Best experience for a solo traveller This was my first experience of travelling solo and my first experience doing an organized cycle tour. So I had a few concerns about whether I would like the group, would the cycling be interesting and challenging enough, would I meet people that I could become long term friends with. Well I should not have worried. The group dynamics were fantastic with a range of ages and professions from all corners of the world and we all got on wonderfully. The cycling was beautiful - I had heard so much about the Amalfi coast so was very surprised that the Cilento coast was even better to cycle with a little less traffic and a lot less touristy. And it was certainly challenging - not ever so much that you think you can't make it but even the fittest of us felt some of the long hills. And we did develop friendships that are enduring - even looking at more trips together.
Two thumbs up to Paolo the guide - absolutely brilliant. Accomplishes everything with a smile on his face. He really did an outstanding job keeping us all on track and making sure we were all looked after.
But the most pleasant surprise for me was how relaxed you become so quickly. Everything is taken care of for you so the 100 decisions you normally make on holiday such as "where shall we have lunch?" or "what time should we have breakfast or dinner?" are all taken care of for you. In fact by day 3 you didn't have to care about where you slept that night or how far you were going to cycle - you just got on the bike and knew everything would be taken care of. A really relaxing experience!
Our week in Tuscany offered challenge, adventure, good company and the opportunity to experience a hidden Tuscany, completely in contrast to the tourist hot spots of Florence, Pisa and Siena. The walking was fantastic, in great part due to the outstanding guide. The Garfagnana mountains are a walkers' dream; gorgeous trails, stunning scenery and the satisfaction of a 360 degree view on reaching the summit.
You deserve this trip as a reward for all your hard work learning to cross-country ski: this is the fun bit! We really felt that we had a taste of what it must be like to be Scandinavian on this holiday, making the most of the glorious scenery and winter activities (well, apart from being able to ski with the effortless ease of the locals, obviously!). The skiing is superb, on and off-track, rolling countryside with some achievable summits, beautiful scenery and barely any other people. We did so many things during this incredibly busy, varied week and enjoyed it all so much. We learned some animal tracks (and to identify droppings, who knew that the seasonal changes in moose poo was so interesting!), went into an ice cave behind a frozen waterfall, went night-skiing, cooked hot-dogs for lunch in a mountain hut and went snowshoeing. On the night in the wilderness hut, discovering how much we take water for granted was a real revelation. When you have chopped the wood made a fire, collected snow, melted it and then heated it up, you really appreciate your cup of tea!