A Warwickshire cyclist is hoping to get local tourists on their bike, by setting up a family cycle hire firm with a difference.

Adam Talbot, aged 33, has founded Cycle Safaris with the aim of providing bicycles for hire that are delivered to the customer's door.

Mr Talbot, who has founded the business with the help of his family and girlfriend, hopes the business will tap into the growing popularity of recreational, sight-seeing by bicycle.

He said: "Warwickshire is a great place for tourists to cycle but, apart from one shop in Stratford, we have no cycle hire shops.

Even if we had, shops can be difficult to get to and you may have to pay for parking in town. I decided to set up a firm that meant that people could get their bikes delivered and cycle from their home or hotel."

The company also provides tourists with cycle route maps and Ordnance Survey maps and Mr Talbot has invested in new Ridgeback touring bicycles with puncture-proof Kevlar tyres.

Mr Talbot sees the business, in particular, as a boost for local hotels and B&Bs providing them with a unique opportunity to offer cycle hire to their guests.

"We've had some great interest from tourist information and hotels in the area," Mr Talbot said.

Before starting his new business, Mr Talbot had previously worked as a skipper on luxury holiday yachts in the Caribbean but was forced to give up his work when he was diagnosed with reactive arthritis.

"The cramped conditions on board a yacht wasn't good for me and I needed to keep exercising my joints. Cycling is a great form of exercise and a good way to see the countryside - this is why Cycle Safaris is such a simple idea."

Mr Talbot admits that establishing and promoting the business has been hard work and that some people are not yet open to cycling as a pastime, and the the UK is far behind Europe in embracing the bike as a form of transport.

He said: "We do seem to have a love affair with our cars in this country, which is a shame. People don't really have their head around the two wheels thing yet."