Pedal Britain Reviews 259

Had an incredible experience on the NC500 tour. We had a wonderful group, and everything was so well organised meaning that we only had to worry about the cycling! Darren is an excellent tour leader and I would recommend Pedal Britain to anyone looking for a group cycle tour.

If anyone reading this is considering a supported LEJOG , look no further than Darren and Pedal Britain.
This was a challenge for me and Darren did everything he could to ease any concern.
Very organised, friendly and reassuring when doubt crept in among the group from time to time.
The advice and guidance from Darren and Grant was always timely and on the mark.
Some reasons I chose Pedal Britain over others
1. Their route goes through Glencoe rather than branching off East at Gretna to Edinburgh. If you only do one bike ride in your life , make it Glencoe!
2. The group size of 17 was perfect for someone who wanted this to be a sociable experience- just right for getting to know everyone over the 2 weeks and the WhatsApp group created by Darren well before the trip really helped with that.
3. The bike transfer service was a fantastic hassle free add on.
I will never forget these 2 weeks for many reasons but choosing Pedal Britain certainly played a large part in making it the memorable success that it was for me.

I was part of the LEJOG group in July 2021 and can honestly say it was one of the best 2 weeks holiday I’ve had. From the very first enquiry right through to the week of the trip Darren’s communications were spot on. Plenty of emails keeping us up to date with plans, training suggestions and logistics and WhatsApp groups and Facebook groups were set up to allow participants to “meet” fellow riders. The tour itself started with a briefing setting out all the day to day details we needed. Everything was superbly organised by Darren - excellent brewstops just when we needed them with an endless selection of snacks, great lunch stops and good hotels for our overnight accommodation. The transport of bags meant riders had to carry only minimal equipment for the day and the knowledge that support was close by if needed was very reassuring. We had an amazing group of fellow riders - everyone got along great and we developed a real camaraderie with everyone looking out for each other. The routes were carefully planned and took in some spectacular sights as we travelled up the country. I would highly recommend Pedal Britain to anyone thinking of a cycle challenge - and hope to do another trip with them in the future.

Darren and his tour honestly got me through going on a cycle holiday for the first time, especially one as intense as the north coast 500. He is professional yet still super friendly and fun, and his organisation, amazing snack table, support and planning from meals to stops made it the trip of a lifetime. Thank you and can only hope to do another tour with you again!

Everything I’d hoped for and so much more. Excellent organisation from Darren and his team, the routes, food stops, accommodation and evening meals were of a very good standard. I miss those magic numbers being issued and the wonderful group of people we rode with. Pedal Britain just made it memorable, stress free and above all, fun. I would definitely recommend Pedal Britain and hope one day to be meeting Darren again on another of his tours.

A good supply of jelly babies for the whole trip, excellent support and encouragement all the way. I was a bit apprehensive before the trip, as I had only completed two 80 mile cycles, back to back. Didn’t know how I would get on doing seven days. However, the organisation and support for everything to do with the trip was so good that all you had to do was get on your bike and cycle.

Simply, one of the best experiences of my life!
But such an amazing trip deserves a more than just a single sentence.
From the time of booking the trip, the communication - and indeed the community- fostered by Darren at Pedal Britain was exceptional. He was not only at hand to answer emails about anything to do with the trip, logistical, training or otherwise; but he also set up WhatsApp and Facebook groups to introduce us all to one another before we set off.
Being a very inexperienced cyclist, and one who had NEVER cycled in a group before, I was extremely anxious when we set off on our first day…but the groundwork Darren had put in, coupled with the personalities of the amazing group of people I was cycling alongside meant that those anxieties disappeared in no time. On day 2, a serious mechanical fault left my bike needing two new wheels and so I was on the spare bike carried by Pedal Britain for two of the hardest days of the tour. But the support and guide ace of Darren, Ryan (the tour guide) and the simply stunning scenery and feeling of
Cycling across the country got me through.
I cannot say enough good words about their company, the trip and the experience you will have should you book.
The people I met were inspiring, humble, humouring and friendly and Pedal Britain left nothing out in terms of organising the trip so all we had to do was focus on riding…and the riding was quite simply amazing. I have never done anything like this before and I am so glad that I have these memories forever and cannot recommend LEJOG and Pedal Britain enough.
To cycle back to the start…it was simply one of the best experiences of my life!

Cannot praise Pedal Britain highly enough. The July 2021 LEJOG trip was made by the attention to detail and support from the time of booking through to the trip ending. All this made the trip enjoyable, and memorable for all the right reasons.

Thank you Darren and your team for all your hard work.

I had signed up for this trip at the end of 2019 and due to Covid it was postponed twice. Eventually I got to do it at the end of June this year. I had trained on and off for 18 months. Needless to say I was anxious. It is daunting going away for 15 days with a group of people you have never met before.
About a month before we started Darren set up a WattsAp group for everyone taking part including himself and Mick the guide. This was a good way of breaking the ice and I think we all felt we knew each other before we started and we still chat in the group now. You get a good sense of we are all in this together. I was on my own but the whole group were so friendly. Darren and the guides are so helpful and nothing is too much trouble. They are always at hand to help with any problem you might have.
I look back on this trip with such fond and happy memories and will always remember their encouragement and genuine desire to make this challenge achievable for all who take part.
Huge thanks to Darren, Paul, Mick, Grant and Gareth.

I had an accident prior to joining Pedal Britain on a LEJOG tour. I immediately contacted the company and was told that they would try and sort something out and 'they didn't want to profit from my
misfortune '. Eventually after a number of unanswered emails I got a reply saying that they would transfer my deposit over to another tour implying that I would have to cover the cost of another tour which I cannot afford to do. Granted I should have sorted insurance out sooner but being misled was totally unnecessary and unacceptable. Looks like they did profit from my misfortune.

If you are looking to cycle LEJOG look no further than Pedal Britain. Darren and guide Mick’s organisation and support skills are amazing. They looked after all of us, and the issues our group and COVID threw at them brilliantly. As a result ALL we had to do was Pedal Britain and what an amazing experience it was. Hope to see you on another ride soon.
Graeme LEJOG 2021

Excellently organised by Darren Ball. Despite the difficulties posed by Covid Darren pulled through and ran an excellent tour. I hade a crate time!
Thank you Darren, Ollie.

I have just been supported by Pedal Britain in a 14 day ride from Lands End to John O Groats and felt supported at all times. Fantastic fare provided at stops along the way each day, never ending supplies of cashews and cake and all important encouragement. When in trouble with person or bike someone was there to help. The evening accommodation was great any hitches where not with the standard of rooms but with those providing service, or lack of it. Routes cycled included spectacular scenery. For what ever your reason for riding LEJOG I would recommend Pedal Britain to support you, definitely money we’ll spent.

A brilliant two weeks with excellent organisation and logistics, great company, lots of laughs, some great cycling and some wonderful scenery. For me it (LEJOG) was the fulfilment of a lifetime’s ambition and I couldn’t have asked for a better way of achieving it. I am a keen cyclist and I could conceivably have organised this trip myself but, apart from the luxury/convenience of having my accommodation booked for me and my bags carried, I think the best part was the route selection. There is no way I would have found the number of backroads to cycle on the Darren and the team came up with. Very rarely did we had to cycle on anything approaching a busy road and it made the trip so much more of a pleasure. I can highly recommend Darren and his team . If you are thinking about signing up for LEJOG or any other Pedal Britain trip all I can say is “just do it”

A five star plus experience!!

This was a terrific 14 days in August 2019. The cycling was just great - such varied scenery, a real sense of daily and whole trip achievement, and the (occasional!?) hills all do-able; the weather was perfectly organised and Pedal Britain even managed to book a (mainly!) decent tail wind. None of this would have been possible without the organisational skills of Pedal Britain whizz Darren and on tour supremo Paul. The length of each day was carefully thought out and excellent organisation put in place. The support van and snacks were positioned as if by magic (well, magic numbers did feature) and the encouragement and support were just what was needed.

I highly recommend any cyclist to do LEJOG, and I'd highly recommend using Pedal Britain to make it all possible and, yes, just a little bit easier than if you do it on your own!!

What a fantastic experience! From booking right through to the curry on our last night in Inverness Darren and Paul took care of everything. Like others have mentioned, despite the training I had done I was sitll anxious about my ability to ride 70 odd miles a day for 14 days. However, the camraderie of my fellow riders and the support from Paul and Mick on the road gave me one of the best expereinces of my life.

Best 2 weeks on a bike you could wish for.
Exelent route, food stops very good and ride leader and van backup really helpful and friendly.
Will hopefully ride with them again 👍

A wonderful trip, the route was well planned & avoided busy roads where possible. This was a fairly relaxed ride, the cyclists naturally split into slow, medium & faster groups with regular stops for photos, to refuel and regroup. Darren & Paul looked after everyone and every detail, good food & accommodation etc, which meant all we had to do was pedal! If you want to do LELOG I would recommend Pedal Britain.

An excellent experience shared with people who I had never met before who's company I thoroughly enjoyed and shall never forget The organisation was professional and faultless Thanks Darren So if you fancy LEJOG I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Pedal Britain
Ken Harrison
Cumbria

Great route, well planned trip with excellent support team!