Get Cycling Week 2008 at Ellesmere in Shropshire

Click here to view the photo gallery »

It’s a rich mix of around 90 holidaymakers, of all ages and cycling interests, enjoying a choice of three to five sociable guided rides each day. The holiday includes bed, breakfast and evening meal, and the chance to try out and borrow a wide range of cycles, from high quality road bikes to some very unconventional machines. In the evenings there are social activities (for adults and children), cycling films, maintenance classes, and talks from well-known cycling personalities.

These holidays have been taking place for sixteen years now, and always have a unique, inclusive and supportive atmosphere. They are as much fun for beginners as they are for experienced cyclists, with participants from several countries. We look after everyone, from families with young children who do no more than eight miles before lunch, to experienced riders who notch up seventy miles in a day. If you want to try a new kind of bike, we will give you the chance. If you break down or run out of steam we are there to collect you. If you want to know more about cycle maintenance, you can come to our beginners' or more advanced workshops. It is wonderful to see how people of so many different backgrounds, ages and levels of cycling experience enjoy each-others' company. From the wine reception on the first day to the farewell event on the last evening, you will experience an astonishingly different holiday amongst new friends.

Get Cycling Week 2008 is at Ellesmere College, a magnificent venue, set in stately grounds on the edge of an attractive small town, in North Shropshire, very close to the Welsh border. This is amongst the best cycling country in Britain: rides will go in all directions, with a wide variety of destinations.

There are many other attractions, from stately homes to friendly cycling cafes. The very extensive network of cycle routes and designated cycleways will take us along easy-riding quiet lanes, through unspoilt villages, and over undulating hills on some of the more adventurous routes.

We have use of many school facilities, including the school's new indoor swimming pool, its nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, and many fine public rooms. Pool and table-tennis are also available, and we will bring our pedal-powered Scalectrix racing game.

Accommodation

The standard of the accommodation, and of the venue generally, is extremely good: in fact it's the best we have found anywhere for our Get Cycling Weeks.  We have booked one house of thirty very spacious twin-bedded en suite rooms. We have also booked two other houses containing a selection of one to five bedded rooms all with wash hand-basins. Showers and toilets are always nearby.

Get Cycling Week takes place from Saturday the 16th August to Saturday the 23rd August 2008.

We advise you to book early. We cap numbers at around 90, and the en suites are limited. At this size, we can be sure that there are enough participants in each age group for sociability. So if you have children, there are very likely to be a good number of children of similar age there. If you are new to cycling, there will be others who are also novices. If you want to come on your own, there will be others who do the same.

The essence of this unusual holiday is the diversity and friendliness of the people who take part. We never quite know what will happen: last year, for example, a group of holiday-makers with musical skills put on a concert for the final-evening.

Who organises Get Cycling Week?

It is run by Company of Cyclists, set up eight years ago by 190 supporter-cyclists to spread the cycling message. We provide cycling promotion support systems and cycle training for local authorities, health authorities, schools, universities and businesses. Get Cycling Week is our favourite event of the year. It is one of very few events which we organise for the public directly, and many of our staff take part. One of our bike-try-out roadshow units, with about 30 amazing cycles, conventional and unconventional, will be at Ellesmere for the week.

What our guests have said……………..

"We really enjoyed our week. Such a relaxed but well organised time, lots of friendly faces and great cycling."

"What really made the holiday so enjoyable was the company of such a mixed and interesting bunch of people"

"I had been looking for a holiday like this for years. It was perfect for us as a family, because each of us had different needs! Roll on next year."

"Nice all round balance…gets better every year"

Prices

We have chosen our 2008 venue after much research, in the light of comments from previous participants that they would prefer a higher standard of accommodation. We have got that, but the cost to us is a fair bit higher. We have absorbed some of the additional cost ourselves, but have still had to increase the cost to participants. We have also researched other residential cycling holidays, and find that we still cost considerably less, and that’s before the value of all the extras we put in, such as individually guided rides, use of our bikes, full evening social programme etc.

The prices below include seven nights, breakfasts, evening meals, use of bikes, wine reception, sports facilities, a very full programme of evening activities for adults and children, and the final group photo.

Adults (18+)..............................................................£439
14-17........................................................................£353
5-13..........................................................................£289
Under 5’s..................................................................no charge
En suite supplement per person per week...............£35

All prices include VAT.

Use of Bikes

We will be bringing thirty or so amazing bikes for you and your children to try out and have fun on during the evening try-out sessions. We have 350 bikes to choose from back at base, and try to bring a different selection each year. We bring family cycles, tandems, tricycles, recumbents, folders, fun bikes, etc. We also have a wide range of special needs cycles, which we can bring by prior arrangement. We’ll also bring our seven-seater CircleCycle (pictured). We’re happy to lend you many of these bikes on a fairly ad hoc basis for your day-rides, but at our discretion, and in a way which is fair to everyone. If you require a high quality hire bike, which is yours for the whole holiday, we can supply one at very low rates.  Just talk through your needs, and we will bring the right bike for you. Our principal hire bikes are the Kona Dew, the Kona Smoke and the Dawes Mohave. We have many others, in a wide range of sizes.  We bring your bike all set up for you, with panniers, water bottle, lock and helmet, at a cost of £40 for the week (tandems £60). These prices are at cost: they cover preparation time, depreciation and transport from York. 

Terms

Deposit of 20%. Balance no later than 28 days before holiday. Cancellation refunds less 15% of total value up to 28 days before holiday. Less 30% within 14 days, 70% within 7 days. No unaccompanied under-18s. We meet your room preferences wherever possible. Some singles may wish to share to keep their costs down and to take advantage of the en-suites on offer. Loan (as opposed to hire) of bikes is at our discretion and according to availability and equity.

What we expect of you

Well, we expect that you can ride a bike competently, and that any bike you bring is in good condition. Children must have the skills needed to ride on the road. On the Sunday and Monday evenings we put on cycle skills training sessions for young people. These are run by our own qualified and experienced cycle trainers, and were hugely popular last year.

We have taught adults to ride on these holidays, but this has to be by prior arrangement, since it may require extra staff resources.

Booking form

(you can also email details to us)

You can print out a booking form by clicking here. Upon receipt of this completed form we will send you a more detailed questionnaire together with confirmation of your booking.

Your contact person is Get Cycling Week Co-ordinator Jason Patient, 1 Church Lane, Coldstream, TD12 4DG.

Email: jasonpatient@lineone.net. Tel 01890 883408.

If Jason is not available, and it is urgent, please contact: The Company of Cyclists, Unit 11, Acaster Estate, Acaster Malbis, York, YO23 2TX, Tel: 01904 778080. admin@companyofcyclists.com.

Co reg no 4121821.



To receive our email newsletter, email us at admin@companyofcyclists.com using your work email account, and giving us your name and job title (so that you get the right newsletter for you).