Active Pursuits

Bike Trips

If you're planning a bike trip on your own, you can take your two wheels on passenger trains in Britain if you pay a £5 ($9.50) extra charge. Brits have rediscovered the bicycle: a National Cycle Network covers about 16,000km (10,000 miles) throughout the country. The network runs from Dover in southeast England to Inverness in the Highlands. Go to www.sustrans.org.uk for route maps.

Most routes cross old railway lines, canal towpaths, and riversides. Among the more popular routes are the Sea-to-Sea Cycle Route, a 225km (140-mile) path linking the Irish Sea with the North Sea across the Pennine Hills and into the north Lake District and the Durham Dales. The Essex Cycle Route covers 402km (250 miles) of countryside, going through some of England's most charming villages; the Devon Coast-to-Coast route -- our favorite -- runs for 145km (90 miles) in southwest England, skirting the edge of Dartmoor; the West Country Way for 399km (248 miles) links the Cornish coast to Bath and Bristol; and the Severn and Thames route for 161km (100 miles) links two of Britain's major rivers.

For a free copy of "Britain for Cyclists," with information on these routes, call the British Tourist Authority at tel. 888/VISITUK; or contact the Cyclists Touring Club, Parklands, Railton Rd., Guildford, Surrey GU2 9JX (tel. 0870/873-0061; www.ctc.org.uk), which can suggest routes and provide information. Memberships cost £34 ($65) a year.

Such formerly well-known outfitters as Backroads and Butterfield & Robinson no longer offer bike trips through England. A leader in these biking tours since 1974, Euro-Bike & Walking Tours (tel. 800/321-6060; www.eurobike.com in the U.S. and Canada) is currently the best outfitter. For more information, you can also write to: Euro-Bike & Walking Tours, P.O. Box 990, DeKalb, IL 60115.

Fishing

Fly-fishing was born here, and it's an art form. Local fishing guides are available to lead you to English waters that are well stocked with trout, perch, grayling, sea bream, Atlantic salmon, and such lesser-known species as rudd and roach.

If you prefer to go it alone without a guide, contact the Salmon & Trout Association, Fishmonger's Hall, London Bridge, London EC4R 9EL (tel. 020/7283-5838; www.salmon-trout.org), for information about British fishing regulations.

An excellent guide to fishing is Where to Fly Fish in Britain & Ireland, available on Amazon.com. To learn about fishing holidays, contact Angling Direct Holidays, 277 Aylsham Rd., Norwich, Norfolk NR3 2RE (tel. 01603/407596; www.anglingdirectholidays.com).

Golf

Though the sport originated in Scotland, golf has been around in Britain since Edward VII first began stamping over the greens of such courses as Royal Lytham & St. Annes, in England's northwest, or Royal St. Georges, near London.

The unyielding reality is that golf in Britain remains a clubby sport where some of the most prestigious courses are usually reserved exclusively for members. Rules at most British golf courses tend to be stricter in matters of dress code and protocol than their equivalents in the United States.

If, however, your heart is set on enjoying a round or two on the emerald-colored turf of Britain, Golf International, 14 E. 38th St., New York, NY 10016 (tel. 800/833-1389 or 212/986-9176; www.golfinternational.com), can open doors for you. Golf packages are arranged for anywhere from 7 to 14 days and can include as much or as little golf, on as many different courses, as a participant wants.

Worthy competitors that operate on a less comprehensive scale than Golf International include Adventures in Golf, 22 Greeley St., Suite 7, Merrimack, NH 03054 (tel. 877/424-7320 or 603/424-7320; www.adventures-in-golf.com); and Jerry Quinlan's Celtic Golf, 1129 Rte. 9, Cape May Courthouse, NJ 08210 (tel. 800/535-6148 or 609/465-0600; www.jqcelticgolf.com). Each of their tours is customized and usually includes lodging in anything from simple guesthouses to five-star deluxe manor houses.

Hiking, Walking & Rambling

England and Wales alone have some 161,000km (100,000 miles) of trails and footpaths. The Ramblers' Association, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, 2nd Floor, London SE1 7TW (tel. 020/7339-8500; www.ramblers.org.uk), has several books and maps on hiking and walking in Great Britain. Prices range from free to £15 ($29).

Wilderness Travel, Inc., 1102 Ninth St., Berkeley, CA 94710 (tel. 800/368-2794 or 510/558-2488; fax 510/558-2489; www.wildernesstravel.com), also specializes in treks and inn-to-inn hiking tours.

English Lakeland Ramblers, 15404 Beachview Dr., Montclair, VA 22025 (tel. 800/724-8801 or 703/680-4276; www.ramblers.com), offers 7- or 8-day walking tours for the average active person. On its Lake District tour, you'll stay and have your meals in a charming 17th-century country inn near Ambleside and Windermere. A minibus takes hikers and sightseers daily to trails and sightseeing points. Experts tell you about the area's culture and history and highlight its natural wonders. There are also tours of the Cotswolds, as well as inn-to-inn tours and privately guided tours.

Other contenders include Country Walkers, P.O. Box 180, Waterbury, VT 05676 (tel. 800/464-9255 or 802/244-1387; www.countrywalkers.com). This company's "walking vacations" last 7 days in the Cotswolds region.

To explore the mountain activities of Wales's Snowdonia National Park, contact Bob Postings at Pathfinder, Clynnog Fawr, Tan-yr-allt, Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL54 5NS, in North Wales (tel. 01286/660202; www.pathfindersnowdonia.co.uk). Bob and his skilled team specialize in walking the summits, rock climbing, kayaking, and rafting, among other activities.

Known for its walking tours of offbeat places, Backroads, 801 Cedar St., Berkeley, CA 94710 (tel. 800/462-2848; www.backroads.com), offers rambles through the classic Cotswolds hills, on footpaths once trod by the Celts and Romans.

One of the best outfitters for walks through the West Country and the Cotswolds is Walking Holidays (tel. 01761/233807; www.bathwestwalks.com). On these guided tours you take in such attractions as the Wiltshire Downs and the Mendip Hills, as well as the scenery of Exmoor with its coastline.

To read about the vast hiking possibilities of Britain, you can purchase on Amazon.com a copy of Stilwell's National Trail Companion (Stilwell Publishing, 2001) by Tim Stilwell, the ultimate where-to-stay guide for walkers, which also documents an extensive national system of 48 hiking trails through Britain.

Horseback Riding

Horseback riding in Britain is one of the reasons many visitors head to England in the first place. It is a country of great horsemen and horsewomen (no pun intended). For details about how to have such a vacation, contact Cross Country International, P.O. Box 1170, Millbrook, NY 12545 (tel. 800/828-8768; www.equestrianvacations.com). Another choice for equestrian vacations is Eastern Trekking Associates, P.O. Box 357, Thomson, GA 30824 (tel. 888/836-6152 or 706/541-2450; www.horsevacations.com). Small groups of around six riders each are taken on tours of the Exmoor region, arguably the most beautiful district of England.

A number of American companies offer horseback-riding package tours of Britain. Equitour, P.O. Box 807, Dubois, WY 82513 (tel. 800/545-0019 or 307/455-3363; www.ridingtours.com), is one such firm, specializing in package tours for riding enthusiasts who want to experience the horsey traditions of the land of foxes and hounds. Two types of tours can be arranged: stationary tours, with instruction in jumping and dressage during a 7-day period at a stable beside the Bristol Channel or on the fields of Dartmoor, and "progressive" tours in Wales, with treks of 4 to 10 days. Most riders, eager to experience as wide a view of England as possible, opt for the latter, spending nights at different B&Bs or inns and lodging their mount at nearby stables. Accommodations are simple, and prices are kept deliberately low.