In the UK or Europe.
Have you done it? Know anyone that has?
Pie in the sky dreaming I suppose but it could be done couldn't it?
Not talking B & B here, more bivvy bag/tent kind of scale and funds.
Montgomery Wick of this here parish as done this around China and the UK , crazyguyonabike is his website I think and also he has a blog on Tumblr, Tracksterman
Its 100x easier and more enjoyable to have another person with you on the trip if you can find one that fits the bill.
I did five weeks through hola s and Germany after finishing up my degree. It was mostly very pleasant and I would happily do it again if I had the time and no adult responsibilities.
I did take a tent and a bike trailer with me (Bob), so probably over packed for the trip and did stick to camping in actual camp sites. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it quite so much with just a bivouac. It was nice to be able to take time out to spend a day or so around some of the bigger cities without doing a lot of riding every now and again.
I have plans to do this. My view is to do bike touring for weeks or months on end it needs to be comfy or you will get fed up and either cut it short or spend a lot of time in hotels. Minimalist camping is fine for a few nights but not for weeks on end.
My plan is to ride up the Rhine and down the Danube - with side trips to Bohemia and Transylvania
I've the same dream poopscoop. One day I plan on taking a Eurovelo map and pointing in whatever compass direction I fancy and exploring what's on my doorstep, all things being relative.
It'd have to be in the drier / warmer seasons, and if they started closing in I'd be heading south / east to drier climates.
Did just under 3 months with my brother many years ago, camped at campsites on all but a couple of nights - always good to be able to shower after a day's cycling, and spent at least 2 days going nowhere sitting in tent playing cards whilst we waited for the rain to stop. Not sure I'd want to bivi for an extended period for those reasons alone.
Not quite the question asked, granted, but I have spent six months living and touring around Europe in a campervan. Obviously, that's a step up in comfort from a bivvy bag, but we still appreciated an actual bed in a hotel for a couple of nights every three/four weeks or so. Worth bearing in mind.
I've got a mild hankering to do the Velodysee down the Atlantic coast in France.
https://www.instagram.com/doubletrackfanatic/?hl=en
www.polarsteps.com/AndyCox
Andy's been touring Europe for a couple of years now. Tent, hiker huts etc. Warm Showers site could help. The pound may be devalued but I suspect your gain in life value will more than make up for it.
I spent 4 months cycling round UK and Ireland in 1995 (because I wanted to see my own country).
Mixed youth hostels with camping else it was very lonely. Best thing I ever did.
You'll almost certainly want a tent over a bivvy bag - keeping dry is hard enough as it is and there are some days you just crawl inside late afternoon and stay there.
Set off in early April - and still had snow/freezing rain to contend with. What I was not expecting was to find that campsites would not take me in August because they were full. So I cycled home, and then set out for some shorter trips a few weeks later.
http://www.crispinbennett.freedomnames.co.uk/Round%20Britain.htm
Not UK or Europe but Ben and his Mrs have been touring south America since 2017
Ben was/is pocketshepherd on STW
Alastair Humphreys' first couple of books are worth a read. 4 years round the world, done cheaply.
https://www.alastairhumphreys.com/books-2/world-bike-book-bundle/
https://instagram.com/lawrenceonabike?igshid=14tyz71d9qp14
Chap I was at uni with, spends a while on a bike in various scenic bits of Europe (currently Scandinavia), stops to work for a bit, then back on the bike.
Myself and two others did 3 months cycling from Liverpool to Gibraltar along the coast of the UK, France, Spain, and Portugal. The idea was to live on £1 each per day which we managed although I would probably stretch my budget a bit if I did it again! Wild camped every night which was never really an issue. Echo what others have said about tents v bivis though, a tent makes life so much better when it is raining or you are cooking.
I hope to do it again soon but without an end date and with a bikepacking setup so I can go offroad.
Totally doable, as shown by all the names above! I’d love to.
Definitely take a tent. Maybe a tarp too, so in good weather or for cheeky/awesome spots in good weather you could just go for tarp, sleeping bag and pad?
Flexibility would be key for me, occasional hotels to see cities, or more likely hostels (I love hosteling), sites, wild camping. What ever gets you to where you want to be.
I’d consider a BOB type trailer, but think about how it affects where you can stow the bike. Reflect about securing you stuff on any days off the bike too: the touring I’ve done has felt a bit exposed when leaving bike & tent & all my stuff behind while I went hiking or sightseeing!
Think about how (& what) you want to cook. It affects your resupply planning, and how far off the beaten track you go, and how much storage space you need on the bike.
And a second vote for a travelling companion, if you find one, though you need to want the same things, or be willing to compromise!
Joining up with folk for a few days is great but remember it’s easy to get very ‘independent’ when you control your time and flexing to accommodate others after a few weeks on the road can feel like a big imposition. Not to say you shouldn’t, just something to prepare for. The effort to get along pays off with companionship but beware it’ll be a (worthwhile) effort!
The idea was to live on £1 each per day which we managed
What did you eat? Was there no beer?
What did you eat? Was there no beer?
Food varied country to country but we would buy something like a big bag of pasta/rice to last a week and add tinned stuff like cassoulet then normally bread for lunch and porridge for breakfast. Part of the idea of following the coast was to catch fish to eat, I only caught 1 and it was too small to eat anyway. Once we got to france there was fruit on trees all the way to gibraltar, in spain we dined on peaches, nectarines, oranges, apples and plums for free.
No alcohol until we got to Spain where wine in a carton is cheap and plentiful, we did try brewing elderflower champagne in the uk as we went but it ended up all gloopy.
Poopscoop, are you sure about this? I enjoyed reading your updates on your recent adventure, but you had more life-threatening incidents occur over 3 days than most people get in a decade.
If you're camping then it's not much different from hat you would take for a week. Have a look at what through-hikers take and add in a few luxuries from there.
If you’re camping then it’s not much different from hat you would take for a week
Yes, if you are doing anything more than a bivvy, I'd agree it's much the same stuff for a few nights as it is for a few months.
A few years ago, I spent 3.5 months riding around Europe, going as far east as Ukraine and south to Macedonia before heading home through the Balkans, the Dolomites and the Alps. I did a mixture of campsites, wild camping and some guest houses, when visiting cities (and one night in a Ukrainian army barracks). I'd definitely go for a tent, to give yourself a bit of space and comfort. I used a Terranova Laser which packed really small but had a covered fly space where I could cook with a mini Trangia and store panniers.
This was pre widespread GPS, so I started with a map of Europe, to aim in the right general direction, and bought local maps to plan a more detailed route as I went. I didn't have a particular route when I started, apart from exploring Eastern Europe and going to Ukraine because they had waived visa restrictions for the Eurovision Song Contest. If you are happy wild camping, you can be pretty flexible, but it's nice to have a campsite shower at the end of a long cycling day instead of bathing in a mountain stream!
Great fun, so I'd say go for it. Touring around with everything you need to live strapped to your bike, and nothing to worry about other than going from A to B is one of life's great pleasures.
easily
Member
Poopscoop, are you sure about this? I enjoyed reading your updates on your recent adventure, but you had more life-threatening incidents occur over 3 days than most people get in a decade.
Cheeky sod!😁
Bloody true though.
Once we got to france there was fruit on trees all the way to gibraltar, in spain we dined on peaches, nectarines, oranges, apples and plums for free.
Ahh, so you can save money stealing from farms and orchards along the way. Surprised nobody thought of that before.
Very jealous. Done some short trips but nothing long. It does strike me that there is a difference between just completing a route and being a tourist. Just completing the route you may make a more sacrifice than being a tourist. E.g. as a tourist you may want a tent Vs bivi and some off bike ware to wonder around towns Vs only two pairs of cycling shorts etc.
Ahh, so you can save money stealing from farms and orchards along the way. Surprised nobody thought of that before.
And don’t forget, stealing from the Apple Store is only scrumping.
I've done two longish tours; Nordkapp to Greece and a Transam.
I'd use a tent over bivvying and prefer sites over wild. This is mainly to get showered/cleaned up each day and reduce the chances of being hassled by ne'er-do-wells.
I'd also be flexible on accommodation. A couple of wet days and you're gonna want a roof over your head to help dry out. When touring, this could be anything from dossing in a barn to 5* so flexibility is the keyword.
I'd also plan in rest/admin days i.e. don't beat yourself up about taking a day off now and then as both you and the bike will need it.
Last one, keep on top of the admin. Fix stuff (including you) early rather than leaving to escalate and make sure you do your preventative stuff religiously to help avoid future disappointment.
Sorry, last, last one. Less is definitely more. Keep a really beady eye on what you pack. There's a sweet spot between 'everything - just in case' and 'oh shite, I wish I'd brought one extra puncture patch but it was too heavy....'. We make lists, gather into piles then rummage through each others kit to 'audit' what's in there... 🙂
Ahh, so you can save money stealing from farms and orchards along the way. Surprised nobody thought of that before.
Or as an alternative less judgy approach perhaps it's present to realise that fruit grows other places other than farms.....
Forraging is an art.
Likewise i hang a sign on my apple tree that always produces far more than j can use. at the end of the season and invite passersby to take what they need.
We did 6 months in New Zealand and Australia on 6quid a day. The pound was much stronger than so 6 quid went quite far.
Equipment recommendations For what it's worth. Most of this is my thoughts, a bit from my cousin who has done stuff like Uk-Johannesburg-europe-alps-home.
Tent space is about the key luxury on a longer trip. My wife and I have done a few long tours on foot and by bike. The tent we usually take is a Terra-Nova voyager XL. It's light and has a huge porch area to store stuff and cook in out of the rain.
If you have a week or two of rain then there's no substitute for a bit of shelter. If you get ill on the trip it really helps to be able to shelter in a bit more comfort for a few days.
Cooking - MSR Whisperlite intl or simmilar. We have run this little stove off everything from diesel to naptha in temps from -15 to 40 and it has never, ever skipped beat.
Water - Getting this right is, IMO, the only REALLY important thing.
Two .75 litre bottles each with extra on the bike, dependent on location. Refill these before they are empty. Rest and relax when you stop to fill them.
Tucked into a pannier we carry an MSR dromedary. We can do all sorts with this. If you fill it and leave it in the sun you can wash in hot water. If you have a long dry stretch to cross you can add 6l or so to your carry capacity. If you're at camp and dont want to walk back and forth to a tap etc etc.
We carry an msr water filter, the miniworks is the closest. It connects to nalgene waterbottles and the dromedary. We've used this all over the place, again it is user serviceable in the field, there is a little redundancy and it has never skipped a beat. We have taken water from the most inadvisable sources in extremis with no issue.
Ortlieb panniers. No joke about these. They will wear but spares are easy to get and they are well versed in posting bits out to people.
Tortek stainless (think its the epic these days) rack. Your panniers will wear out the racks, your racks will wear out the panniers. This seems to have a good combo of strength and resilience.
Rohloff - Between my mtb, our tandem tours and several members of the family's epic tours we all say rohloff. To date the only failure was when X's broke a cable in Gabon (i think). a new one was there in 36 hours.
SON Dynamo paired with B&W lights and a B&W USB werks. We are able to keep two phones, a torch and a usb powerpack charged and have all the after-dark lighting we need with this setup. I know a few people that take a solar-panel and a chromebook/netbook too.
Tyres: Marathons.
Brakes: Cable discs. Avid bb7's go on and on and on. Changing pads is easy. Getting brake cables are easy, taking a few spare pads if youre goingn REALLY offpiste is easy. They don't die on long descents.
Hope that's of some use
+ 1 on the msr whisperlite.
Ours is now circa 15 years old.
Field serviceable with basic tools and burns most things ......if your really desperate you *can* heat water using meths with it even........guess who thought he was getting white gas in and actually bought meths without realising it
Main thing that I suggest is going spacious. Don't try and cram all your kit into 2*25 litre panniers when 2*35 or even 2"35 and 2*15 upfront. Having partially loaded panniers is better than having to ram them to get them closed everyday. It also allows you flexibility in what you do. When we came over from terrace to Jasper there was a whole lot of nothing and some of our only stops all day were small gas stations..... So empty space was filled with food. Later on it was 45degrees all day so we filled the empty space with water bottles (zero potable water on some sections due to.
Mining and residents were buying in pump trucks of water for their use)
Cooking – MSR Whisperlite intl or simmilar.
Dont do this, I bought one 25 years ago and it wont bloody die so I'm stuck with it......get the MSR dragonfly with simmer control, you can control the flame a bit with a whisperlight but its mainly just a water boiling stove.
Yep Whisperlight here too. They can gum up a bit if run on petrol but uber reliable. They do set off the fire alarms in Moki's (Scandi shed) if for example one was sparked up inside (ahem).
Haha yeah I got a telling off for using mine on a steel BBQ plate on a concrete bench on a tarmac carpark.
I was posing a fire risk with my BBQ apparently....
Dont do this, I bought one 25 years ago and it wont bloody die so I’m stuck with it……get the MSR dragonfly with simmer control, you can control the flame a bit with a whisperlight but its mainly just a water boiling stove
I had forgotten about the dragonfly. get that! - You can simmer on the whisperlite but there's a knack to it and you need to pay it a bit of attention. ours too is 15years old or so and has done trips as long as 6 months.
They can gum up a bit if run on petrol but uber reliable
I think the non-international version doesn't have the little shaker-jet self-cleaner and suffers much more from gunk. I always use coleman fuel or naptha when I have the choice. I think it was some naptha with addatives that had the thing glowing almost white, that was a bit scary.
I'm trying to add this thread to my favourites but it's not working so far. Is this normal? Should I give up?
Nope, posting here seems to have helped. It's saved now! Thanks!
Yeah if I was buying again I'd think about a dragon fly but with more adjustment comes more parts and more possible failures.
Whisperlite Can be simmered you just knock back the fuel flow at the bottle. Not a design feature and it is a knack but the lack of moving parts on the whisperlite appealed to me - the dragonfly at the time was considerably more expensive.
I've made pancakes , carbonara , omlettes , scrambled eggs , poached fish and regularly made milky porridge on it. We don't even use non stick pans just regular stainless so baking stuff to them by just going at it with max power is a propper chav.
I think the non-international version doesn’t have the little shaker-jet self-cleaner and suffers much more from gunk.
Yeah mine's the shaker one. So long as you rod it frequently with the stainless pipe cleaner, the shaker does its thing whilst it's in your pannier.
I’ve made pancakes , carbonara , omlettes , scrambled eggs , poached fish and regularly made milky porridge on it
All at the same time... 😀
I’ve made pancakes , carbonara , omlettes , scrambled eggs , poached fish and regularly made milky porridge on it. We don’t even use non stick pans just regular stainless so baking stuff to them by just going at it with max power is a propper chav.
My go-to show-off is to bake bread. I mix up the dry stuff at home and bag it, ready to go. Add a little water and knead through the bag an hour before camp and pop into the top of a pannier/rucksack. By the time you set up camp it has risen & is ready to bake. I've an alu sheet false bottom for one of the pans that sits on a coil of cut up windsheild. You pop some water in the base and hey-presto an improv steam oven.