Something that gives me just the tiniest frisson – connections between tours. I’ll give you an example, from our Dordogne and Loire Valley tours. One of the striking features about the Dordogne is the way that the history between England…
Hot off the press, the latest thing in cycling apparel. What’s this got to do with The Chain Gang? Well, this. 25 years ago, one of my closest friends stumped up a wedge of cash to help me start The…
Relive! was perhaps my favourite discovery of 2019. It’s an app for your phone, easy to use, and great fun. Relive! records your route, allows you to take photos along the way, and at the end of the day you…
On Tuesday of our Champagne tour, we visit one of my favourite spots of our week – the Faux de Verzy. Faux comes from the old French word fau, meaning beech. The plural is Faux, and in the context of…
How is it made? Is it any good? Is there any good news? This is a difficult subject if you’re a fan of champagne, whether that’s the region, the wine, or the symbolism associated with the wine. But read until…
Champagne – a region, and of course a world-famous wine. My view of champagne has been that you buy into the idea of a celebratory drink, or you don’t. The best champagnes are beautiful, and the history of the…
Two years ago, we launched a redesigned tour of Provence Most importantly, I wanted to spend more time in Provence, rather than Languedoc (!). I wanted to explore a really interesting wine region more thoroughly; make the tour perhaps a…
What’s The Most Fun You Can Have On A Bike Tour? The origins of The Chain Gang lie in a trip to Brittany back in 1992, with 3 friends. None of us had ever been on a bike tour before,…
Enjoy 10 minutes of a wonderful video of cycling in Languedoc. This is another of Roberto Peixoto’s videos, and maybe my favourite. What do I like about it? There are lots of clips of people smiling on their bikes –…
Vineyards and wines In The Languedoc. Languedoc-Rousillon is a huge wine-producing region. The weather is perfect for growing grapes, and the Languedoc, until recently, had a reputation for producing vast lakes of ‘OK’ French plonk, under a series…
