The sight of all those riders busting a gut as the Tour de France takes over London and Kent is bound to encourage Brits to get on their bikes, at least for a gentle trip. Country Lanes, the cycling breaks company that won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2005, can help them with a series of packages in three of the most scenic parts of England.

Its centres are close to railway stations so you can reach them by train, collect your bike, safety helmet and itinerary, and set off. From Brockenhurst, a three-day route heads through the New Forest to the villages of Burley and Beaulieu and to Buckler’s Hard and Exbury Gardens. The trip costs from £175 with two nights’ B&B.

A four-day package through the Lake District starts from Windermere Station and includes a ferry trip across the lake, lunch in Hawkshead, home of the Beatrix Potter Gallery Museum, and a visit to her home. Crosthwaite and Knipe Tarn are also on the route and the tour costs £195 with three nights’ B&B in Windermere.

Starting from Austwick, near Settle, a three-day trip takes cyclists along quiet lanes and tracks through the unspoilt Forest of Bowland, with B&B in country house hotels or farmhouses. Prices are from £159 and, just like the riders in the Tour, you don’t have to carry anything: your luggage is transferred ahead of you.

*www.countrylanes.co.uk; Brockenhurst: 01590 622627; Windermere: 015394 44544; Austwick: 0845 3700558

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