One of the joys on our Dordogne tour is a little hotel in the middle of nowhere, in Calès, Le Petit Relais. It’s owned by Karine and Olivier. The village has a population of just 166, according to the National…
If it isn’t already a Tour Operator maxim, never to let anyone look behind the curtain, then it probably should be. So let’s have a little peak together! I’m very proud of our new Champagne tour. I thought it was…
In September 2023, Roberto Peixoto joined us from Brazil on a bike tour through Champagne. I won’t tell you much about the new tour here, I’ve done that elsewhere. I just want to showcase Roberto’s Photo Diary of our week…
Talking to a mucker recently, I was reminded of one of my favourite places in Tuscany, Le Cantine, in Greve-in-Chianti. But first impressions were not so good! On our very first tour of Tuscany, years ago, we’d arranged to visit…
I can’t believe we haven’t done this before. Among Hung and Leah’s photos on our Loire Valley tour last June, there were a lot of photos of food. Some French regions are particularly noted for their distinctive food – Burgundy,…
Last June we ran a large group in the Loire Valley, a lovely mix of returning Chain Gangers and future returning Chain Gangers (does that make sense?). June is a great time to visit the Loire Valley, because the season…
I’m always delighted to receive photos from Chain Gang tours – especially if I woz there. Last year I was lucky enough to accompany a Dordogne bike tour with, among others, Rob Thomas, who sent me an album of photos.…
You might remember, I told you about a new venture by a friend of mine, Ed Bartlett, who set out to merge his twin loves of art and cycling with a new clothing label, Kostüme. They’ve had some great reviews…
Researching for our new Burgundy bike tour, I was excited to discover a company that makes Époisses de Bourgogne cheese – and allows visitors! It’s very difficult to visit a cheesemaker, because of the hygiene regulations surrounding them. We visit…
Last year (OK, a couple of weeks ago) I read an article about hidden gems to visit in France. I haven’t been able to track down the article, but one of its 5 ‘gems’ was Nîmes. And it struck me…
