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Active England Tours (AET) is England’s most respected active travel brand. From our origins in the Cotswolds we have become the premier provider of active holidays for international and UK audiences. We run beautifully curated tours, including private, guided and self-guided trips: cycling, walking, watersports and adventure tours that immerse you in the great outdoors and leave you glowing at the end of each and every day!

We run tours throughout England and take pride in knowing every bend in the road, every stile, gatepost, pub, cafe stop and viewpoint on our trips. We know the best hotels, the quietest routes, hidden away coves, unexpected panoramic views and exactly where to go to make your tour special. Our locations include:

• The Cotswolds (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty)
• Devon and Dartmoor National Park
• Cornwall and the South West Coast Path
• Kent, the Garden of England
• Dorset and the New Forest National Park
• The Jurassic Coast, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Other UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Places of Special Interest:

• The City of Bath and its Roman Baths
• Stonehenge and Avebury
• Shakespeare’s Stratford
• National Trails: The Cotswolds Way, The South West Coast Path, The Ridgeway, The Thames Path
• Oxford, City of Dreaming Spires
• Windsor and Windsor Castle

• For travellers coming from abroad, England is easy to get to and with good transport links to all of its corners, countryside and coast. A majority of our international visitors are from North America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and therefore find easy commonalities, from language to culture. We have better weather than many believe – there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing! – read our blog on ‘The British Weather Myth’ to discover just how warm and dry England actually is during our long summer and autumn months. Our cuisine has come a long way from basic ‘pub grub’ to our modern gastro-pub dinners and fine dining. Our restaurant industry has matured exponentially and we endeavour on all our tours to introduce guests to our local cuisine and great British classics; the best restaurants in town, and the best pubs known to man.
• For our British travellers we aim to explore with you the great outdoors that surrounds our homes, returning to the countryside and an escape from the crowds and cities. Try out new and exciting activities, treat your families to a week or weekend away to rediscover the joys of being outdoors with like-minded people led by the exceptional and unique (some might say quirky!) guides that make up our team. With easy access from the Midlands, Bristol, London and more, we’ll get you from platform to pint in 75 minutes to start your journey, off the beaten track.

We have been reviewed as ‘excellent’ – the highest rating – on Tripadvisor by 97% of our guests, building a reputation for fantastic service, beautifully crafted tours, our attention to detail and yourselves as individuals, and, of course, our outstanding guides – the heartbeat of our tours.

We run a number of different activity tours:

• Cycling
• Conquer the Cotswolds ‘Challenges’
• Walking
• Long Distance Walking Trails
• Swimming 
• Paddling Tours – Kayaking and Canoe Trips
• Multi Activity Tours – including watersports (Stand Up Paddle boarding, coasteering, kayaking, canoeing, swimming), walking, cycling and more

We run our trips throughout the UK, primarily in these areas:

• The Cotswolds (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty)
• Devon and Dartmoor National Park
• Cornwall and the South West Coast Path
• Kent, the Garden of England
• Dorset and the New Forest National Park
• The Jurassic Coast, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Our trips range from 3 day weekend mini-breaks to 11 day long-distance trips. Of course, on our private bespoke tours we can create a tour that is as long as you want! Most of our tours are 6 days and 5 nights long, for a perfect week away.

All of our tours are given a rating of 1-5 with 1 being the lowest level of activity and 5 being the highest. See below for more details of tour ratings and activity levels.

1/5 – at least 2-3 hours of activity, mostly flat terrain
2/5 – around 3-4 hours of activity, gently rolling or rolling terrain
3/5 – around 4-5 hours of activity, varied terrain
4/5 – 5-6 hours or full days of activity, varied terrain, challenging
5/5 – full days of activity, varied terrain, challenging!

This is completely up to you! Our tour ratings are guidelines and our guides can tailor a tour to your fitness levels and the amount of activity that suits you and your group, the ratings give a good indication of what level of activity to expect daily. We like to do each morning as a group and then allow greater flexibility in the afternoons for those who wish to cycle or walk more and those who fancy a more relaxed afternoon:

1/5 – at least 2-3 hours of activity, mostly flat terrain
2/5 – around 3-4 hours of activity, gently rolling or rolling terrain
3/5 – around 4-5 hours of activity, varied terrain
4/5 – 5-6 hours or full days of activity, varied terrain, challenging
5/5 – full days of activity, varied terrain, challenging!

• Our expert tour guides are cyclists, walkers and water enthusiasts who are with you every step (or pedal or paddle!) of the way, sharing their local insights, good humour and a refreshing beer at the end of the day.
• All our guides have Outdoor First Aid qualifications. If you join one of our bike trips, our guides will have Cycling UK Multiday Tour Leader qualifications, and expert bike maintenance knowledge. On the water our guides hold Water Safety qualifications as well as being Paddlesport Leaders. Our walking guides have guided groups for years throughout our regions and often hold various walking qualifications with Mountain Training. Our guides know our routes like the back of their hands: every twist and turn, local cafe stop, picnic spot, gatepost and hidden cove.

Our group departures are up to 16 people, though they tend to average around 10-12.

A general level of fitness is encouraged, however you can do as much or as little as you like on our tours – it’s your holiday!

Our guests are active, enjoy the outdoors, both British and international travellers, with many from North America.

• On our guided tours our guides can tailor each day to your fitness levels and the amount of activity that suits you and your group, with our ratings giving a good indication of what level of activity to expect in general. We like to set off each morning as a group and then allow greater flexibility in the afternoons for those who wish to cycle or walk more and those who fancy a more relaxed afternoon.
• On our self-guided tours it is highly recommended that you are able to walk or cycle the distances specified in the itineraries as, while there is a degree of flexibility and we always provide emergency support, you’ll get the most out of these trips if you are able to do the full activities each day.

• Lunches, unless stated
• Cafe stops
• Alcoholic beverages (unless stated)
• Transport to and from the start and end points of the tour
• Gratuity for your guide
• Travel insurance

• All accommodation
• All breakfasts
• Luggage Transfers
• All equipment (including bikes, helmets, walking poles, watersports equipment etc.)
• Maps, GPS instructions, route notes
• Orientation to your local area
• Dining, pub and cafe stops recommendations
• Transportation where stated in the itinerary
• Emergency Support

• Lunches, cafe stops, dinners and drinks
• Transport to and from the start and end points of the tour
• Gratuity for your guide
• Travel insurance
• Entry into iconic points of interest – although we can pre-book places of interest if required.

Our prices are based on there being two guests per room. This can mean two guests traveling together, two solo travelers (of the same gender) paired as roommates. When occupancy is not double, a room becomes “single,” with a single supplement charge to account for the difference in price.

Yes, for a small single supplement, we can book you a single room.

Yes, if there is another solo traveler (of the same gender) who wishes to pair we can arrange this. Please note this is not always possible.

Please visit our Terms and Conditions for detailed payment and deposit conditions relating to your trip, with particular reference to sections 4.3 and 4.4, copied below.

4.3 When making a booking you will be required to complete a booking form and pay a non‐refundable deposit (Deposit) unless the booking is being made less than 56 days before the start of the holiday in which case you shall be required to make payment in full.
4.4 If we do not accept your booking, we shall refund the Deposit to you in full.

Final balances are due 90 days prior to your trip. If you book within 90 days of your trip we will ask for full payment shortly after booking

Please see below our Cancellation Policy (Sections 5 and 6) of our Terms and Conditions Policy, which can be read in full here.

 

• Cancellation by you 

 

5.1 Subject to condition 5.3, you may cancel a Contract at any time on giving us written notice and you will be refunded in accordance with our refunds policy (set out at condition 8).

5.2 Holidays are exempted from the cooling off cancellation provisions of the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000.

5.3 If you cancel a Contract in respect of any of the following holidays, you will not be entitled to any refund of the purchase price of the holiday package or of your Deposit.

5.4 We appreciate that wholly unforeseen events may result in cancellation. We therefore strongly advise you to take out travel insurance (see Point 8 below) to protect yourself from losing money if you have to cancel. You will be advised of the exact amount of any cancellation charge prior to the cancellation being finalised.

5.5 These provisions do not affect your statutory rights.

 

• Cancellation by us

 

6.1 We aim to provide your Holiday as booked but for the reasons listed below we may, in exceptional circumstances need to cancel it. We therefore reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to cancel a Holiday and the relevant Contract with you. We will of course give you notice of this as soon as we are aware of a circumstance which causes us to cancel the Holiday. Such reasons for our cancellation may include, but will not be limited to, the following circumstances:

1.  You have not paid for the Holiday in full by the due date;
2. The occurrence of an Unexpected Event from the following list – strikes, lock-outs or other industrial action; civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack, war (whether declared or not) or threat or preparation for war; fire, explosion, storm, flood, earthquake, subsidence, epidemic, pandemic or other natural disaster; failure of a utility service or transport network; or compliance with any law or governmental order, rule, regulation or direction.
3. If the minimum number of bookings for a holiday (4 people) has not been met by 30 days prior to the start date of the Holiday; and
4. If during the course of the Holiday we become aware that a participant in the Holiday has developed or has a serious infectious or contagious medical condition

6.2 In the event that we have cancelled the Holiday due to  either clause 2, 3 or 4 above, we shall in the first instance offer you an alternative equivalent Holiday. Should this not be acceptable to you we will ask that guests claim on their travel insurance policy, 

• then: in the event that the cancelled Holiday has not already commenced prior to our cancellation, we will offer you a refund in accordance with our refund policy; and
• in the event that the Holiday has commenced prior to our cancellation, we will refund the remaining cancelled days of the Holiday on a pro-rated basis at a rate of 50% of the purchase price for each cancelled day.

In general, for our guided group tours, we require a minimum of 4 people, and reserve the right to cancel if this condition has not been met 30 days prior to the start date of each trip.

Of course! Please visit our Terms and Conditions Page here.

We recommend that international travellers book between 3-6 months in advance of their chosen trip. For British travellers we recommend between 2-4 months.

Yes, we highly recommend getting travel insurance for all tours. Please use your own provider for travel insurance and just state that you are embarking on an active holiday.

Our international guests may find some of our rooms small in comparison to American hotel rooms, however, there is not much we can do to change the rooms in our 16th-century buildings! We offer upgrades for all our rooms, for a supplement, and king-sized beds come as standard in most of the hotels we use.

Yes, in our 3*, 4* and 5* accommodations all rooms have their own ensuites. On our glamping trips, guests will have shared bathroom facilities.

Absolutely, please let us now if you have a preference and we can ensure you have a room with the correct facilities to suit you.

Yes, in our 3*, 4* and 5* accommodations all rooms have free wifi. On our glamping trips, we cannot guarantee wifi.

Yes, please get in touch to upgrade your room, or select an upgrade option when booking.

Breakfast is included on every day of all of our tours.

We would be delighted to arrange longer hotel stays before or after your trips, in the same hotels and, if available, the same rooms so you do not have to move or pack up your luggage. Please let us know your hotel preferences when booking.

We recommend you don’t walk in trainers/sneakers on our walking trips as these do not have enough grip or ankle support. Walking boots will give you a much better experience.

For our multi activity trips we ask that people are able to swim 50 meters, in order to enjoy our water sports activities, and get the best out of our tours.

We would be happy to help with any pre or post tour travel, please let us know where you are coming from or heading to and we can help you plan any travel you might need.

The best way to find and book train journeys is through Trainline. 

• LONDON: The majority of our tours begin from London, where we collect guests from Paddington Station (W2 1HB), Platform 1, under the clock. The easiest way to get to Paddington station is by tube if you are coming from elsewhere in London, or by taxi if you have luggage with you. There is a Heathrow Express direct line between Heathrow Airport and Paddington if you are coming directly from a flight or airport hotel. Please let us know if you would like help or advice on choosing accommodation near to Paddington. 
• BODMIN PARKWAY: All of our Cornwall Trips begin at Bodmin Parkway Station (PL30 4BB), from where you can cycle directly to the coast, hopping off the train and straight onto your bikes or taking a short 10 minutes transfer to the start of our walks. Bodmin Parkway Station is a 4 hour train journey from London Paddington, which will get you easily to the start of your tour, relaxed and ready to bike, hike and more!
• MORETON IN MARSH: Some of our tours begin in the town of Moreton in Marsh, in the North Cotswolds. The easiest way to get here is by train, a 90 minute direct train from London Paddington. We will pick you up from the station ready to begin your tour. If you would stay in Moreton in Marsh before your tour, we can help you plan and book one of our partner hotels in town. 

• OXFORD: Some of our tours begin from Oxford train station (OX1 1HS), a direct 60 minute train journey from London Paddington, or on the Oxford Tube, where we will meet you at the station to begin your tour. Please get in touch if you would like to stay in Oxford before or after your tour with us. 
• BATH: A few of our tours begin from Bath, an 80 minute direct train journey from London Paddington, where we will pick you up from Bath Station (BA1 1SU) to begin your tour. If you would like to stay in Bath before or after your tour, please let us know as we would be happy to help you plan and book accommodation. 
• EXETER ST DAVIDS: From London Paddington Exeter St Davids Train Station (EX4 4NT) is a 140 minute direct journey. You’ll arrive fresh and ready to begin your tour with us into the heart of Dartmoor. We can also help arrange accommodation in Exeter before or after your trip with us.

Yes, we recommend staying in the area close to Paddington Station to help you get easily to and from our tours, we have a range of hotels with good reviews that we use frequently and where guests have enjoyed staying. Please let us know if you would like help or advice on choosing accommodation and we’ll help you find the hotel that is best for you.

There is a Heathrow Express direct line between Heathrow Airport and Paddington if you are coming directly from a flight or airport hotel. The Heathrow Express is around a 15 minute journey, departing very regularly, so you can easily hop between there and Paddington to get to the start of our tours, which either begin in Paddington or are an easy train journey from this Station. 

We would be delighted to arrange longer hotel stays before or after your trips, in the same hotels and, if available, the same rooms so you do not have to move or pack up your luggage. Please let us know your hotel preferences when booking.

On our tours we have created our routes to include morning, lunchtime and afternoon ‘toilet stop’, as much as possible, whether in a cafe, pub, hotel or public toilet. However, as many of our routes are through the countryside, along the coast and out in nature it is not always possible to guarantee morning and afternoon toilets on route!

Each day will be different as there is a great variety of cuisine to be enjoyed throughout each region. We design our routes to include the nicest cafe stops, pubs and restaurants, for coffee breaks and lunch stops with a view! Where a cafe stop is not available – if we are too deep into nature! – our guides will bring water and snacks along the way, as well as organising fabulous picnics or and ‘van-stops’ with treats layed out for all our guests to enjoy and dig into!

We cannot guarantee that a guide will always be with our support vehicle, so we strongly recommend leaving valuables in your hotels, either in your room safe or the reception safe.

We have a fleet of high-quality bikes from Giant. We update our fleet yearly, and provide bikes in all sizes from kids to XL frames, suitable for riders of all experiences and ability levels. Included in our range are both road bikes, (with drop bars and slicker tyres) and hybrid bikes (with flat bars and suitable for a range of terrain), so guests can choose which they are more comfortable riding. We also own a fleet of e-bikes from Giant, allowing guests of all abilities and fitness levels to enjoy our tours together. We can make additional adjustments to all bikes, from raising their stems to adding front panniers. On our guided tours our support vehicle stays close to our bikers throughout the day, to provide both assistance and emergency support.

All of our tours, whether guided or self-guided, include luggage transfers. While you’re out enjoying the wonderful outdoors, we’ll transfer all your luggage so that it will be ready and waiting in your rooms at the end of the day.

Please hop over to our Coronavirus/Covid-19 Page for updates on our policies on Coronavirus, in line with British government guidance, and get in touch if you have any questions or queries relating to a current or future tour with us.