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Britain by Bike

Clare Balding

Steve Bailey

Alison Pinkney

Britain by Bike: Episode 5: The Cotswolds

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Factual: Travel

The Cotswolds

Episode 5

Episode 5: The Cotswolds

BBC Four - Britain by Bike, The Cotswolds

How two men, both called William Morris, helped change the face of heritage tourism.

As she cycles through the Cotswolds, Clare Balding reveals how two men - both called William Morris - helped change the face of heritage tourism in Britain.

Clare Balding tests the limits of pedal power again with a cycle trip through an area considered one of the prettiest in Britain, the Cotswolds.

Following the wheel tracks of cycling author Harold Briercliffe, whose guide books of the late 1940s paint an evocative portrait of Britain on B-Roads, she encounters not only beautiful countryside but one or two surprises. 

Briercliffe had controversial views about this handsomely-preserved landscape. Carrying a set of Harold's Cycling Touring Guides for company and riding his very own bicycle, Clare goes in search of the world he described. 

Along the way, she explores why the countryside looks the way it does, examines how post-war social change opened the doors of great private houses like Blenheim to a paying public and reveals how two men - both called William Morris - helped change the face of heritage tourism.

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Clare Balding embarks on a trip across Britain to rediscover the world of 1950s cycling

Clare Balding embarks on a pedal-powered odyssey across Britain to rediscover the magical world of 1950s cycling

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