The best trips on two wheels

Get on yer bike for an active, budget-friendly holiday with unparalleled freedom, writes

It’s hard to beat travelling by bike. By car, you can blink and miss entire villages or attractions you hadn’t known existed. Walk and you don’t cover nearly as much ground.

On two wheels, however, you can go at your own pace, savouring the sights, sounds and smells of the landscape that unfurls before you. And with all those calories you’re burning, you pretty much have no choice but to stop off at those cafes, restaurants and wineries that catch your eye in the name of refuelling. Tackle one of the following trails on your trusty modern-day steed and we’re sure there’ll be no looking back.

The ocean vistas can make it hard to keep your eyes on the road as you coast down to Pleasant Bay and Cheticamp, a French-style village amid Scottish-style highlands.

Tasman’s Great Taste Trail, New Zealand

Combine some of life’s greatest pleasures – good food, wine, art, spectacular scenery and of course cycling – on the Great Taste Trail from Nelson to Kaiteriteri. This leisurely tour passes through some of the region’s best-looking coastal areas and countryside, with plenty of pitstops along the way to refuel and relax.

The 174-kilometre loop trail can take several days to complete in its entirety but is easily broken down into half or full-day rides. The stretch from Motueka to Kaiteriteri is particularly diverse, taking in apple and kiwifruit orchards, a shipwreck and incredible views of Tasman Bay.

Toward the end, you hit Kaiteriteri Mountain Bike Park – which, if you up the pedal power, can be a bit of a rollercoaster ride – before arriving at Kaiteriteri, home to one of New Zealand’s bestloved beaches. From Kaiteriteri, you can catch a ferry to Abel Tasman National Park, where you can take a dip, trade your bike for a sea kayak or simply have a snooze on the golden sand.

Oenophiles should give themselves plenty of time to explore the stretch from Mapua to Motueka, an enclave of awardwinning wineries. Other trail highlights include the largest enclosed estuary in the South Island, classic Kiwi holiday spot Rabbit Island and Mapua, definitely a contender for New Zealand’s cutest coastal village. Famous for its smoked fish, Mapua also has enough excellent restaurants to tempt you to turn your cycling holiday into a gastronomic one. And then there’s the brewery...

Munda Biddi Trail, Australia

There are few places on earth where a 1000km trail could be built through an entirely undeveloped natural corridor, but Western Australia is one of them.

Named after the Noongar Aboriginal term for ‘‘path through the forest’’, Munda Biddi – the longest mountain biking trail in the world – runs from the Perth hills to Nannup in the heart of bucolic Blackwood River Valley. Following bush tracks, firebreaks and disused rail lines, it passes through native forests, valleys coloured by wildflowers in spring, and character-filled old mining and timber towns.

The trail is accessible by car, so it’s easy to tackle it in sections. Do the whole thing and you can spend your nights in the designated campsites or towns en route.

The second section, from Jarrahdale, one of the state’s oldest settlements, to Nangar, is a highlight. Ride out to picturesque Serpentine Dam for an early morning picnic to prepare you for a steep ascent out of the valley. Chill out afterwards beneath the butter gums with a view at Dandalup campsite or take a detour to Oakley Dam for a dip.

From the forest town of Dwellingup, the trail winds through Lane Poole Reserve, where you can fish from the Murray River, picnic beside waterfalls and spot multi-hued parrots in the jarrah and wandoo trees.

The section ends at the Bidjar Ngoulin campsite, which aptly means ‘‘place of rest’’ in Noongar. From Collie, ride through forests of peppermint and blackbutt trees and Donnybrook, the riverside apple capital of WA, to Nannup, an old timber town of weatherboard buildings with wide verandas and cottage gardens.

The so-called ‘‘garden village’’ loses its lackadaisical vibe in August, during the popular Flower and Garden Festival, and in March, when the Nannup Music Festival hosts up-and-coming acts from Australia and abroad.

Cabot Trail, Canada Lorna Thornber.

Nova Scotia’s most famous drive is even better by bike. Passing through rugged territory sure to astound even those of us from Lord of the Rings country with a unique mix of Scottish, Acadian, English, Irish, African and native Mi’kmaq cultures, The Cabot Trail is bucket-list material for any serious cyclist.

The 297km paved loop trail traces the craggy northern coastline of Cape Breton Island: a land of forested headlands and cliff-backed beaches. About a third of the trail traverses the Cape Breton Highlands National Park where you might just spot a moose or bald eagle as you pass through old growth forests or a pilot whale breaching in the icy Atlantic.

Artisans’ workshops dot the stretch between Englishtown – which, despite the name, was settled by French fishermen in the

Route des Vins d’alsace, France

Eat, drink, cycle is the mantra to adopt as you make your way along the Route des Vins d’alsace (Alsace Wine Route). Winding through the fairytale-like villages complete with half-timbered houses and crumbling castles - and centuries-old vineyards, the trail is pretty much tantamount to heaven on two wheels.

Stay in vineyard B&BS as you make your way along the 170km route from Marlenheim, 21km west of Strasbourg, to Than, 46km southwest of Colmar. Again, it’s a ride that can be done in stages and it’s well worth taking your time. Ribeauville, one of the region’s oldest medieval towns, is a highlight, dominated by the ruins of not just one but three castles.

Eguisheim, Mittelbergheim and Riquewihr are among the other villages en route that will make you feel as though you’ve pedalled back in time.

If you’re looking for a more peaceful – and cheaper – spot to rest your head between sections, it can pay to check in to one of the less well-known villages.

Saint-hippolyte, a hamlet watched over by the grandiose Haut-koenigsbourg castle, is a good option. There, Sylvie Fahrer & Fils offers comfortable, wellpriced rooms and top drops of some of the region’s characteristic wines, including riesling, gewurztraminer and pinot noir. C’est la vie indeed.