Serious exercise in the British countryside

Three great sources for exercise freaks on the lookout for a weekend hit make up this week's post. Whether you prefer swimming, cycling or running, below are our favourite suppliers for a top weekend's activities - all include a little bit of coaching as well.

Cycling - Red Spokes

Red Spokes speciality is their big trips - they do some incredible sounding rides, including one that climbs to Everest Base Camp (have a look at some of our 'offset yourself' ideas that you could combine with those). But by way of a taster before you take on something like that, check out their weekend and day trips. The price of these covers accommodation and food, but they're assuming you'll bring your own bike.

Best ideas:

London to Brighton, 1 day, £15

Yorkshire Dales, 3 days, £175

Swimming - Swimtrek

Again a company that specialise in longer-range trips, Swimtrek have a couple of options for shorter adventures closer to home. So before you leap on a plane and head off to the (admittedly extremely tempting-sounding) Dalmatian coast, check out the options below. Price includes accommodation, food and transport between swims, and wetsuit hire.

Best idea:

Lake District, 3 days, £275

Running - Purple Patch

This is more of a coaching weekend, but a great thing to do if you're training for a marathon or something like that (a great thing to do in itself, and the subject of a forthcoming post). This time cost includes accommodation, food, a bit of coaching, and of course the guides on your runs.

Best idea:

Cotswolds running weekend, 3 days, £195