Hotel Recommendations

I thought I would revive this thread as I have just been tidying up the list of accommodation I kept from tours over the last few years. All of the places I have recommended explicitly welcome cyclists and are reasonably vegetarian friendly.

For clarity I have split my entries over several posts.

Lochs & Glens North (NCN7) - Glasgow to Inverness

Killin - The Barn
Friendly "green" B&B. Accommodation is in a two story out-building, or converted barn. Lovely breakfast with big fresh fruit platter.

Owner prefers to let for two nights in the summer, but happy to go accept a single night booking when I explained we were on a cycle tour.

Pitlochry - Craigroyston House
Slightly up market B&B, but very cycle friendly. Large well furnished rooms would put many hotels to shame. Good place to pamper yourself for a night.

Newtonmore - Creag Meagaidh
Small B&B run by a lovely couple, Ali and Geoff. They are both keen fell runners, and very knowledgeable about the area. They also, or can book you into, a range of other outdoor activities. Highly recommended.

And one to avoid...

Drymen - Glenalva
Run by a seriously weird couple and entirely non-bike friendly. Also had one of the worst meals of my life at the local hotel, so I'd avoid Drymen altogether.

Coast & Castles (NCN1) - Newcastle to Edinburgh

Bilton (nr. Alnmouth) - Bilton Barns
Friendly B&B a short cycle from Alnmouth. Good breakfast. As we travelling in a small group they put us into one of their holiday cottages for the night.

Berwick - Berwick Backpackers Hotel
This private hostel has had some "rave" reviews elsewhere, but we found it cramped and way below the standard of a YHA hostel. The owners seem to have tried to cram the maximum number of beds into the smallest possible space. It is OK for one night, or for anyone wanting to get the feel of what living in a tenement might be like.

The YHA is due to open a new hostel in Berwick in 2011, so I'd head for that as soon as it is available.

Melrose - Melrose Youth Hostel
Comfortable youth hostel in impressive old Georgian mansion. No evening meal available at the hostel but plenty of local restaurants (try the Italian by the old station). Buffet breakfast was poor value @ £4.50 - next time I'd buy in my own supplies from the local Co-op.

Inverness & Sutherland

Inverness - Inverness Youth Hostel
Large and very busy youth hostel (at least during the summer holidays). The rooms are fine, the staff are friendly and helpful, but the communal facilities were not really large enough for the number of people staying there. However as it is close to the station it makes a good base for the start or end of tour.

Lairg - Highland House B&B
Small, comfortable B&B. Excellent breakfast with fresh free range eggs from the owners chickens and delicious home made bread. Owners are friendly enough but want a stress free life so may not respond well anything they perceive to be an unusual request.

Inshegra (nr. Kinlochbervie) - Old School Restaurant & Rooms
This converted school provides evening meals and B&B accommodation. Very friendly - we were welcomed with a much needed pot of tea and delicious cake! Good evening meal and breakfast. Owner keeps a wide range of beers, wines, and malts in stock. Would definitely recommend.

Tongue - Rhian Cottage B&B
Small but busy B&B about a mile outside of Tongue. Our room was in a converted out build and was a little sparse but perfectly acceptable. However I suspect it could have been difficult to keep warm during cold weather so I'd ask for a room in the main house unless you are staying in the summer. Owner very friendly and helpful, and transported our bikes 50 miles to the nearest train station after one of us had suffered a terminal mechanical breakdown.

We had a great evening meal out at the Tongue Hotel, and if you can afford it that would be a good alternative for accommodation.

Hello again, if you are interested in a break in the sun I have this rural cottage available from September 1st, perfect for venturing out on your bikes, its right in the heart of the island, let me know if anyone is interested in this or if you are looking for a larger property.

Nicola

http://www.ownersdir...aries/C2367.htm

The nicest budget chain in France (and elsewhere) is B&B Hotels. The cheapest is Formule1 and bike friendly (so far all have let me sleep with my bike). Rooms not big enough for tandems and you share loos and showers. Collect wine, cheese and a baguette from the local hypermarket and enjoy in the room or if the weather is good, on the tables outside. Bookable online with late free cancellations if you change plans. Don't rely on spare unbooked spaces. They usually book out on the day.

Anyone tried yet 'Vrienden op de Fiets' in the Netherlands or Belgium? Not really a chain of small scale b&b's but a varied collection of owners of houses, farms and flats with one or more rooms available to cyclists. http://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl

If you are riding in Italy we have a bike specific B&B right next to Mt Grappa, used in the Giro. €45-55 per night for room & breakfast. Great cycling to be had all over the area.
check our web site www.benemax.biz

The Waldhotel Cottbus, in Cottbus, East Germany is great. The cycling in the Spreewald region is fantastic, the cycle routes are mostly flat but in some cases are hundreds of kilometres long.

The hotel is clean, comfortable and are cyclist friendly- they host some of the group tours so are used to having lots of cyclists in at once. Covered racks outside, cycle hire available for those who have not brought their own steed, and excellent food. And equally excellent beer.

Ah, memories of the summer of 2009...

If your passing through Bosa, Sardinia I would like to recomend La Torre di Alice, its bike friendly, central, very clean and great hosts.
If your passing through Piraeus, Greece I would recomend Hotel Anemoni, again its bike friendly, central (with good public links to cental Athens), very clean and the staff is very helpfull. A good place to check out the area and even Athens while waiting to catch a boat for the islands.

Does anybody else on here think this is a lot of money for somewhere to sleep and a continental breakfast? I mean if you are travelling solo of course. I know it is also about the average in the UK but solo travel is becoming so expensive especially with the lack of youth hostels.

Yes, very much so. Unless the accomodation was in somewhere very very grand.

But most people on cycle tours would draw the line at something appreciably lower cost.

An example of this was - the last time I tour cycled - was a 4 day cycle up north in Scotland a little. So I was in Perthshire. Very nice valleys with hills around hinting at the Highlands a little further north. I was tired, it was about 5 pm and I still had 12 miles until a small village that I saw on my map. I didn't even know if there would be a B&B as it was such a small village. When I arrived I saw there was one pub (with B&B above it) and one bungalow nearby (with a B&B sign). I decided to ask at the bungalow their price. The person said £40 B&B. I was prepared to spend £30. So I said that all I can afford was that. The person thought for a few seconds then said £35 is the lowest. I still said that £30 is all that I can afford, and after a long thought the person allowed me to stay.
I think that a relatively remote standard house should be in the region of £20 - £25 B&B.

It (ie 45-55 €) isn't particularly expensive - or put it another way you'll find some hotels charging less but also plenty charging more. Bear in mind that not so long ago before sterling crashed against the euro, that would have been 30 quid or so. Unfortunately now we're having to think in terms of 1 pound = 1 euro.

There are quite a lit of hostels across France, italy etc. OK maybe not eniugh but they are definitely around.

1st The Firs in Blair Atholl, http://www.firs-blairatholl.co.uk, lovely place, run by a youngish couple, they also Hire Mountain bike, and so have tools and track pump.
and give a very good breakfast.
2nd Burnsview Bed & Breakfast, Blackburn, West Lothian, Central Scotland. http://burnviewbandb.com. A nice clean place with a very chatty owner and again a big breakfast.

Does anyone know or think there should be some central website where cyclists can locate accommodation close to cycle routes? At the moment I cannot find such a site but i'm sure the cycling world would love it if they could get such recommendations as interesting one above from Kirstie and Nichols Nymet House, but also just somewhere that shows real real choice from cheaper to more expensive options etc. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Anyone requiring accommodation near Roscoff should try Hôtel du Cheval Blanc Saint Pol de Léon http://www.hotelchevalblanc.com
Our club use it a lot, run by a lovely couple. Secure stabling for twenty or more bikes and just 5km from the ferry port

I can certainly recommend this place, in the Vento region of Northern Italy:

http://www.benemax.biz/

Whether you after a weeks holiday or just passing through. You will get a great welcome from Ian and Liz, and you will be well looked after.
The cycling in the area is first class.

UK TRAVEL LODGES !!!! (Book ahead if you can for a better price) I have just stayed in Widnes (£15), Colwyn Bay (£25) & Anglesey (£23.50). Widnes & Anglesey had baths, Colwyn Bay a shower. All near eating places, all have kettles with more tea/coffe/milk free on request (+ make your flasks up from powered drinks you bought with you), all have great heaters to dry clothes, & all allow bikes in the room !!

The for the CTC have been running this type of sevice since the turn of the last century.
Now-a-days it's on their website
http://www.ctc-maps.org.uk/cyclists_welcome/

For Germany the ADFC have the same thing (but far more sophisticated)
http://www.adfc-tourenportal.de/viewtrackobject.php?trackObjectID=9355
This covers Germany in detail and most of ther surrounding countries to some extent (with the UK being a notable exception)

Why doesn't someone create a Google pin map - would make it much easier to see places?