Easy

INNER HEBRIDES

White sands and turquoise bays, castles and ceilidh bars – the coastal roads of the Inner Hebrides are a slice of cycling heaven. Hooked on Cycling (01501 744727, www.hookedoncycling.co.uk ) has seven nights, B&B, in three-star accommodation on Colonsay, Islay, Jura and Arran for £480pp, including route notes, maps and luggage transfers, with as much – or as little – cycling as you want; bike hire £60.

DORDOGNE

This is a gentle, circular self-guided ride from Souillac into the medieval heart of the Dordogne, cycling along quiet, wooded lanes for about 20 miles per day, past castles and caves, waterfalls and churches. Inntravel (01653 617946, www.inntravel.co.uk ) has a seven-night Dordogne Valley trip from £798pp, half-board, including bikes, maps, route notes, luggage transfers and return rail travel via Paris from London Waterloo to Souillac.

TURKEY

With 15 miles of cycling per day, the Cappadocia Freewheel offers stacks of time to ditch the bike and explore by foot, first in Ihlara gorge, with 9th-century churches cut into its 500ft cliffs, then in the underground village of Kaymakli and around the fairy chimneys of Goreme. Explore (0870 333 4001, www.explore.co.uk ) has the sevennight trip for £680pp, B&B, including bike hire, flights to Ankara, transfers and guiding.

THE ANDES

A spectacular loop through the Lake District of Chile and Argentina, past glacial lakes and Andean peaks. As dramatic as it is easy – no mountain-biking experience required – the trip includes a rafting option and a chance to trek up Villarrica volcano (9,340ft), which has an active lava lake. CycleActive (01768 840400, www.cycleactive.co.uk ) has the 15-night trip for £2,320pp, including flights to Bariloche via Buenos Aires, transfers, guiding and most meals; bike hire £150.

Intermediate

MOROCCO

An X-rated version of Steve Bleach’s Austrian waltz, doing the uphill largely by 4WD and flying downhill for nearly 20,000ft on gravel pistes, single tracks and mule trails. Graded “strenuous”, with some technical sections, and 95% off-road, the Atlas Descent passes Berber villages and crumbling kasbahs. Exodus (0870 950 0039, www.exodus.co.uk ) has seven nights from £849pp, including most meals, flights, transfers and guiding; bike hire £85.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

Totally off-road, with technical sections on mountain trails, the trip kicks off in the Drakensbergs, exploring old miners’ trails and Boer war sites, then heads into Botswana for camping in the bush and cycling around the Mashatu game reserve, by the Limpopo. Elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests and, sometimes, lions and leopards can be seen. With Saddle Skedaddle (0191 265 1110, www.skedaddle.co.uk ), the sevennight trip costs £1,995pp, including flights to Johannesburg, transfers, most meals and guiding; bike hire £120.

THAILAND

Following back roads and elephant trails, you go through hill-tribe homelands along the border with Myanmar (Burma). Averaging 35 miles per day, for “riders with a reasonable level of fitness”, the trip includes an off-road descent from Wat Doi Suthep, a mountaintop temple above Chiang Mai. KE Adventure Travel (017687 73966, www.keadventure.com ) has 11 nights from £1,175pp, including flights to Chiang Mai via Bangkok, transfers, guides and most meals; bike hire £50.

NEW ZEALAND

A 22-day odyssey, covering 65 miles a day – but on good roads, riding excellent Avanti hybrids, any fit cyclist used to five-hour days can do it. Leaving Christchurch, the route crosses the Alps twice in a vast C that takes in the West Coast, the Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers, Queenstown, Fiordland national park and Dunedin. The trip costs £2,960pp, including most meals, guiding, bikes, vehicle support and luggage transfers, but not flights, with Adventure South (00 64 3 942 1222, www.advsouth.co.nz ).

Extreme

MALLORCA

With good weather and twisting roads above glistening cobalt coves, Mallorca is cycling’s promised land, a spring training mecca for serious saddle addicts and pros. Covering 460 miles in seven days, and led by CycleFit technical/fitness guides, the Mallorca Training Camp costs £625pp, including transfers, meals, energy snacks, vehicle support and training, but not flights, with GPM10 (00 33 6 6262 9022, www.gpm10.com ); take own bike. Palma is served by many airlines, including EasyJet (www.easyjet.co.uk) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com ).

INDIA

A lung-busting 270-mile epic across the rooftop of India. It’s not technical, but it crosses two of the highest road passes in the world. Only the seriously fit will survive. Starting in the lush valleys of Himachal Pradesh and ending on the parched plateau of Ladakh, the road – only clear of snow for four months a year – crosses five passes, including the Taglang La (17,400ft). In Leh, the ultimate pedal pilgrimage begins: the 25-mile, 6,880ft ascent to Khardung La (18,000ft). Red Spokes (020 7502 7252, www.redspokes.co.uk ) has a 16-night trip from Manali to Leh for £1,295pp, including flights to Delhi, transfers, most meals, guiding and the Khardung La option; bike hire £90.