to Chile as the country transitions from summer to autumn. This is when high season crowds begin to thin out making popular destinations, trails, and roads more peaceful. The infamous Patagonian winds ease up a bit and bright coloured autumn leaves begin to accentuate the Lake District landscapes. March to April heralds the harvest season in Chile, and this is marked by a series of celebrations known locally as vendimia. As part of the festivities, a number of lively activities take place at vineyards, including grape treading, music and dancing. In addition to wine harvests, this time of year Chile is also harvesting its honey, which comes from the native trees, Ulmo. In our local team’s opinion, it is the best-flavoured honey you can get, with a creamy taste.
Tuscany, Italy | Trips: Classic Tuscany, Giro della Toscana, Tuscany to Rome, Pisa to Florence
Spring is a great time to explore Tuscany, the temperatures are pleasantly warm, but not too hot and the scenery is lush and not parched after a summer of heat. You can also expect the landscapes to be popping with colour as many wildflowers are in bloom at this time of year. Fields of poppies are a common sight as you cycle through the countryside, alongside Tuscany’s iconic cypress-lined trees, of course.
The Outer Hebrides, Scotland | Trip: Hebridean Explorer
Year-round sea life is abundant on the Western Isles of Scotland and you can usually catch a glimpse of seals, otters and even dolphins. From May onwards though, the waters also attract Basking Sharks, the second largest fish in the world, which can grow up to a whopping 11 metres in length! On Day 5 of our Hebrides adventure, we take an unforgettable boat ride giving you a good opportunity to responsibly get up close to the incredible marine mammals that inhabit the seas surrounding the islands.
Wadi Rum, Jordan | Trip: Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea
Desert scenery is usually parched and barren, but spring brings an unusual visitor to this seemingly infertile sandy space. Travellers joining us in April on our holiday in Jordan can expect to see some floral displays brightening up the vast, beige expanses as winter rain brings forth a temporary flash of colourful life.
Southern Spain | Trips: Sierras Explorer, Los Pueblos Blancos
Pick oranges fresh from the trees when you join us here in early summer. Our featured tours stay at the lovely Casa Rural Ahora guesthouse, based in the stunning Alcornocales Natural Park. The accommodation benefits from a gorgeous garden and an orangery – from May to June the oranges are ripe and ready to eat, a special local variety known as Berna. If you ask us, they make the perfect refreshing post-ride snack!
Summer (Jun-Jul-Aug)
For many, this is the time of year we all eagerly await! The northern countries of Europe, the UK included, enjoy some of the best weather of the year, as long summer days and sustained spells of warmer weather set the tone. All in all, it’s a great time to get out on the bikes and explore! In contrast, further south the temperatures soar and sizzle, making it difficult to safely ride in the midday heat. That’s why choose to focus our holidays further north during the summer months.
Norway | Trip: Classic Fjords
While Norway is beautiful at any time of year, in summer the country transforms into a road cycling paradise with its quiet, traffic-free roads that snake through some of the most pristine natural landscapes in the world. By day we ride past deep fjords, towering snow-capped mountains, lush green valleys, white water torrents, and plunging waterfalls, while at night we indulge in the clean, elegant, seasonal, and locally-grown fare for which the Norwegians are known.
East Yorkshire | Trip: Yorkshire Wolds
Day 5 of our leisurely tour of the Wolds takes you to the rugged white cliffs of Flamborough. Here you’ll find Bempton cliffs, home to the UK’s largest seabird colony! Breeding season is in full swing during the summer months with nearly half a million birds flocking to this natural, seabird paradise. This alone is a true spectacle to behold, but from May to mid-July Puffins also join in the fun and so you’re likely to catch a glimpse of these magnificent and distinctive seabirds.
Spain | Trips: Camino de Santiago
The world-renowned Camino is one of the most inspiring linear journeys on the planet! At Skedaddle, we believe pedallin’ the popular pilgrimage provides a unique way to soak up this ancient corner of Spain. This sparsely populated corner of the country boasts stunning rural beauty; a land vastly different to the modern high-rise resorts that dot the coastline of Southern Spain. Here sleepy villages are nestled in picturesque valleys, surrounded by abundant ancient woodland, eucalyptus forests and the sound of cowbells drifting on the air. The trails and conditions are great for a variety of bikes. We offer three inspiring ways to ride the route – mountain bike, road cycling, or a more leisurely paced trip. This makes it a very accessible and achievable challenge for everyone. And don’t miss our brand new e-bike departure which means even more of you can take on this incredible journey by bike.
The Scottish Highlands | Trips: Highlands Coast to Coast, Lochs and Glens, Tour d’Ecosse
The Scottish heather blooms a dazzling purple in the late summer sun. Our adventurous MTB journey takes you well off the beaten track, through the heart of this country’s dramatic wilderness. This means you’ll often find yourself biking alongside vast stretches of this hardy flowering plant which helps enhance the beauty of the landscape even more. And as we cycle along peaceful lochside roads on our Tour d’Ecosse road cycling holiday, a subtle earthy, musky smell of flowering heather fills the air. For those seeking a more manageable adventure, our Lochs and Glens journeys for leisure enthusiasts and families will also offer you plenty of opportunities to catch a glimpse of this heather in bloom. Just don’t forget to pack your midge repellent as these little guys will also be out at this time too, the good news is the average cyclist can usually out pedal this irritating Scottish inhabitant!
Wales | Trips: Monmouthshire and the Brecon Beacons, Carmarthenshire and the Brecon Beacons
Summer brings warm, dry, and long days to Wales – ideal for a road cycling holiday to the region. As we roll through the beautiful Wye and Usk Valleys, the colourful wildflower-rich hay meadows emit a sweet and herby scent and are filled with the buzz of insects – the sound and smell of summer. Everywhere we turn, the Welsh poppy grows with wild abandon, brightening up the landscapes around us.
Austria | Trip: Salzburg’s Lake District
Cycling, swimming, and strudel – these are a few of our favourite things! Come explore Austria with us as we roll through the lake-filled countryside surrounding Salzburg with the Alps as our backdrop. Take a dip in an alpine lake, ride through nature reserves along traffic-free cycle paths, visit the Sound of Music monastery, and enjoy exploring the famous old town of Salzburg – just a sample of all the fun awaiting you.
Autumn (Sep-Oct-Nov)
A late-season escape is perfect for those eager to escape the crowds of the busier summer months! Across Europe, early autumn makes for an ideal time to enjoy a getaway as temperatures have dropped to a more pleasant level and the locals are back to work, leaving the beaches we visit much quieter. Further-afield natural spectacles later in the season are guaranteed to fill you full of awe and wonder.
Sardinia, Italy | Trip: Coastal Explorer, Island Flavours
Our local team are always the envy of the UK office as they enjoy some of the best weather of the year during early autumn. The island’s white sandy beaches and turquoise waters make it a true gem of the Mediterranean and as its off-season, you’ll likely get many of them all to yourself too! For those joining us on our road cycling tour Coastal Explorer we’ll stay at the beautiful Albergo diffuso Antica Dimora del Gruccione guesthouse. The owners pride themselves on cooking seasonal food, grown locally, in a modern way. The menu here is sure to impress even the most seasoned of foodies and always goes down a treat after a day in the saddle.
Northumberland, UK | Trips: Hadrian’s Cycleway, C2C, Coast and Castles, Sandstone Way, Alnmouth
England’s least populated county has become increasingly popular in recent years, as tourists venture north in search of the county’s vast, unspoilt beaches and iconic historic treasures. Whilst you’re still sure to find plenty of space to roam in the summer months, early autumn is even quieter, so great for those looking to avoid busy tourist attractions and eager to enjoy quieter cycle paths. The notoriously nippy North Sea is also at its ‘warmest’ so a good time for anyone hoping for a post-ride dip after one of our popular challenge tours, like the C2C.
Japan | Trip: Fuji to Kyoto
The spring blossoms of Japan usually get all the attention, however, Autumn here is equally as impressive. Vibrant foliage is often accompanied by clear skies, making it a great time to explore on the bikes. The mornings and evenings do tend to be a little chillier, but nothing a dip in one of the country’s many onsens (hot springs) can’t help!
Borneo | Trip: Secret Sarawak
For the best chance to see orangutans! During our adventure here on Day 6 we visit Semenggoh Nature reserve, home to a colony of a semi-wild orangutan. Records from the reserve show that fewer orangutans come in to feed during the fruiting season, which takes place from November to March. This means that from April to October (coincidentally when all of our Borneo departures take place) you will have a much greater chance of spotting orangutans as they head into the reserve to grab a snack!
Winter (Dec-Jan-Feb)
With much of the Northern Hemisphere plunged into winter, this time is typically when we cast our net further afield – in search of warmer climes and lashings of sunshine! Getting out on your bike in one of our more exotic destinations makes for a great adventure and is the perfect way to help fight off those dreaded winter blues…
Colombia | Trip: Emerald Mountains
Every Sunday an incredible event takes place in cities across South America, known as ciclovia. For those less familiar it’s a city-wide, car-free day and it brings out all walks of life. As we head out of Medellin on Day 9 of our tour here we encounter people from all different backgrounds, rich and poor, young and old, fancy bikes and old bangers, Lycra-clad or not – there’s a really nice peaceful vibe. No noise. No fumes. The vibe extends throughout the day as Sunday is typically always a massive day for road cycling in Colombia. Beyond the closed cities streets and into the hills surrounding Bogotá and Medellin, the roads are buzzing with more serious cyclists. It creates a great atmosphere and is a great cultural experience for our cyclists – the locals are usually very curious and want to know where we are from!
Sri Lanka | Trip: Backroads and Beaches
The stunning island of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean offers a tropical paradise for adventure enthusiasts! Our tour of the island takes in the central interior and south-western shores which enjoys the best weather from January to April. Alongside making this a much better time to explore by bike, the sea is also much calmer at this time of year. This means more opportunities to encounter extraordinary sea life, including wild green turtles.
Costa Rica | Trips: Ruta De Los Volcanes, Volcanes Y Playas
Sandwiched neatly between Panama and Nicaragua and bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, this beautiful Central American country sees the most sunshine during the dry months of winter. The country’s landscape is extremely varied, from snow-topped mountains to beaches and rainforests, with warm temperatures year-round. During the dry months, you might spot strikingly-coloured quetzals and green turtles coming in for their annual shuffle up the beach to lay hundreds of thousands of eggs. On Day 7 of our Ruta De Los Volcanes trip, we explore an area renowned for iguana sightings – this is one of the best places in the country to see these magnificent and endangered creatures at close proximity.
Southern Spain | Roads of Ronda
In search of some late season cycling in the sun? Head to Ronda in the south of Spain. Known for its three historic bridges, the area is a road cycling paradise with miles of smooth surfaces and largely traffic-free roads surrounded by stunning mountain ranges. Ronda makes an ideal location for a centre-based week of riding as it boasts a wealth of fantastic loop rides which meander through chestnut clad hillsides and dotted with ancient white villages which lead us to some of the more challenging passes in the area – such as Puerto de Las Palomas. Throw in one of the best climates in Europe, lashings of fantastic home-cooked Andalucian food, beautiful, peaceful accommodation and we reckon you’re definitely in for a cycling winter treat!