Right from the start they answered questions about bike rentals quickly, often within the hour even on weekends. We found the cost of flying our bikes to the UK and back to the USA was prohibitive and the reasonable cost of renting Peak Tours' excellent bikes made renting the better option. We had the choice of light road bikes with 28mm tires or heavier touring bikes with 32mm tires. We had other options too, but these were the ones that looked best to us because we like drop handlebars. In the end we chose the 32mm tires which, given the state of the roads in Monmouthshire, Cheshire, and most of Scotland, was the right choice.
We confirmed the availability of the rental bikes and paid our deposit. Two months before the ride we received detailed cue sheets and paid the rest of the fees. With the weakness of the pound right now, we Americans are getting a great deal. Three weeks before the start we received the GPS files which I annotated and loaded into my smart phone (I use the ridewithgps app for navigation). One week before the ride we got the accommodation details. There were 25 riders in the group, and most nights we were at different overnight locations. Most of the time we were only a few hundred yards apart but one night we were split into two groups ten miles apart. I tweaked the GPS files to take me door to door and reloaded them onto my smart phone.
One thing about modern living is that I always seem to be charging something - lights, phone, external battery pack, watch, etc. Amber and I both bought international USB chargers which worked really well. In the UK the wall outlets have switches next to them - don't forget to turn them on. We also saw something odd in two hotels we hadn't seen before. By the door to the room is a slot on the wall that you have to put your key card into to get the power on. When you leave the room you must remember to take your card and when you remove it the power goes off. We had to call reception at the first hotel that had one of these to figure out how to turn the power on. We felt a bit silly.
We flew over on Norwegian Airlines, which we were pleased with. The price was very reasonable and we got two meals and a wide selection of current movies and TV shows included. It's a long flight and it's important to be comfortable. I managed to snag an emergency exit row for no extra charge. We arrived in Gatwick two days before the start of the ride and stayed at the Airport Inn at Gatwick. I wouldn't recommend it. We were in England almost an hour before it started to rain.
We took the train down to Penzance (first class - very nice) and stayed at the Union Hotel which had a bluegrass band playing that evening that was a blast. One problem with England is that much of the accommodation is in public houses (bars) which can be very noisy. We didn't get to sleep until after 1am because of Saturday night revelers. We were pleased that Peak Tours put us into quiet B&Bs and hotels. In fact that's one of the advantages of a tour organizer - they've weeded out the noisy hotels and grumpy landlords.
The following day Peak Tours dropped by to carry us to St. Just which is six miles from Land's End. It's a lovely little town. Amber and I were introduced to our rental bikes at the Commercial Hotel and we installed our pedals, saddles, and aerobars and went for a test ride to Land's End and back. Amber discovered her rear brakes didn't work very well so we told David and he arranged for new pads to be installed before we started the next day. Meanwhile we walked around and found a small eatery called the Cook Book. We ate one of the best cream teas ever there. I sent a photo to my wife just to tease her. Then we headed to the pre-ride get together to meet each other, our guides, and receive our Peak Tours cycling jerseys which, for some reason, are sized at least two sizes smaller than normal. It's the first time Amber has ever worn a large!
We started the tour the next day. I'll walk you through the first day - the other thirteen are pretty similar. Breakfast was provided by our overnight location. We could have anything up to and including a full English or Scottish breakfast which top out at around 1500 calories. We packed our bags and took them down to the reception to be picked up by Peak Tours. Our itinerary told us when and where we would meet to start. Normally we met around 8:45 at or very near our overnight location. David or one of the other guides would give us a quick overview of the day indicating the distance and climbing, and notable hazards, and most importantly the location of lunch and the morning and afternoon brew stops. Fifteen minutes later we'd be off. The guides took it in turns to ride at the back of the pack each day so they could provide assistance.
Ken would shoot off the front chased by some of the stronger riders such as Adrian or Ian. We would ride about 20 miles or so to the morning brew stop. Being a seasoned randonneur I thought brew stops would be a waste of time, but I was wrong. I came to see them as an essential part of civilized bicycle touring. The van would stop at the appointed place and tables set out with table cloths and a small vase of flowers. Hot tea or coffee would be offered to the riders together with a selection of fresh fruit, cake, biscuits, sweets, and other goodies. Quite often Amber would discover a new goody such as millionaire's shortbread or battenburg that she had never had before. We also filled up with water and had access to our drop bags. Our main bags would be in the main van being delivered to our hotel rooms.
Lunch would normally be at a pub and we were very well fed. It would sometimes be a huge buffet or a generous meal. We would pay for our own drinks. I got to like an orange juice in a pint glass topped up with lemonade. It is very thirst quenching. One meal included a cream tea! At one lunch stop we met some cyclists that were touring with another company but their lunches weren't catered so they were having a beer and a bag of crisps. When they saw the food we were being given they were jealous. We encouraged them to give Peak Tours a try next time.
After a leisurely lunch we rode on to the afternoon brew stop which was pretty much the same as the morning one except that the guides had done some shopping and some of the food would be different. It was lovely to try all the different stuff they bought for us. I really want to try to do something like a brew stop at the Five Rivers 300k brevet I host each year. I think the riders would love it.
After the afternoon brew stop we rode on to our overnight accommodation. Our bags would already be in our rooms. All we had to do was shower and change. Then we went out for a walk to stretch our legs and find somewhere to eat. This was the only meal not provide by Peak Tours. We would also try to buy any new foods that we'd enjoyed during the day to take home with us. The guides joked that Amber's suitcase was rapidly approaching the density of shortbread. Many of the overnights are in beautiful towns with rivers, castles, and many interesting things to investigate. We probably walked an average of three to five miles each evening.
Laundry became a bit of an issue. For some reason even moderate sized towns have no public laundry facilities. When we found them we used them even if we didn't have a full load. Even so, we had to sink wash clothes a couple of times. We had three sets of cycling and evening clothes. I would recommend at least four sets and bring or buy a bottle of liquid detergent both for sink washing and because launderettes don't have detergent vending machines. Also save your pound coins.
At the end of the tour, we had a final dinner at John O'Groats where we were presented with certificates of completion and one of the mugs we drank so much tea from at the brew stops. We had a whip-round and a card for our guides. I hope they got a huge tip - they earned it.
The Sunday after the ride ended we all jumped onto a coach that drove us to Inverness - first to the station and then to the airport. It's a long three hour drive and considering we had been sitting on bicycle saddles for two weeks it was surprisingly uncomfortable. Remember to use the rest room before getting onto the coach!
We were so impressed by Peak Tours that we are planning a hiking vacation in a couple of years in the Peak District. Touring with Peak Tours is like a luxury cruise where you spend a lot of time in the gym.
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