FAQs

Wild Lines is operated by The Slow Cyclist, a small group cycling and walking company who have been running trips across Europe, Asia and Africa for over a decade. Wild Lines journeys are for those who want to embrace adventure and challenge, but the fundamentals of The Slow Cyclist are still the same: a great cycling holiday means getting under the skin of a place, meeting its people, indulging in its culture and understanding its history and customs.

Yes, in accordance with travel industry regulations, your booking is financially protected and in the unlikely event of our insolvency you would receive a 100% refund. We partner with Trust My Travel to provide this independent protection for you. Within 5 weeks of booking you will receive an email directly from Trust My Travel which confirms this. You do not need to do anything other than quickly check that email and notify us if there are any factual inaccuracies. You can find further information on these website pages including how to check that you are covered and what to do in the event that you need to make a claim: About Us – Trust Protects and Protection – Trust Protects.

No. We are not ATOL licensed because we do not provide flights for our guests. The only reason for being associated with ABTA is to provide financial security to our guests and we do this through membership of Trust My Travel.

Yes. Each year we donate 1% of our revenue to causes aligned with our values. Previous donations have included Hope & Homes for Children's Ukraine Appeal, The Hands Up Foundation (now Action Syria), Asociatia Yoyo (who provide a home for the stray dogs and cats that they rescue in and around their village in Transylvania) and and two charities local to us here in Oxfordshire: Mulberry Bush and Cotswolds Arts Through Schools.

Unlike other tour operators, we include as much as we possibly can in the price of our trips. We do this because it means our guests can relax into a holiday. Over the years, many of our guests have told us what a joy it is not to have to reach for their wallet or even think about money while they are travelling with us. So the prices you see advertised on our website and in our brochures almost always represent the sum total of what you'll spend on our trips. Of course, please check the "Excluded" section of specific brochures.

While it's often the case that inflationary pressures mean we need to raise our prices, we work incredibly hard to keep prices down for our guests. And while prices for almost everything we consume continue to rise, we're very proud to say that, taken as an average across all of our destinations, we've been able to keep prices the same in 2026 as in 2025.

For the avoidance of doubt, where we are holding or reducing our prices, this does not mean that we are making any cuts to the quality of our trips. Quite the opposite in fact, as we continue to invest in improvements and quality to enhance our guests' experience.

In destinations where we have had to increase our prices, this merely reflects the increase in costs imposed on us by our accommodation, guide and activity partners. Like us, most of our local partners are themselves small businesses and sole traders who face increased costs of their own; we are committed to treating them fairly. 

On Scheduled Journeys you do not need to worry about getting a full trip of friends together, they're perfect for couples and solo travellers as we do the hard work for you. You can find our upcoming scheduled cycling and walking holidays here.

Private Journeys are exactly as you might expect; an opportunity for ultimate flexibility as you travel with friends and/or family in a dedicated small group.

That really is the only difference.

Most of our private groups number between 8 and 12, although we do host a number of smaller parties each year. We rarely host groups of more than 14, although we have had fun organising a few milestone birthdays over the years. For a Slow Cyclist trip, we once took over an entire village in Transylvania for a 60th birthday. That was a highlight.

Yes. We often receive approaches from corporates. If we think we can do a great job we are more than happy to partner and create an amazing experience for you and your colleagues. Sometimes we do so in destinations not listed on our website so it's best to contact us directly with details of what you want to achieve.

Absolutely, we love a party and have facilitated a few milestone events for our guests over the years. Several of the properties and villages we know well are perfectly suited to large gatherings of friends and family. You can contact us here for bespoke events.

We love hosting families. However, some of our Slow Cyclist destinations may be more suitable for young children. Please visit our Family Groups page or contact us to get further information.

No. We tend to guarantee a Scheduled Journey will depart when there are around six guests booked. That said, it does vary so if you would like to know the status of a particular trip, do contact us.

All that said, it is incredibly rare that we do not end up running a trip that is advertised on our website.

We tend to set our group size for Scheduled Journeys at a maximum of 12 in most destinations. For certain trips it may be smaller for logistical reasons, and very occasionally it may be up to 14, never more. 

Very often we are contacted by solo travellers, couples or small groups who wish to travel on dates that are not listed on our website. If they do not wish to travel privately, we often take the booking for specific dates and commit to making up the remainder of the group.

Our guests tend to be cut from the same - or at least a similar - cloth. We have very rarely, if ever, put together a group that did not get on. It is far more common that new friendships are formed and future travel partners are met!

Although you do not need to be a keen cyclist, our Wild Lines journeys require confidence on a bike and a good level of fitness. Our guides will help you to hone your mountain biking skills, but we ask that you bring an open mind and be ready for adventure!