Rather than dreading the weight you'll gain while on your holidays, why not pedal off the pounds while discovering a whole new part of the world? Try one of these two cycling holidays for a waist-trimming trip.
The Grand Old Ditch
In 1828 work began on the Chesapeake to Ohio Canal, known as the Grand Old Ditch, in Maryland, America. Twenty-two years later work ceased as the railways flourished, leaving a 185-mile-long canal that never reached Ohio. But the shipping world's loss is tourism's gain. The tow path running alongside the canal is an ideal cycle route. "In three days you can ride through benign woodland and rolling hills, with diversions to locations crucial to the history of America, and end up in the nation's capital," says The Independent.
The clay-and-crushed-stone path provides ideal cycling terrain and there's plenty of opportunity for freewheeling you'll descend 605ft over the course of the trip. The path is well-maintained as the canal has been revived as a National Historic Park complete with visitor centres scattered along its length so no worries about toilet breaks.
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"Only a completist would stick doggedly to the tow path" when so much history lies just off it, says The Independent. For example, a brief detour from Horseshoe Bend takes you to the Civil War battlefield of Antietam. Then there's the final lock before you end up in Washington DC. It's known as the Watergate, and gave its name to the office block at the centre of the infamous political scandal.
For more on the C&O Canal National Historical Park, call 00 1 301 739 4200, or visit www.nps.gov/choh.
Exploring Jordan
For the more adventurous, Explore offers a cycling holiday covering 280 miles through the Great Rift Valley in Jordan. Not for the faint-hearted, it involves "cresting mountains, conquering deserts and swerving bikes around gaping craters in the road all in 35C heat", says Vincent Crump in The Sunday Times. Then there are the Bedouin villages where local boys take occasional pleasure in throwing stones at passing cyclists. "I know that we're in the Holy Land, but I didn't expect the trip to be quite as biblical as that," says Crump of one stoning. But with a police escort for the whole trip, the danger is never too close for comfort.
And the scenery more than compensates. You'll see "jelly-mould hills sparkle under the swollen sun, and the West Bank blush pink in the distance". You'll also encounter everything from crusader castles to boys racing you on their donkeys.
The ten-day Back Roads of Jordan tour costs from £1,024 per person, including flights and most meals. There are six cycling days with daily distances of 35-70 miles. See www.explore.co.uk or call 0844-499 0901.
Three other exotic cycling experiences
Slovenia
A cycling tour of the area's vineyards costs from £687 pp with Inntravel, excluding flights. 01653-617946; Inntravel.co.uk.
Tanzania
A nine-night bike safari with Ultimate Travel Company costs from £1,875. 020-7386 4646; Theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk.
India
Go tiger spotting on a two-week cycling trip with Exodus. Prices start from £1,488. Call 0845-863 9601; Exodus.co.uk.
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