Inspired to travel by the Tour de France

If you’ve been inspired by the Tour de France coverage to get on your bike for a holiday – but don’t like to follow the crowd, check out Belle France’s programme of tours for independent cyclists, graded from easy to challenging, that get well away from the beaten track.

Discover a little known undulating rural area of central France, for example, on a tour of Limousin’s lakes and castles, that’s ideal both for reasonably fit novices as well as those that cycle on a regular basis, with distances, on cycling days, of between 20 and 30 miles.

Taking a circular route from Montbron, the six-night break costs from £711 per person, based on two sharing, including return channel crossing, bike hire, half board accommodation in village hotels and chambre d’hotes, plus route notes and maps.

Add £243 for return rail travel from St Pancras International.

For more information, visit bellefrance.co.uk.