been trying to put a cycle tour in norway together for a week or so. for one reason or another it aint happening.
so we are looking for somewhere else.

where is the best place you have been cycle touring?
or where do you fancy.

need some inspiration.

for something pleasant and “easy”, the Aland Archipelago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%85land_Islands

http://www.cycletourer.co.uk/cycletouring/finland.shtml

http://www.visitfinland.com/article/island-hopping-in-aland/

http://www.visitaland.com/en/

http://www.visitaland.com/en/do/bicycle-or-motorbike/many-islands-to-visit/

Beautiful, long days/light nights. Midges though 🙁

And of course the ride across Spain and France with Mrs Stoner. A long time ago. http://pompinos.blogspot.co.uk/

North West Vietnam was mint. Great scenery, amazing people, proper adventure. Sappa back to Hanoi the long way around, took about 10 days I think, with a couple of rest days. Just me and my then other half – wouldn’t be nearly as much fun (or so cheap) with a holiday company. New Zealand was good, but less mind-blowing than Asia.

Northern Spain, I did the Camino Santiago a few years ago about this time of year and it was brilliant. It can be a bit busy but there are loads of places to either stay or eat

Iceland is high up on my list, as is Croatia…………..and of course any past of Scotland!
Ireland was great fun last month too 🙂

A great canal tour of the canals round manc/Cheshire, visiting all the pubs is my idea of fun.

For really lazy days, I just took my OH to the Loire (I used to guide trips out there a while back). Chunnel to Paris, train to Orleans and head slowly down river soaking up the area. Lots of chateaux, vineyards, finishing early to sit in a bar and drink beer. You could put in some big mile days but that’s probably not the best way to do it.

Amboise is really rather nice-

Magic lighting by MatGoesSomewhere, on Flickr

New Zealand. South Island in particular is great.

Not particularly exotic, but had a great time in the Dolomites, also several trips to the alpes maritimes out of Nice. Great weather(ish), food, cycling, hills (not necessrily in that order).

Croatia, Bosnia etc..

some good idea’s. dont fancy asia at all. never have, it just dont grab me.
love france, love scotland, fancy ireland.
1 plan is to get the bike bus down to bayonne and cycle back from there up the atlantic coast of france.

Tuscany winked at me this year on family hol. Easy flight to Pisa from Leeds, good bits on quiet roads from the airport. Unspoilt, sea, hills, vineyards, really nice pace of life. Iceland was an incredible experience by bike, but not necessarily easy – we had to take an awful lot with us.

The Balkans look / sound great. I was sold after reading Emily Chapel’s blog

The eve of the Balkans

Also having worked a bit in Turkey I think touring there would be lovely in spring or autumn when it is not to hot.

1 plan is to get the bike bus down to bayonne and cycle back from there up the atlantic coast of franc

I quite fancy that, I haven’t been to Brittany years and I’d love to go back.

I went down the Danube from Budapest to the Black Sea last year. While there may be better cycling around it was easily the most interesting tour I’ve done – which I think is the point.

I dun a blog

Something exotic, yet friendly
with a hint of mysticism and danger?

Link.

Norway was great, shame the Newcastle to Bergen ferry stopped.
Slovenia was cool too.

Best I have done is outer and inner Hebrides and Ardnamurchan. Lovely quiet roads, fantastic scenery, 5000 years of history everywhere, fantastic seafood, wild camping in neolithic stone circles and beautiful beaches

and yes – I have toured in a number of european countries but nothing comes close to that trip

I’m thinking about something like that – perhaps even further south – for November time. I reckon it’ll be warmer/drier/lighter than up here, yeah?

teej, done the isles the last 2 years.

nobeer, druidh, i would love to make one in for a weekend doing that.

And of course the ride across Spain and France with Mrs Stoner. A long time ago. http://pompinos.blogspot.co.uk/

Oh that was you. I remember reading that way back.

The second best tour I have done was around Northern Italy – lake Garda area and venice. that was good.

Central America is ace. Guatemala through to Panama was very cool. Lots of gravelly roads and off road options too. And amazing scenery

Recently did a guided tour of Transylvania.
Only saw a tiny portion of it but it’s a stunning place.

Denamrk has been our best, but only ever toured with our children. Having done Croatia(Istria), Netherlands (Bergen op Zoom up to the island of Den Helder), N Italy (Austrian border to Verona and back via. Lake Garda), France (Basin Arcachon to Biaritz, and Brittany) Denmark was the place we went back to 2 years running. I personally enjoyed the 1st year best: Island hopping from near the German border in a anti-clockwise tour taking in short train sections and doing Copenhagen. Free ‘nature’ campsites (not naturist).

Stoner: thanks for Finland archipelago: that’s our next years trip sorted!

tick…

All good suggestions. Lots of good stuff in eastern Europe if you want something more adventurous. I particularly liked Slovenia, Romania and Montenegro. The Dolomites are stunning, lots of big climbs.

I’m going to throw in Holland. It’s very gentle cycling, but it is just a straight up joy to cycle there. Relaxing, lovely rural and coastal paths and I’ve never been anywhere that is so cycle friendly. Everyone should experience it. You won’t want to go back to UK roads.

adds thread to favorites 🙂 .. some good ideas

There’s a lot to be said for riding straight from your door; the UK is, in the main, a rural country and really pretty scenery and quiet country lanes are probably within ten miles reach of most people.

*Edit* to answer the question, we’ve done short tours in the Yorkshire Dales, Wiltshire and have one penciled in for the Cotswolds. All lovely.

It’s hard to beat France, in my view: easy to get to, diverse terrain, quiet & well-surfaced roads, courteous drivers and good food at reasonable prices.

yeah i think france is the favourite. it needs to be a holiday more than anything else with the health issues we have had. dont want to get stressed with any logistical issues.

so bike bus from colton, 5 miles from my house, all the way down to bayonnes.
2 weeks exploring the west coast, and bike bus back from tours.
nice, easy and hopefully perfect. 😀

I’d fancy the Finland one having lived near there for a bit but not ridden those routes. But for all the same reasons ransos says, France is great. So many options and it’s easy to arrange.

France does make it easy
http://www.cycling-loire.com/
http://www.burgundy-by-bike.com/
http://www.freewheelingfrance.com/where-to-go/cycling-the-canal-du-midi-from-toulouse-to-sete.html
etc
etc

Houns is putting a wee southern tour together for me.

AREN’T YOU HOUNS !!!

Best I’ve done was Alps Crossing – Austria to Italy. Popular pursuit with the Germans don’t cha know.

http://www.go-alps.de/english
Nice mappage: http://www.go-alps.de/flash/karte-transalp-2016.swf?v3

so bike bus from colton, 5 miles from my house, all the way down to bayonnes.
2 weeks exploring the west coast, and bike bus back from tours.
nice, easy and hopefully perfect.

If you have the time and can make it a bit further upriver from Tours the Amboise to Blois stretch is dripping with chateaux and things, could do it in a day or two

Personally I hated the bike bus, worst journey ever. We picked it up from Stockton, though, so it make for an unbelievably long, uncomfortable ride. Especially as it broke down somewhere near Milton Keynes.

I’ve been to Aland many times, to a few Islands around Jurmo. If I were to go on a cycling trip from the UK, I would fly to Helsinki and take the overnight ferry to Mariehamn. Silja Line are a little more refined, whilst Viking Line are cheaper and known as the “Love Boat”. Either will be an experience 😀

I wouldnt go for a cycle tour on mainland Finland. The distances are vast between towns and there is little to see or do between. Road safety is an issue too. I’ve felt safer in Lithuania, UK, NL and Estonia than on Finnish mainland A-roads.

Aland is Swedish speaking, so the lingo should be easier. Most people speak excellent English, even the elderly. The people are friendly to tourists, the fish is fantastic and they make the best beer in Finland.

At this time of the year the bugs shouldnt be a problem. During the summer, the midges, mozzies, horseflies, ticks and mooseflies are irritating. Autumn turns to winter quickly over there, so I’d book quickly if you were going to travel this year. Mail in profile if OP/ anybody else wants to know more.

Slovenia for me, especially around Triglav National Park. Superb riding, stunning scenery, fairly quiet and everyone speaks English. Crap beer though.

Some great ideas there. France would be my favourite after a great week in Normandy this summer.

A mate and I roughed out a tour of Norfolk and Suffolk. Train to Norwich, then up to Sandringham and in and out along the coast trying to hit as many breweries and as much seafood as we could eat till Adnams at Southwold, which also does gin. There was a cider farm and a whiskey distillery en route as well!

Still reckon it has the makings of a grand week away.