I have a confession. I found Red Bike Tours accidentally.
I was zooming in on the area around our London flat to get an idea of what was in the area. I wasn’t looking for a London bike tour. I was just looking for restaurants. Tube Stations. And really just taking a preliminary virtual tour of the neighborhood. But there, smack dab in the middle of my screen, after a few zooms, was “Red Bike Tours.”
There must be thousands of bike tour options in London, but this was really close to the apartment, and I thought it might be a good option for our first day. It would help us get our bearings of this new city. So, I clicked the link and started to peruse the website! I new, almost immediately, that I’d be booking a tour with Owain!
To start with, every Google Review was 5 stars! Hard to beat that! But, beyond the reviews, I loved Owain’s story! He’s a local Londoner who loves showing travelers some “behind the scenes” spots of this amazing city! I was sold right there.
Obviously we were interested in seeing the history and incredible landmarks in London. But we also wanted to see the lesser known streets and local gems. (He even took us to the most photographed tree in London…it wasn’t blooming on our trip, but it was a really cool anecdote!)
I emailed Owain in advance of our trip to check on a few things (was my 12 year old tall enough to ride the bikes he had) and he sent me a screen shot of the route we would take so I would be able to plan our subsequent days. He said we could make any adjustments we wanted to, but there was no need! The route was perfect and took us to some of the most iconic landmarks, but also through some beautiful parks and gorgeous cobblestone streets.
Our tour was a private tour, just our family of four! The timing was flexible. We were able to push back by half an hour so we could shower quickly after a red eye flight! He was great with our kids, getting both of them to engage and participate. And he even took us to a lovely lakeside cafe in Battersea Park for lunch! (The food at Pear Tree Cafe was incredible…definitely not what I expected from this unassuming location!). Throughout our tour, Owain shared stories about the Embassies, tales of witnessing the King leave Kensington Palace (he saw him the day before our tour!), and other pieces of local insider information.
All in all we rode over 13 miles on our bike tour! This was after a red eye where nobody slept more than 4 hours. But Owain’s genuine excitement of sharing his city with us, the beautiful landscapes, and the energy of London kept us going! We saw the following landmarks and neighborhoods (in no particular order…and I’m certain I’ve forgotten something):
- Hyde Park
- Chelsea
- Kensington Palace
- Kensington Palace Gardens (most expensive street in all of London…no photography allowed!)
- Wandsworth
- Battersea Park
- Westminster Abbey
- Big Ben
- Green Park
- St. James Park
- Buckingham Palace
If you are even considering a bike tour in London, this is the one to book! Owain will make the tour effortless (there was only one hill…I swear!) and you won’t regret it. He was easy to talk to; he and Bella even had a discussion over lunch about the “weird things” said by Brits and Americans. Because this was our first time in London, we were truly grateful to have some insider guidance. I would book with Owain again on a return visit without hesitation! Next time I’d have more of an idea of places I’d like to visit, but for us, this preliminary tour gave us an option to see the city without having to think about it too much! Owain did the thinking for us and he didn’t steer us wrong!
Quite possibly the best part of booking with Owain was having someone to ask for recommendations and suggestions for the rest of our time in the city. We communicated via What’s App even after the tour was over. He sent us an INCREDIBLE coffee shop recommendation (if you’re near Marble Arch, go to Markus Coffee!!! You will not be disappointed!) and helped us rearrange some of the things we had planned to do (we scratched Dover off our list for a few more local options).
If you are planning a visit to London, send Owain and email. And book with Red Bike Tours. You won’t regret it!
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