Just booked our Katy Trail tour

[indysteel]

DH and I are signed up to do an end-to-end tour of Missouri's Katy Trail through a company called Independent Tourist from September 17 through the 23rd. This is touring-lite, as the company transports your bags from inn to inn each day. While we could probably have done it fully unsupported, this option was rather attrative to us, especially since they arrange everything else for you as well. I normally research hotels to death, so it was kind of nice just pulling the one trigger. They sent us the itinerary yesterday, and all of the accommodations look great. We're both excited.

Now if it were only September! :p

[Eden]

My husband and I did a walking tour in England that way. The company booked all the B&B's, our luggage was transported between while we were walking (mostly I think they paid the B&B owners to do it) and we were given good maps and directions. It was one of the best vacations I ever took!

[indysteel]

What company did you use, Eden, and what area did you explore? For years, that was on my bucket list and then I got sidetracked with near a near total obsession with Paris. DH has expressed an interest in something like that though. We figured out after a few trips together, that we do better in smaller settings than in big cities. A walking tour would be just the thing. The hard part would be picking which area of England/Wales to explore.

[Eden]

We walked the Dales Way - 84 miles from Ilkley to Bowness on Windemere. We had a super time on the walk - it was so beautiful! It was a long time ago though.... 1997.. so I don't remember exactly who we used or if they are still around. The B&B's were great. All of the hosts were really nice. The people who owned the one from the longest day were walkers themselves. She knew all the nice little touches - like when we came back from dinner she'd dried out our boots and washed and dried our socks! England isn't exactly known for its food, but we actually had some really great food there too. One B&B was not near a town so the proprietors fed us dinner too - really excellent potato leek soup. The breakfasts were huge - we never ate lunch. One place that was a real farm had sausages so good and so fresh you'd swear they'd been made just that morning - and I don't even usually like pork!

http://www.pseudophyle.com/images/bolton.jpg

After that we did some exploring on our own. We spent a few days in a little town called Shrewsbury - there's a lot of old Tudor and Elizabethan (and older I think!) architecture left so there's been a lot of film making in the town. It's right on the border with Wales, but I don't think we ever ventured across. Then we went down to Dartmoor. That was the only place we had to rent a car, it was quite remote and in September, when we were there a lot of the tourist oriented things - like the buses were shut down. We did get to go to Hound Tor - the place that inspired Conan Doyle to write The Hound of the Baskervilles - so cool!

http://www.pseudophyle.com/images/dartmoor.jpg

[out_spokin']

congrats, indy! It'll be a blast. A group of 4 of us did a self-supported hotel/B&B tour of most of the Katy a few years back, and I think all of us spent more time on the research than the tour. It WAS fun, and a good intro to a new level of bike touring. But the time I went to the Big Island of Hawaii on a Bicycle Adventures tour with my dad & stepmom, where they did everything including carrying our bags? Now THAT was a phenomenal trip, and a wonderful vacation. :D

[Catrin]

Congratulations! It does sound like the most stress-free approach, and we are all looking forward to a ride report :)

[Deborajen]

That sounds awesome, Indysteel! I've been trying to talk DH into doing the Katy Trail. September should be a good time to go. You'll have a great time.

[deskrider]

LOL about "researching hotels to death". Are you my twin??? I hope you have a fantastic time. We just pulled the trigger on a late September trip that is organized and supported by someone else and I won't know what it will be like not to spend hours researching towns and hotels!