Six hundred years of England, in two river valleys.
Most visitors see the same handful of famous villages. This weekend goes the other way: high, open wolds, hidden valleys and stone villages that never make the postcards, linked by quiet country lanes. The stories are just as good: mutineers shot in a churchyard, the most talked-about sisters of the 1930s and a ruined manor with a secret room. Your guide brings the stories. You just ride.
- Lanes between honey-coloured villages that most visitors never find
- A night at a village inn, with your bags taken ahead
- Burford, the finest of the old wool towns, on the River Windrush
- Train from Paddington and home again, no car needed
Two days, two valleys.
A night in Northleach
A traditional inn in the heart of an old wool town, with good food and local ale. Breakfast is included and your bags will be waiting when you arrive.
A storyteller on a bike
Every Wayside ride is led by an experienced cycling guide, trained in ride leadership and first aid, who has ridden every mile of the route before you arrive.
They set an easy pace, sort out the train times and know which pub does the best lunch. Most of all, they know the stories: who built it, who fought over it and why it matters.
Bring yours, or borrow ours
Bring your own bike, or we’ll have one waiting for you at Moreton-in-Marsh. Everyone rides together. Space for bikes on the trains is limited, so let us know when you book if you’re bringing your own.
Hire includes a helmet and lock for both days.
- A guide and storyteller with you all weekend
- A hand-picked route on the quietest lanes, ridden and checked before you arrive
- A small group at a sociable pace, with nobody left behind
- Coffee and snacks at our stops
- A night at an inn in Northleach, with breakfast
- Your luggage taken ahead to the inn
- Everything sorted, from the best train to catch to where to stop for lunch
- Train fare
- Dinner on Saturday
- Lunch, so eat where you like or bring your own
- Drinks with lunch
Direct train from London Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh, about an hour and a half.
Direct train from Charlbury back to Paddington, about 70 minutes.
Dates and booking. From March 2027.
Weekends from spring to autumn, or as a private ride for your own group. Leave your details and we’ll let you know as soon as dates go on sale.