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I'm organising a sponsored ride for ~13 friends in aid of MNDA, with the plan to head down through the Cotswolds from Warwick on a Sat in the summer, and back again on the Sun. Whilst the YHA in Cirencester looks great, it's a little further South than I was hoping for, ideally something 10 miles closer to home would suit the mix of fitness levels!
Have looked at AirBnB type places, just seeing if STW has any better ideas?!
Cheers!
Your choice is pretty limited, anything big enough for that group in that area will be expensive.
Give me an idea of your route and I'll have a think, but by the time you divert to wherever you might be staying you might as well go for the YHA on Cirencester.
Thanks IHN. YHA is the current backstop. Route is completely flexible, but as an example, Cirencester route would be something like this:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/52.2847003,-1.5926529/Cirencester/ @51.9575726,-2.0611135,10z/data=!4m34!4m33!1m25!3m4!1m2!1d-1.5951122!2d52.2819203!3s0x4870cb6a39dd878d:0x29862b5ff51bfa6e!3m4!1m2!1d-1.5995797!2d52.2762527!3s0x4870cb6f509043ad:0x53246d740148308a!3m4!1m2!1d-1.7390053!2d52.0961013!3s0x4870d0b3a26d9289:0xdf18720ed06b0500!3m4!1m2!1d-1.9233016!2d51.9228528!3s0x487121f3dad7cc3d:0x79a3d5635df99901!3m4!1m2!1d-1.9482686!2d51.8085093!3s0x487117c4bb3dc747:0x5ee320345ac391a7!1m5!1m1!1s0x48711100b7a975e9:0x34b6b38422d604bb!2m2!1d-1.968243!2d51.718495!3e1
The Hoborne at South Cerney is a few miles further South than Ciren - not ideal, but potentially another option in the area
That route is really nice, a classic Cotswold one. I'd recommend lunch (or at least a pint, turning up in a group of 13 you'd probably need to book for food) in the pub in Snowshill, cos its a classic Cotswold pub, it's bang on halfway, and it's at the end of the main climb of the day. I'd then have a break at the Three Tuns at Chedworth in the afternoon, and from there it's pretty much down hill all the way to Ciren.
The area you're passing through is the absolute Cotswold tourist hotspot, and pretty rural, so accommodation in July will be pricey. I'd push on for Ciren. 50 miles in a day is very doable for anyone of average fitness, just take it steady and keep eating and drinking. Plus, from a drumming up sponsorship for charity front, 100 miles (i.e. 2x50) has a better ring to it.
Also... Ciren also give you many more options for food in the evening. For a group wanting some good filling food after one day's long ride and before the next, I'd recommend Piazza Fontana, a fab little tucked-away Italian restaurant. Not fancy, but really friendly and great food.
I think your biggest challenge will be accomodation for just one night, there's loads of holiday let's in the area, but your looking at during the summer. I think this may narrow it down to the YHA (I didn't realise Ciren had one), or try the Premier Inn (who do allow you to take a bike into your room), both walking distance into Ciren town centre, which is a pleasant way to spend your evening.
IHN - thanks for some fab advice on hostelries on the route - much appreciated!
I rode a good portion of this route 18 months ago on my way south to Wiltshire, so yes, agree it is very pleasant!
qwerty - thanks for the premier inn tip - hadn't spotted that!
Qwerty makes a good point about single night stays. There's also a Travelodge in Ciren, again walkable into the town centre (it's about a mile), dunno what they're like about bikes.
If you're struggling with somewhere taking the bikes, I live in Ciren, you can stick them in my back garden (I doubt they'll all fit in the garage 🙂 )
IHN - thanks ref travelodge, and nice gesture, cheers!