As a very welcome and exciting surprise, I was taken to the Cotswolds on 24 hours’ notice. Excitement! Our first stop was Bourton-on-the-Water, a town chosen mainly for its tandem-hiring ability but one which turned out to be picturesque and gorgeous.

You may remember us hiring a tandem bike in Cornwall. We now consider ourselves practically pros [that might be pushing it], although it turns out that Gloucestershire isn’t quite as flat as the Camel Trail near Padstow… Our tandem trail took us to Upper and Lower Slaughter (much nicer than they sound!) complete with beautiful little church to explore.

Lower Slaughter had a pretty little bridge and felt like stepping back in time. We ate a (slightly squished) doughnut and had a little rest on the side of the stream.

We made it back to Bourton-on-the-Water, handed our bike back in, bought ice creams and drinks and watched the ducks as the late afternoon progressed.

Even though we’d only left London that morning, we felt incredibly relaxed and ready to embrace the slower pace of life…

Although, does anyone have any great tips for not getting sore on a bike saddle? Ouch…