Life coach: what tips can you give for cycling holidays? The routes tend to be carefully researched and well signposted. Examples in different countries can be found at Freedom Treks. If your preference is a guided cycling holiday closer to home, then you could look at the five-day itinerary listed on the website responsibletravel.com. This particular cycle takes you along quiet country lanes, cycleways and paths and would be a wonderful way to see the varied landscapes of northern England, on the National Cycle Network route. If you are travelling solo, or with friends, it is a great way to meet new people. In the community section of Rough Guides there are recommendations for places to stay. Evans Cycles are now offering a series of organised mountain bike events, from two to five hours, in stunning locations throughout the UK, for beginners to experienced cyclists. If you are on a self-guided tour bring the least amount of kit you can, and consider hiring a bike, as it can be replaced or repaired if it gets damaged. If you are bringing your own bike along, making a few simple adjustments to the height and position of the saddle will make a big difference to the comfort and safety of your ride. As you ride your bike regularly, consider a proper bike service before you head off into the hills, too. Ignore proper kit at your peril. Make sure to take a helmet, a puncture repair kit and a mobile phone with you. A clip-on rearview mirror is vital on busier roads. Wear reflective clothing, pack waterproofs and layers and buy comprehensive travel insurance. Try and use shoes with plenty of support for cycling and don't forget the lip salve and sun cream. Red faced afternoons Q: I'm in my mid-thirties, and work in an office. Recently I've noticed that I have a very high colour in the afternoons, up my neck and all over my face. I have also noticed that my heart beats fast for a bit then slows down (usually in the evenings) but not necessarily at the same time as the bright red face. What could it be? A: Dan Rutherford writes This flushing of the face and neck, and possibly also your fast pulse, may point to overactivity of your "automatic" (autonomic) nervous system - that's the quiet one that usually gets on with the job of controlling blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature and so on. Small changes to the diameter of the myriad tiny blood vessels within the skin is a key method used by the body to maintain body temperature for example, and the high colour you notice means these blood vessels are opening wide for some reason. Hormone changes can also cause similar flushing - the menopause is the best example of that. You don't say if you are female, but even so, an early menopause is not a likely diagnosis. There are some very rare hormone-related conditions that can cause flushing but I have never seen them outside of a medical textbook. Emotional stress or anxiety are the likeliest explanations for your symptoms - sometimes the physical symptoms of anxiety are more obvious than the psychological ones, at least initially. Think also if you might have eaten something different at lunch recently, as this could be a form of food allergy. I don't suppose lunchtime alcohol is the cause in your case, but it is a well-known trigger for excessive flushing. High blood pressure by the way does not cause a red face - that's a myth. It is, however, worth getting your heart and blood pressure checked by your GP. Short bursts of a fast pulse are so common one should think of them as normal, but when these last minutes or cause dizziness then more detailed tests of the heart's rhythm should be done. An overactive thyroid gland could link both the flushing and the high pulse rate - your GP can check this easily with a blood test.