• Meals: Dinner

Today is set aside to allow you to arrive into Bourton-on-the-Water at your convenience. You will meet your leader and the rest of the group, and enjoy a leisurely evening meal at Harrington House.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 490 Metres Approx.

Our first ride takes us south via the village of Northleach, with its lovely wool church, to the peaceful Coln valley. The key attraction here is the much photographed village of Bibury, whose honey-coloured 17th century stone houses are typical of the area’s rustic settlements.

In the Middle Ages, the Cotswolds were known for the quality of wool produced in the area, and many merchants became rich, building many impressive houses and churches as signs of their wealth. Bibury was built to house cloth weavers who supplied woolen cloth for nearby mills and was described by William Morris as “the most beautiful village in England”, a bold claim you can verify yourself!

Your return to Bourton-on-the-Water is equally picturesque, as you pass through more chocolate box villages and ride past stately homes.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 575 Metres Approx.

Today we’ll head east, crossing the Cotswolds to Shipton-under-Wychwood in the Evenlode Valley. We’ll continue north, passing the sleepy quaint village of Kingham to the village of Adlestrop, made famous by Edward Thomas’ poem.

After lunch in another of the Cotswolds’ picturesque villages surrounded by honey-coloured cottages, we ride into the charming market town of Stow-on-the-Wold, renowned for its independent shops and cafés, and the impressive St Edward’s medieval-built Church.

Our final stop on today’s ride is in the small but characterful village of Lower Slaughter, situated on the upper reaches of the River Eye. It’s well worth a visit to the 19th-century water mill with an undershot waterwheel, surrounded by limestone cottages on the banks of the gently flowing river. With our ride nearly complete, its only a short distance along the back roads to Bourton-on-the-Water.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 690 Metres Approx.

Today is a slightly longer day in the saddle with a bit more climbing, but you’ll be raring to go by now! We’ve got a great ride planned, that takes us into villages off the beaten track as well as the well-known villages of Winchcombe, Broadway and Snowshill, and many more interesting places to explore along the way.

A hilly start, up and then down to Sudeley Castle for our coffee stop is followed by a flatter ride from Winchcombe, passing through the beautiful grounds of Stanway Estate, riding along the base of the Cotswold escarpment, but it’s not long before we’re climbing again, up to the quaint village of Snowshill for lunch. We then follow quiet roads and a ride down our well-earned descent back to Harrington House in Bourton-on-the-Water. You might want to go for a final ice cream or relax with a drink on the banks of the river watching the world go by before our final meal together.

• Meals: Breakfast

Today we’ll have a leisurely breakfast together, and with plenty of miles in our legs and memories made, you’ll set off on your onward journeys home.