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“I’ve done the Highlands Coast to Coast 13 times!”
Jim – Glasgow, Scotland. 53 trips and counting.
Let’s start with the Highlands Coast to Coast, my favourite trip. You can do it so many times because it’s always different, always challenging and brings out the best in people. Definitely a trip where everyone pulls together in the face of tough trails, weather and guides with a wicked sense of humour (guide Steve and Tony in particular). The wildlife (deer, golden eagles, white tailed eagle, highland cattle, even the odd adder and pine martin here and there) and the history of places like Glen Elg, Corrieriac Pass, Tomintoul makes this journey about more than just riding your bike.
My next favourite is the Tour d’Ecosse. A road trip which is challenging (distance, climbing, weather) and needs skill but is different every day. Each day, the Bealach na Ba is a subject of conversation, and it does not disappoint! A tough, interesting trip which is on road but off the beaten tourist path.
Last in the UK is either the Caledonia Way or the Reivers Trails. The Reivers really should be as popular as the C2C for any off-road enthusiast! Caledonia Way has lots of prehistoric burial mounds, standing stones etc, as well as being an amazing coast to coast journey.
What keeps me coming back? Bike support is a big deal, and I think guests underestimate this until they need it. Bike fit and a bit of coaching also helps guests enjoy the holiday. There are cheaper alternatives but I prefer to have the reassurance that things will be taken care of when something goes wrong.
“I love everything about Skedaddle”
Sarah – Glasgow, Scotland. 4 trips and counting.
The quality of your holidays, the professionalism of your guides, the mix of accommodation, the delicious picnic lunches and the relationship that I’ve built with your office staff. The latter are very responsive, always providing helpful advice before each trip. Your well planned itineraries are delivered by guides with good local knowledge. I’m enjoying working my way through your ‘catalogue’… and with new trips being introduced there’s lots to choose from! I’m looking forward to many more years of Skedaddle doing the organisation, whilst letting me focus on the cycling.
My absolute favourite trip was La Via Claudia – the variety of scenery and terrain on this old Roman route through the Alps and the Dolomites was just amazing. Up in the mountains on gravel tracks, passing through historic villages on local roads, and travelling through orchards and vineyards on the best traffic-free cycleways I’ve ever seen. The scenery was spectacular. I’ll always remember the glacial meltwater, which gave the rivers a vibrant turquoise colour, cycling past cows grazing freely with their bells ringing, and stopping to refresh water bottles at ornate fountains. Your guides were excellent, the group gelled, and we all had a wonderful time. A superb trip which will be difficult to beat.
Within the UK, my favourite trip was the Coast to Coast, from the Irish Sea across to the North Sea travelling through the Lake District and North Pennines. It was a ‘must-do’ trip which I highly enjoyed.
“I started biking with you aged 73 in 2013…”
John – Vancouver, Canada. 9 trips and counting.
Previous to that date I travelled (mountaineering, trekking, mountain biking) solo or with friends. As I “mature”, travelling with an organised group makes much more sense for me. The big end-to-ends have been my favourites over the years. I really appreciate the professionalism and kindness shown to me by the many guides on past trips. Most people with Skedaddle arrive as couples – as a solo biker could feel “left out” – but the guides and their teams have always welcomed me into their space. That makes a huge difference.
I’ve done 9 trips, starting with Land’s End to John o’ Groats in 2013. Best was undoubtedly the St Sébastien to Tarifa (Spain North to South) ride in Spain with my son in 2015. Why? The crew, the amazing hotels en route, the lunches, the food, the scenery, the weather plus the BIG WIND during the great ride on the last day down to Tarifa.
Skedaddle chooses amazing hotels in general – especially on the Spain end to end ride and the Carretera Austral in Patagonia, which I rode last year. Also, the consistent excellence of the guides and their teams has been a major plus.
Finally to be treated with superb lunches every day prepared by the team has been truly magnificent. Keep it up guys!
China, Guilin is next on my list. Thanks Andrew for the recommendation. Should be fun.
What one pays for is not having to worry about anything – and Skedaddle does an excellent job taking care of us. We haven’t tried the other tour companies but why bother when Skedaddle is top notch.
As a single traveller I was never left by myself, and nothing was ever too much trouble. The guide made sure that I always had somewhere to go and somebody to talk to – this made a big difference to my enjoyment of the trip.
It was my first cycling holiday and definitely not the last one. The trip exceeded all my expectations, I cannot imagine now any better ways of spending holidays. The group was fantastic, the tour guides were amazing in everything and the trip was something to always remember.
“Colombia has to be my favourite trip”
Pippa – Sheffield, UK. 10 trips and counting.
I have been there with Skedaddle four times and am planning my 5th. David is such a fabulous tour leader. Professional, organised, running a very tight ship with Tomas, Milton and Oscar, all working together like a well oiled machine. Despite long strenuous days in the saddle, thanks to the team, a trip for me always feels relaxing and fun – just what is needed for any holiday that I spend all year looking forward to. I am planning to join the team in Colombia again in 2027- but would happily book anywhere with Skedaddle.
I have been enough times to know it will be fun, well organised and I will feel 100% supported. I have so much confidence in Skedaddle. I know I can join a group and all I really have to think about is getting from A to B, with water in my bottle and a snack in my back pocket and everything else is taken care of. I often travel on my own, so for me it has been invaluable. I would never have been able to explore such amazing places without support.
THANKS SKEDADDLE!! And to think I only found you by accident all those years ago when I went on my first cycle trip ever to the Sierra Nevada (having googled cycle holidays).
“It’s the people that keep me coming back”
Kevin – Essex, UK. 9 trips and counting,
Essentially, the people – whether that be the great Skedaddle team (both on the road and in the van), or the amazing fellow Skedaddlers, many of whom I keep in touch with, look forward to meeting up again with, and who have gone on to become lifelong friends. Looking back to 2006, when I employed Skedaddle to run a C2C charity bike ride for me, to me deciding to travel solo to the Alps on my first road trip, I cannot speak highly enough of what a fantastic addition Skedaddle holidays have made to my life. Thank you Skedaddle.
My best trip – there are several trips that spring to mind, having done the Alps twice and the Dolomites twice, but the Raid Pyreneen (which I’ve also done twice) would have to be my favourite. One always thinks of the big Alpine TDF climbs as the marquee climbs to tick off, but for me the greener and spectacular climbs of the Pyrenees win every time. The hotels are fabulous, the lunch spots idyllic, and the sound of cow bells as you get close to the summits stay with me forever.
“As a lone female traveller I feel perfectly confident”
Alex – Richmond, UK. 9 trips and counting.
My favourite day with Skedaddle has to be day 5 of the Beautiful Isle trip to Corsica that I did last year. The 1500 metre climb up the Col de Vergio was the right side of challenging and the descent through the gorge by the Golo River was simply epic. That was so much fun, dancing down the descent in spectacular scenery. My favourite trip though was the Sardinia MTB trip in 2016, heading north to south which you no longer run. It was technically challenging, big distances & solid climbs. It showed me what I am capable of.
The guides and background support keep me coming back to Skedaddle. The guides are human, quick to help and great bikers. There’s a reassurance going with Skedaddle as the service is predictable, the tours are graded accurately and the trips that have been going a while have been tweaked to make them as best as they can be.
What do you like most about Skedaddle? Where do I start? The booking process, the hotels, the guides, the lunches, the places they go, the people I meet, the pit stops, the Skedaddle community, reliability, I can put my trust in them to provide a great and memorable experience.
We have used various companies to manage our rides over the years and Skedaddle gets cycling and cyclists in a way no one else seems to. Our guides were all brilliant, it clearly mattered to them that we had a good experience.
Arriving at John o’ Groats ‘as a team’, having completed our 1000-mile journey together, was a brilliant experience and one I am sure I will never forget, definitely the ride of my life (so far!)
“So many happy memories so can I pick 3 favourites?”
Russ – Reading, UK. 18 trips and counting.
Final day of St Malo to Nice (June 2018), the fabulous descent and first sight of the Mediterranean at Cagnes-sur-Mer. The sense of achievement of having cycled 1,000 miles across France by bike and experiencing the joy of riding along the Promenade des Anglais into Nice, milking the moment with my fellow cyclists, topped off by a celebratory meal in an open air restaurant in the heart of Nice’s old town. By the way, the second time I rode on a wooden bike!
In Chateauneuf du Pape (Sept 2012), with our bikes stored overnight amongst the barrels in the cellar, our guide Thomas organised an informal wine tasting session, complete with tasting notes (in French!). One of the guests took on the task of translating, but I’m not convinced he was 100% accurate in recording a bouquet of smelly socks. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as much as I did that night.
My first ever trophy mountain, the Col du Tourmalet (2011). One of my hardest days on a bike (I wasn’t as fit in those days!). It was constantly, relentlessly, unendingly uphill. With less than 1km to go I started to bonk, but after a lengthy pause, I called on all my reserves to lurch over the summit and to a stop. Guide, David, held my bike to save me keeling over and ushered me into the cafe where a bowl of pasta bolognaise restored much needed balance. What an achievement, which I’d never have been brave enough to do without the support and encouragement of the group.
“The most beautiful & amazing cycling trip ever!”
Barbara – Lytham, UK. 8 trips and counting.
I’m sat here pondering about my best trip yet with Skedaddle and it was a close shave, but China just beat South Korea. I’ve had loads of UK trips which were great but there is something about far off places that draw me like a magnet. I’m no longer a spring chicken, more a broiler really, but I knew with certainty from my Skedaddle experiences that I’d be well looked after, encouraged, and incentivised to keep them legs rotating. If you’re thinking about it… do it. Skedaddle looked after us every inch of the way and the guides and tour leader unforgettable.
As a solo (aging) traveller I know I’m in great hands. My next trips is to Estawini (Swaziland) with a host of friends who I’ve travelled with previously and those I’ve yet to meet. One of these trips will be my swan song but as long as I can rotate their pedals there is no stopping me.
“We came across Skedaddle and the rest is history!”
Stasia – Bristol, UK. 22 trips and counting.
I came very late to cycling. It was not until I met my late husband Tim in my early 30’s, he bought me a new bike, taught me how to use the gears and we began to explore the countryside by bike. I soon realised that I loved the sense of passage. You can go so much further by bike. Tim and I first went abroad on a self-guided holiday in 2007, it was a disaster, dreadful bikes, poor route instructions and I vowed never go on a cycling holiday again. But then we came across Saddle Skedaddle and the rest is history!
There were fears that I would not be able to cycle after Tim’s passing as I had only cycled with him and group cycling would be difficult for me. However, I got back on my bike thanks to Saddle Skedaddle. It was Adam who first offered to arrange a private weekend ride for me and he suggested my first solo venture abroad should be to Portugal where the guides and clients were so incredibly supportive that I was able to complete the whole ride.
Tim kept coming back to Skedaddle because he loved the routes, the banter with the guides and the sense of adventure, and I have been helped and supported by the Skedaddle team. Two or three years ago, I was on a trip which passed the Cycle Hub at Skedaddle’s offices in Newcastle and at last I was able to meet the team and put some faces to the voices I had spent many years speaking to.
Why Skedaddle? From the office team to guides, from the routes to the accommodation it all just works. The bonus – the lunches!
Want to hear more from our customers?
There’s a whole community of riders out there with journeys just like these. 97% say they’ll return for more – find out why: https://www.skedaddle.com/uk/skedaddleinspiration
