Cycle your way to a great holiday - and improved fitness

Every year the Tour de France inspires a host of people to rediscover their bikes. And what a great choice of transportation and fitness cycling offers!

Cycling at even leisurely speeds will burn off an average of 150 calories every 30 minutes. Riding at a moderate pace of 12 to 14mph burns double the calories.

There are a wealth of other positive health facts associated with cycling:

* One study found that regular cycling reduces the risk of premature death from ill-health by 39%.

* Research found that by cycling for half an hour most days of the week, you'll lose as much weight as doing three aerobics classes a week.

Go off-road on countryside trails or to one of Scotland’s many mountain biking centres and the health benefits increase. Riding uphill, going fast downhill and cycling on uneven surfaces will increase fat-burn and offer greater all-over-body toning.

Cycling is also a fantastic way to get around Scotland. Thanks to a wealth of off-road trails, purpose-built mountain bike centres and a network of quiet roads and traffic-free routes, there are many, many miles of countryside to cycle - and explore.

Most people are capable of cycling for an hour or so at a time and you’ll be surprised how far you travel in that time. And once you build up your strength and fitness, you’ll find that a bike offers a great way to get about.

Many more people are also discovering the delights of cycle tour holidays. Whether guided or self-guided, there are plenty of options and companies keen to organise routes, accommodation, bike hire and luggage transfer for you.

The advantage of following a route and schedule is that you are more likely to visit recommended places and benefit from the knowledge of local guides and cyclists.

Companies such as Glentrek know all the best routes in their area and can tailor a cycling tour to suit your aspirations and fitness. The cycling holiday could be a couple of days or a week or two. It might be off-road, on a long-distance cross country route or on quiet roads. It could be self-guided or part of a guided cycling weekend.

The choice is yours. But whatever you decide you’ll most likely lose weight, improve your fitness, meet new people and discover a host of attractions all in one holiday.

A wealth of off-road cycling in the Angus Glens

Scotland is renowned as a superb mountain biking destination. There are numerous mountain biking centres spread across the country offering a wealth of cycling routes for all abilities. Many of Scotland's off-road trails are also suited to cyclists – and with an eye on the map it's possible to enjoy some amazing get-away-from-it all mountain biking adventures.

In the Angus Glens a network of bike-friendly trails head through atmospheric glens and because the routes are often undulating there are many possibilities for cyclists of all fitness levels. In this region, you'll find easy-going forest tracks, wilder cross-country trails and everything in between.

But if you're new to the area it's not always easy to know where to start. The Angus Glens is surprisingly "uncharted" for mountain bikers despite offering many, many miles of great riding opportunities. If you're looking for a few ideas then why not join Glentrek on one of our guided cycling weekends? Because our biking leaders know the area so well, you'll be able to relax, keep the wheels turning and enjoy the scenery as it rolls on by.

Or make the most of your time with one of our self-guided biking holidays. Our cycling trips can be created to suit your ability and we'll tell you about all the attractions that you might like to see along the way. We can also arrange accommodation en route to suit your budget – and if you want to lighten the load why not let us transport your luggage between hotels or B&Bs? With a self-guided trip you'll enjoy the advantages of enjoying a great, well-planned route but you can decide on the speed and distance that you travel each day.

Cycling is a great way to cover the miles in the Angus Glens – and offers the opportunity for remote-feeling riding but without ever being too far from civilisation. Oh, and if you're looking for something more challenging, we can arrange that, too. You just have to ask!