where do you go? I've recently found myself a job in higher education meaning that July/ August are pretty commitment free. Keen to plan a big cycling adventure as something to look forward to? Does anyone have any ideas? I like the idea of riding from my front door (Sheffield) but wouldn't rule out travelling to a start point by other means. Looking for inspiration! I rode a big chunk of the Danube cycle path last year, which was great because I didn't need to mix it with the cars. The terrain was a bit samey though for any more than the 2 weeks I did! Cheers, R
Budget?
Technical, fast, flowy, road, journey, destination??
For me I'd either look for a tour of the alpine resorts or BC
I'm not really planning any other holidays this year so I'm fairly flexible budget-wise. Would stay in hostels/ camp to try to cut costs as I did this year. Let's say a few thousand £ max... I managed to piss away £700 for a fortnight cycling through Europe so that sounds reasonable.
I'm open to any journey you think sounds interesting. I ride road and mtb. I like road touring but only on the right roads. That's ok to work that out for local rides, not so much for a multi-week tour. BC sounds like a good shout. Given the remoteness, I'd imagine road riding there is fairly relaxed.
This time of year I'd probably head to Spain / portugal and do a tour
I have a friend who's casually cycling to Beijing at the moment. It looks great but I see a lot of updates about bad driving etc all over the place really. Something slightly more sanitised for me, as I don't fancy being killed en route.
Norway. Start from Bergen, and follow the coast north. Plenty of interesting scenery and terrain anyway. And not too much traffic.
Pricey but I have a friend who did the Africa one. Looked like an amazing trip - longer than six weeks though
I like the Norway idea. You could ride up to Newcastle on route 1 and get the ferry. A shorter version of this?
http://www.northsea-cycle.com/
Or within the country the north coast 500 would be a good shout but riding from your door.
I'd be looking at doing Europe north to south. I've a rough plan to do that in 2019.
Trace the route of the old Iron curtain?
Coastal tour of the Med or Adriatic?
Wales coast to coast via every trail center/castle/other attractions?
Mate of mine got invited to a Goth wedding in the shadow of Dracula's castle & rode a 1959 BSA motorcycle there & back over 10 days from Bristol camping each night - he said he saw a lot of cyclists with camping gear along the way.
That was brilliant Paton, thanks for posting that up.
I have a similar length Summer holiday and have considered flying with my bike to somewhere like Rome or Athens or... and cycling back.
There are some great ideas here - lots of inspiration! Awesome vid, Paton, I'm not sure I'm at the level of mechanised tramp though! Gaus1777, there is something very appealing about riding either to or from your own front door. Not sure I'd fancy Italian roads though. I've found it scary enough being a car passenger in Italy..!
Gauss, are you a mathematician/ physicist by any chance?
Africa looks incredible but that tour is slightly prohibitive in price, as you say 😯
Have you looked at the EuroVelo routes?
Your Danube trip is just part of EV6 - personally I quite fancy Pula to Gdansk.
[url= http://www.eurovelo.com/en/eurovelos ]The EuroVelo map[/url]
I like the Norway idea. You could ride up to Newcastle on route 1 and get the ferry
I did 10 days or so from Bergan many years ago. Its great, Hardangavidda worth a visit. I lived in Newcastle at the time and got the ferry but I dont think it runs anymore
Europe would be my choice. You need a good amount of variety when cycling - e.g. riding across the USA or Australia you'd have weeks with barely a change. Europe is relatively small scale, you'll find lots of terrain and food and weather and cultural changes. Fly to Portugal and ride back wherever takes your fancy?
Wifes a teacher This summer we did Vancouver - naniamo - port hardy-prince rupert-prince George -jasper-banff -calgary in 3.5 weeks.
Highly recommend it hugely variable scenary and people.
But sanitised enough to not be stressful. Good roads people and facility's .
Wife wanted to do karokuram highway but I work in Africa and so I felt it would be a busman's holiday bartering and negotiating every meal and accomodation.
The Eurovelo routes look like a good shout. Ride to Hull, ferry to Rotterdam, Eurovelo 15 to Zurich and from there, many choices to reach all corners or southern and Eastern Europe!
Gauss, are you a mathematician/ physicist by any chance?
I would love to be - however, a humble maths teacher is my lot.
Gaus1777, there is something very appealing about riding either to or from your own front door. Not sure I'd fancy Italian roads though. I've found it scary enough being a car passenger in Italy..!
Well, I've only ever travelled a bit in Italy by train - you could well be right. However, most places I have been, if you have the time to take a more circuitous route you can generally find quieter roads - although inevitably there always some sections I would not choose to have to cycle on.
Just about the right amount of time for a relaxed Tour Divide no? Bit spenny though...
A bit pricey, but you do only live once. That'd equate to around 60ish miles a day for the continental divide...
Great find Paton. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
The NC500 isn't something I'd fancy during the school holiday season. The little I saw of it this year put me clean off the idea. Out of season, yes.
El Camino de Santiago... by bike.
Plenty of routes feed into and from it, the main one is signposted from the outset and quite difficult to get lost. The bike route deviates a couple of times from the walking route but not much. Plenty or hostels and villages and BnB's that accommodate "pilgrims".. and plenty of bike storage too. Ferry to Santander, pick up route, do route, head north along the coast back to Santander and catch ferry back.. plenty on line about route planning and places of interest, doable on a CXer or MTB..
How long is the El Camino de Santiago?
500 miles
A: The commonly agreed-upon route for El Camino de Santiago (a.k.a. the Way of St. James) begins at Saint Jean Pied de Port, France, and travels 500 miles through four of Spain's 15 regions, ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
France in general is pretty nice for cruising around. You could ride down to Portsmouth, ferry to Caen, follow the coast round Brittany and down the atlantic?
Part 2
things were different 46 years ago
road cycling in Italy is fine. Drivers are courteous and give you plenty of room IME
Norway or Balkans for me.
Fly down to southern Europe. Ride back.
There are numerous route options that don't require A roads (or the continental equivalent) and you get a nice wide range of culture, languages etc doing a Europe tour.
Croatia down to Greece? Some friends of mine did in May and another old friend of mine is doing together with a friend of hers right now. According to her FB postings she's in Ohrid in Macedonia. The pics she posted in Albania looked stunning.
this sounds brilliant
file:///Users/hughsuffern/Desktop/FOLDERS/bikes%20etc/holidays%20trips/Bikepacking%20Slovenia's%20West%20Loop%20-%20BIKEPACKING.com.html