Tag Archives: Tour of Britain

Follow in the footsteps of the Tour of Britain Stages 5-8

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2014 Tour of BritainContinuing on from our previous post, we’re following the route of the Tour of Britain as it takes in the very best of the UK. This post continues the Tour from stage 5 to the finale at stage 8 in London.

If you’re a keen cyclist or just felt inspired by what you saw, holidaycottages.net can help. We have a huge selection of high quality holiday accommodation across the UK. It’s easy to build your very own Tour, or follow the real one. It’s entirely up to you!

Stage 5 Exmouth to Exeter

The Exmouth to Exeter stage of the Friends Life Tour of Britain lasted for 177.3km and took in the best of Devon and Dartmoor. If you like your cycling, walking or just being outside, this is the stage for you.

The riders began in Exmouth centre, rode out to Dartmoor, over Haytor, around Tavistock and back round to Exeter city centre. The stage included some of the best scenery in the West country too.

Stage 6 Bath to Hemel Hempstead

Stage 6 brought us back into the heart of England from Bath city centre to Hemel Hempstead over 205.7km. The route passed Trowbridge, Hungerford, went around High Wycombe and ended in Hemel Hempstead, north of London.

This was another scenic route that showed a completely different aspect of our country. Rolling hills, forests, across the M4 and into the outskirts of the capital. All places ideal for a weekend break in a holiday cottage as well as several hours on the bike!

Stage 7 Camberley to Brighton

The penultimate stage of the Tour of Britain saw us shift to Hampshire for the start that took us from Camberley, 226km across the south of England to Brighton to finish in the town centre.

This was another fantastic route that took in the South Downs, West Sussex, looped around Eastbourne, went through Lewes before heading into Brighton. Any of these locations offer fantastic cycling, walking and sightseeing and is well worth a visit!

Stage 8 London

The final stage of the Tour of Britain was split into two parts. The first was an individual time trial through the city streets while the second part was a circuit race. The TT part lasted for 8.8km while the circuit 88.8km.

Our capital should need no introduction. It’s full of culture, interest, attractions and things to see and do. We even have holiday cottages within the city too!

The Tour of Britain was a great way to see parts of our country we wouldn’t normally get to see. If you were inspired by any of it, use the search function on our site to find a holiday cottage near your point of interest. We have thousands of them to choose from!

Follow in the footsteps of the Tour of Britain

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2014 Tour of BritainThe Friends Life Tour of Britain is over, the trophies won and the crowds have gone home. If you were inspired by the scenery and places you may have seen while watching, this is the post for you!

The next two blog posts will highlight the eight areas of Britain visited by the tour. From Liverpool to London in eight stages. We’ll discuss the places visited, the ride and the fact that holidaycottages.net has quite a range of quality holiday accommodation near all the places you’ll visit.

If you want to see exactly where the professionals rode, or want to download the .gpx file of the route to your satnav, you’ll find them here.

So without further ado, let’s get started!

Stage 1 Liverpool

The first stage of the Tour of Britain was made up of laps of Liverpool city centre. It stretched for 104.8km and showcased the city well. The weather was good, the crowds large and good humoured and the stage was an enjoyable one. Marcel Kittel won this round after a fantastic sprint finish that saw tired legs pushed to their limit until the very end.

Liverpool is a lovely city with a lot of history, culture and appeal. Renting a holiday cottage within easy reach of the city can give you the best of both worlds. While you might not get the closed-road racing when you visit, the rest of the city is yours for the taking.

Stage 2 Knowsley to Llandudno

Stage 2 was a 201km ride from Knowsley in Liverpool to Llandudno in Wales that took in some stunning scenery. The race passed round Chester, through Wrexham, through Mold, round Conwy and into Llandudno town centre to finish.

This is a lovely area that mixes urban sprawl south of Liverpool with some lovely north Welsh coastline. It’s ideal ground for cycling or just enjoying time away from home.

Stage 3 Newtown to The Tumble

Newtown to The Tumble was a 179.7km from mid-Wales to southern Wales near Ebbw Vale. This was a challenging stage that takes in the best of Wales including the hills! This stage isn’t for the faint hearted but repays your efforts in kind with some fantastic scenery.

Mid-Wales has some fantastic surroundings, plenty of National Parks, forests and Welsh towns to take in. Whether you visit to follow the stage or take in the region, we have plenty of holiday cottages within easy reach.

Stage 4 Worcester to Bristol

Stage 4 of the Tour of Britain was from Worcester to Bristol, across 184.6km of undulating countryside. The route took in some of the best of the city of Worcester, the county of Gloucestershire and Bristol and showcased the region exceptionally well.

This is another region of the UK that is blessed with some amazing scenery, lovely countryside, National Parks and forests. It’s perfect for a weekend break whether you’re following in the footsteps of the Tour of Britain or not.

Use the search area of the site to find some excellent holiday cottages along these routes or build your very own Tour using local accommodation featured here. Join us next time for the final four stages of the of Britain!