Activity holidays: cycling for all

Follow the banks of the Dordogne and Vézère rivers, through ancient woodlands and pretty farmland, with the promise of excellent meals at the end of the day. You'll spend two nights in each hotel, leaving plenty of time to explore the region's pre-historic sights, including medieval Sarlat and the castles of Beynac, Castelnaud, Domme and Montfort - built during the 100 Years' War. There's even a spot of gentle (downstream!) canoeing.

Duration: 8 nights

Challenge: moderate

Cost: £1259pp

Includes: half board accommodation (at good hotels with pools), luggage transfers, bikes, but excludes travel.

With: Headwater who feature both self-guided and guided trips.

Following low-traffic roads and car-free sections of the National Cycle Network across the neck of England, the self-guided, coast-to-coast route takes you to the best preserved sections of Hadrian's Wall, including the Roman forts at Birdoswald and Vindolanda, against a backdrop of the scenic North Pennines and peaceful river valleys.

Duration: 4 days

Challenge: Easy to moderate

Cost: £370pp plus £80 bike hire

Includes: Breakfasts and lunches, luggage transfers and support vehicle

With: Saddle Skedaddle, who feature both self-guided and guided trips in the UK, Europe and Cuba. 

Roughly in the middle of a triangle formed by Brittany, Normandy and the Loire, the Mayenne promises easy terrain following river towpaths or mildly bumpy, peaceful countryside criss-crossed by a cat’s cradle of roads.

Duration: 3, 5, 7, 9 or 14 nights

Challenge: easy

Cost: £1,497pp for 7 nights

Includes: Half board accommodation with good food, luggage transfers, bikes but excludes travel

With: Cycling for Softies, who feature self-guided holidays in France, starting and finishing on any day of the week.

The gently rolling plains of Puglia – a landscape of ancient olive groves, vineyards, dry stone walls, Roman villas and traditional masseria farmhouses – are the backdrop for this gentle, independent cycling week. Following coastal tracks and quiet country roads, you'll also visit the magnificent Baroque town of Lecce.

Duration: 8 nights.

Challenge: Easy, mostly flat with some gentle ascents

Cost: from £1,085pp

Includes: Half board accommodation in mostly agritourism farmhouses, bikes and luggage transfers but not travel.

With: Inntravel.