Whatever your choice, cycling is ideal for a weekend break or a longer holiday. If you are thinking about a cycle holiday in the UK, there are many companies who can help. Services offered range from planning your route, booking public transport and accommodation, offering cycle hire and luggage transfer to fully guided tours, from basic camping to luxury hotels, groups and individuals.

Here are just some operators throughout the UK.  For full details of services, contact them direct.

• Bicycle Beano Cycling Holidays (includes vegetarian cuisine) - UK
• Byway Breaks - Shropshire, Cheshire and Welsh Borders
• Capital Sport - Southern England
• EOS Cycling Holidays - Southern England and Netherlands
• Carefree Cycling Tours - Weekend breaks and tours at home and abroad
• Country Lanes - England
• Holiday Lakeland - Northern England
• Let's Go Biking - West Country
• Saddle Skedaddle - UK
• Suffolk Cycle Breaks - Constable Country, North Norfolk and Suffolk
• Galloway Cycling Holidays - South West Scotland

Open Sections: The route is open and signed between Ironbridge and Telford (Donnington) on the mainly traffic-free Silkin Way and continues on road to Lilleshall.

There is a short section open from near Haughton on a traffic-free disused railway route into central Stafford.

The route is open between Barlaston and Hanley as a part of National Route 5. The route continues as National Route 55 northwards to Congleton.

The Middlewood Way is an open traffic-free section of the route between Macclesfield and Marple.

Eccles to Walkden is open on the Bolton branch of the route.

On the Wigan branch Standish - Adlington is open along with some traffic-free sections in the Chorley area extending into Preston.

Maps and leaflets for this route are shown below the map.

Maps and leaflets:

Ironbridge to the Lilleshall is covered on the free "Walking & Cycling map of Telford & Wrekin" and is available from Telford & Wrekin Council, tel: 01952 200 005 or download from Telford & Wrekin Council.

Ironbridge to Telford is also included on the free "Mercian Way - Around the Wrekin" leaflet available from Shropshire CC, tel: 01743 253008 or download from Shropshire CC.

Haugton to Stafford is mapped on the free "Cycling in Stafford Borough" available from Staffordshire CC, tel: 01785 276517 or download from Staffordshire CC.

Routes through Stoke-on-Trent are on the free "Stoke-on-Trent & Newcastle-Under-Lyme cycling map" available from Stoke-on-Trent City Council, tel: 01782 232066 or download from Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

Congleton to Marple is mapped on the free "Congleton to Marple Cycle Route Plan & Guide" available to download from Cheshire CC.

Macclesfield to Marple is mapped on the free "Middlewood Way" leaflet available from Cheshire East Council.

Eccles to Bolton is shown on the free "Greater Manchester Cycle Network" maps 2, 8 and 10 available from Bolton BC, tel: 01204 336115.

From Silloth the route heads along the Solway Firth to Carlisle and across Northumberland to South Shields via Haltwhistle, roughly following Hadrian's Wall. 

Open Sections: Kendal to Barrow in Furness is open and signed as a part of the Walney to Wear (W2W) cycle route.

Ravenglass to South Shields is known the Hadrian's Cycleway though some sections between Ravenglass and Silloth are using interim routes and are not signed.

Maps and leaflets:

Kendal to Barrow in Furness is mapped on the RPN10 Walney to Wear cycle route map. A link route between Ulverston and Whitehaven is also shown on this map. New edition due August 2008.

Ravenglass to South Shields is mapped on the Sustrans NN72 Hadrian's Cycleway cycle route map.

Chesters Roman Fort (near Hexham) to South shields is also mapped on the Sustrans NN14 Three Rivers cycle route map.

The route is still awaiting development.

Currently open:  Lôn Las Ogwen runs from Porth Penrhyn, Bangor (same line as National Route 5), through Llandygai & Bethesda and on to Ogwen Cottage.

Open section: This route is now open between Aberystwyth and Fishguard as part of the Lôn Cambria & Lôn Teifi cycle route.

Open section: This route is now open and signed between Aberystwyth and Albrighton mainly on quiet roads but with some traffic-free sections along the River Ystwyth, east out of Shrewsbury and through Telford.

The route is also open between Codsall and Sandwell where the route joins National Route 5 into Birmingham.

Maps and leaflets:

Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury is mapped on the NN81 Lôn Cambria & Lon Teifi cycle route map.

Welshpool to Albrighton is mapped on three free leaflets available to order or download from Shropshire CC website.

None of the route is developed.

Open Sections: Oban to Campbeltown is open and signed as a mainly on-road route but also includes a traffic-free section along The Crinan Canal towpath.

Fort William to Fort Augustus is open and signed and mainly traffic-free along the Caledonian Canal. This part of the route also forms the first part of the Great Glen Way.

Maps and leaflets for this route are detailed below the map:

Maps and leaflets:

Campbeltown to Oban is covered on the Sustrans NN78 Oban to Campbeltown cycle route map.

Fort William to Fort Augustus is covered on Stirling Surveys Great Glen Way Walk and Cycle Route map and on Harvey's Great Glen Way. These maps also show the mountain bike route between Fort Augustus and Inverness on the north shore of Loch Ness which is not a part of National Route 78.

Open Sections: The route is open and signed and known as The Salmon Run cycle route.

Maps and leaflets for this route are detailed below the map:

Maps and leaflets: Dundee to Pitlochry is mapped on the Sustrans NN77 The Salmon Run cycle route map.

National Route 76

Open sections: Edinburgh to Queensferry, Queensferry to Stirling via Grangemouth and Stirling to Queensferry via Alloa and Dunfermline. NN76 Round the Forth cycle routes map shows the route from Dunbar to Kirkcaldy via Edinburgh, Stirling and Dunfermline.

Edinburgh to Berwick-upon-Tweed via the East Lothian coast is currently being signed and is shown on the NN1C Coast & Castles South cycle route map. 

Open Sections: Droitwich Spa to Worcester is open in Worcestershire.

Hereford to Abergavenny is open and signed on quiet roads, with the route continuing west to Brynmawr on a smooth traffic-free railway path.

The Newport branch of the route is open and mainly traffic-free between Blaenavon and Newport via Cwmbran.

The Neath branch is open between Glyn-neath and Clyne along the Neath Canal.

Maps and leaflets available for this route are shown below map.

Maps and leaflets:

Droitwich Spa to Worcester is shown on the free "Droitwich - Worcester Cycle Routes Map" available to order or download from Worcestershire CC, tel: 01905 765 765

Newport to Hereford via Abergavenny is shown on the NN4B Celtic Trail East cycle route map. The route is not yet complete between Blaenavon and Brynmawr, but the B4248 and minor roads can be used. Alternatively the canal towpath can be followed between Pontypool and Abergavenny (also shown on the map).

Open sections: Shrewsbury through to Leominster has just been opened as the Six Castles Cycleway. All other sections of the route are still proposed.

Maps and leaflets for this route are shown below the map.

Maps and leaflets:

Shrewsbury to Leominster is mapped on the free "Six Castles Cycleway" leaflet available from Shopshire CC, tel: 01743 253008 or download from Shropshire CC website.

Between Shrewsbury and Leominster National Route 44 follows the same alignment as the National Byway West Midlands cycle route which connects Cirencester and Chester.