Generic Touring Thread

Just planning my cycling tours/holidays for this year.
Going to head back for more of the Pyranees in July, ride to Paris in August with my daughter and hopefully get to some of the Scottish Islands too.

What's everyone else got planned?

Scottish islands are brilliant! especially the outer hebrides. I'm planning on the c2c at some point, might try and squeeze it into a weekend. Also heading to the pyrenees in july to ride some hills and hopefully watch a bit of the tour.

What's everyone else got planned?

Probably taking the ferry to Santander again and explore Spain on a carbon fibre bicycle this time.

Check out the train too. Was same price as ferry (inc. bike extortion fees) and I didn't book tat far in advance. Plus only 10h or so.

To Spain though? flying will become more feasible in future once I sort out a carbon bike, like this GT Grade;

After reading this blog http://shesnotpedallingontheback.com/2014/12/11/albania-and-the-former-yugoslav-republic-of-macedonia-and-albania/ i'm thinking of going more eastern this year. Ferry to denmark then down through poland, hungary and serbia.

Yeah you can go to Spain. Or near there too and then ride.

Or yeah fly as you say. But that's a faff. Train you can ride on and off.

Bikepacking = easy to travel, even on my touring bike, I managed to stay under the weight limit.

This look like a lots of fun;

http://www.mountainpassions.com/summer/summer_activities/cycle_parpaillon.html#.VKsaEIqsWV8

If you are UK based flying to Denmark is much cheaper - consider going thru Sweden to Poland.

That is true, I managed to have a £60 return flight, recommend Air Norwegian (free wifi on board!).

I'm hoping I'll go for an impromtu tour this summer.
However there are a few obstacles.

1. I'm getting married
   
2. I'm starting a new job
   
3. I'm training for something
   
   

Which leaves a week in July which I have free in theory...
Its genuinely upsettingly busy.

I pretty sure there's no ferry between Denmark and England anymore

I think you might be thinking of Norway rather.

Actually you're right, didn't realised;

It is with great sadness that we announce our route between Harwich and Esbjerg has closed, as of 29 September 2014. This unfortunately means there is no longer a ferry route between the UK and Denmark, however there are still a number of convenient ways to get to Scandinavia from the UK using our other routes.

I wonder what happen to Harwich...

guessing harwich still has ferries to holland.

Looks like no scandi ferries at all from the uk now

There's almost no way Harwich can get any worse.

^ this

I've decide to do a bike tour to Santiago d/C in June as it will probably be one of my only chances and I've wanted to do it for a long time now. I don't want to spend too long, probably c. 2 wks. I'll be starting from SW France - near la Rochelle (or possibly Bordeaux).

I'm right in the early planning stages so I thought I'd ask for some advice and I'd really appreciate some input.

I'll be doing it on my TCR and plan to do it as light as possible - no camping or no cooking equipment, etc. From a quick goggle map route excluding motorways and toll roads it's C. 1,300km (although I realise a large section of up hill isn't accounted for). I probably won't have cycled properly for about a year, although I'll be in good fitness.

1. How many miles/km per day is reasonable and will 2wks be enough for that route?

2. Following on from Q1. if 2wks is too little is it worth getting a train a bit further South and starting from somewhere else like Bordeaux? And has anyone done that route and will I be missing out?

3. Where should I start for route planning? Are there any websites etc. people would recommend?

Cheers.

@laner Macedonia will be lovely, from what I can gather about it. And bear Montenegro in mind on the way through from Serbia, meant to be awesome (literally). I recall Dervla Murphy absolutely loved it in her book about touring in the Balkans in the post Yugo' war era, 'The Embers of Chaos'.

That whole west coast strip is beautiful of France.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOMtwOfmvIQ


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8sNtrh7PjE


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Popblwh8p9k

Just recieved these from Lomo.

Chosen primarily because I couldn't face spending and extortionate £100! + on the Ortlieb equivalent holdall, and a similar price for the Revelate Sweetroll.

I'm so pleased! The quality is excellent. The clips are great, the welds are wide. They hold air and repel water. They arrived in 3 days and I spent less than £40 for all three delivered!

The holdall is the perfect size over twin Ortlieb panniers. However, the compression clips on the holdall don't match the Ortliebs. I queried this with Lomo, asking where to get the matching clips so I could add them to the Ortliebs, and they sent me a couple of pairs in the post for free (the Ortlieb replacements will cost you a fiver)! I just added those to the Ortliebs, without removing the old ones or damaging anything, and now the whole system works as intended.

I've got some clips and straps on the way to mount the long drybag to the bars, maybe with some kind of homemade sling added if i need to.

I reckon that if Lomo marketed more of this stuff at cyclists, they would make a real dent in Ortliebs monopoly. Plus their service is great.

Yeh, I know the area around Congnac, La Rochelle down to Blaye quite well, but only from driving so I'd rather not cut any of it out. South of their (asides from Biarritz) I've got no idea.

I'm also quite excited by the prospect of riding a decent bike as opposed to accient battered 5 speeds.

http://cycletouringfestival.co.uk/

100km per day with 1500m elevation or 75km 2500m is a really nice and easy pace - doable in too-hot-to-cycle weather as in rain for 14 days in a row (incl. a little sickness during the days) - less elevation make you go further for free :-)

Just purchased a RAB Neutrino Endurance jacket for round the campsite. I refuse to be cold camping this summer on this amazing island we live on.