Advice needed for first time tourers :)

[Naphynkamik]

Hey,
I am new to cycling, and am planning to do my first trip on a bicycle.
I will only have 20 days to complete this trip.
Together with me will be travelling my brother and dad, who is not as fit as I am, hence we will be going really slow, I guess not more than 50 miles a day.
This would make 1000 miles total for the whole trip. We locate around Bristol, so thats our starting and finishing point.
We prefare to be self sufficient, hence we will carry tents and all the other gear, will cook our own food, and would like to spend nights at places that would not attract attention (I just would not feel safe to sleep in a place where people are wondering around, you never know what might happen).
So, here go the questions:
-Does anyone have suggestions of a route for a cycling trip that we would be able to do based on the info above? We wanted to go to France and back, through the Eurotunnel, but since it is only 20 days and 1000 miles, I don't know if we can do it. Maybe it is more wise to take a trip within UK.
-How expensive would the bicycles have to be to last this trip without falling apart? Would cheap hybrids do (400£)? or do we have to get the more expensive Dawes touring bicycles? By falling apart I mean rims failing, crankshaft breaking, and so on.... flat tyres, broken chain, or some other easily fixable problems don't count.

So, any advice is welcome.
I am really excited about this!

 

[cisamcgu]

Hello,

I am not an expert on touring, others no doubt will offer better advice than I, but any reputable brand bike would manage that distance and probably 10x it, avoid very cheap things from ASDA and TESCO however Often how well the bike "fits" the rider is more important than the cost,

50 miles per day is not a huge amount, but if you are not used to cycling, and the terrain is in any way hilly it can seem an eternity, I would add some rest days, short days, easy days to give yourselves time to recover. (Don't ignore the added burden of tents and other camping stuff - it all weighs a lot )

Wild camping(i.e. not on a camp-site) is illegal in England and Wales


Cheers
Andrew

 

[Fandango]

You can cycle from Bristol to London via the Kennet and Avon canal, this is a lovely route and flat which will help your less fit members. 50 miles a day on hilly terrain is hard going for people not used to it. You will need rest days every few days if it's hilly.

I am cycling around the coast of the UK and did much of it on a £400 hybrid I bought from the local bike shop, I would avoid cheap catalogue/supermarket bikes but you don't have to spend a fortune. Allow money for the racks and panniers though, cheap panniers are a bit of a pain, I ended up replacing all mine with Altura Orkneys which are great.

If you are not really fit I would suggest keeping weight as low as possible. Just because it will fit in the panniers doesn't mean you need to lug it up the hills. Buy food as you go, I use a lot of chinese pot noodles that weigh nothing but are a tasty meal with some meat/fish.

It would pay you to join the Camping and Caravanning club. These guys have lots of small campsites dotted around that are members only. They are cheap and always have nice clean showers. The main club sites - there is an excellent one on the canal at Devizes - only charge about £6 per night for cycle campers. Wild camping is illegal but I have done it myself on the odd occasion I couldn't find a campsite. You will start to stink without a shower though so you will need proper campsites sometimes.

I hope you have a great time, it sounds fun to me. Just don't expect everyone to keep up with your pace if they are older/less fit than you. Take your time and enjoy the journey, it doesn't really matter how far you get.

 

[hubbike]

A 400 quid bike will last 20 days okay without any of the disasters you mention (rims, bottom bracket, take 10s of 1000s of miles to get knackered) but you might break spokes (especially rear wheels) if you load them up with too much gear. You might break racks too if they are cheap aluminium ones.

you can go a good long way in 20 days...My broad suggestions would be...

1. explore your doorstep, tour around wales, there is fantastic coast (pembookshire), mountains (brecon beacans, snowdonia...)
2. ireland. fly to cork, cycle home via holyhead ferry...
3. Scotland. You can cycle to the lakes in about 5 days. then up to the the wilds of scotland.
4. But you could easily get to france...How about this:
Bristol to Portsmouth(historic ships) via salisbury (stonehenge) (2 days) ferry to Le Harve (fancy bridge) (LD lines are cheapish)
Le harve to honfleur (beautiful little town) along the normandy coast (where D-Day landings happened, don't miss mulberry harbour!), possibly with inland diversion to Bayeux (tapestry) or Caen (castle), and a hop over to the Channel islands (bergerac)...Then on through brittany to roscoff to get the ferry to plymouth and then cross dartmoor, head to taunton, get on the canal towpath to bridgewater and go on back roads through the mendips (via cheddar gorge) back to Bristol...

 

[hubbike]

Wild camping(i.e. not on a camp-site) is illegal in England and Wales

but if you are discreet and act in a responsible manner, it is still viable.

Lots of cheapish municipal campsites in france.

oh, and don't dismiss 2nd hand bikes. bikes loose their value fast, but a strong comfortable old hardtail mtb or hybrid will do you. get it a service and your laughing.


or get a bike refurbished by prisoners

 

[Dave Davenport]

50 miles a day for 20 days on a loaded bike would be pretty tough for someone who's not that fit or done much cycling. I'd recommend somewhere like the Loire Valley which is pretty flat, you can follow the cycle route for as long as you like then train back, no pressure to do any more miles than you're comfortable with. Also, there are plenty of good / cheap (circa 5 euro per head) campsites all over France.

If you prefer to stay in the UK a circular tour of Devon and Cornwall would seem the best bet, plenty of campsites, home to home, train if required.

 

[Ticktockmy]

If you are new to cycling, then I think your plans maybe a little too advanced for you, 700 miles max would be better for you, as you need to allow for any problems that will occur, and as someone new to the game they will crop up for sure. You need to get yourself and the bikes set up to you, get all the equipment Panniers, camping kit and other kit you require (try to keep that down below 15 kg’s) on the bikes and do some shake down rides, find the weak points with your bikes, kit and yourself of course.

Once that sorted, you need to get a route sorted, and you can get plenty of advice on this forum, I would look closely at the National Cycle Routes as generally they are flattish, and whilst they don’t always take the short route between places, they do provide a signed route which will make your trip easier, this link will take you to a good starting point.

http://www.sustrans....ol-and-somerset

 

[Naphynkamik]

Thank you everyone for lots of good ideas and tips!
I will surely consider to drop the distance from 1000 to maybe 800 miles...

I liked the hubbike's route idea..
anyway, i will have some more thought and talking with my travel mates and will decide on the final plan.

Thanks again!

 

[HelenD123]

I think your plans for 1000 miles are too ambitious. On my first tour I attempted to do 600 miles in 2 weeks, figuring that was 10 60 mile days with a few days off. I was reasonably fit but just couldn't do it. I wasn't used to riding day after day or carrying a load. You'll be carrying a fair amount of gear if you're camping which will slow you down.

I'd be tempted to stay in the UK so that you can jump on a train home if the tour doesn't work out. I'd second the recommendation of following Sustrans routes. It's nicer to follow the smaller back roads but this can mean intricate navigation which is a chore. Following a signed route means much less stress and fewer problems if the group gets separated.

Hope you all have a fun tour whatever you decide to do.

 

[andym]

Helen said what I was going to say: if you stay on the UK then it's not going to cost an arm and a leg if say you had to come back early. I know from bitter experience that the 'walk-up' Paris-London fare is 180€.

There are also nice Sustrans routes up along the Severn or down towards the Somerset levels. Be aware though that Wales, Devon and Cornwall, and the Cotswolds are definitely not flat.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Or how about;

Bristol - Plymouth; 140'ish miles via Exmoor, Dartmoor etc.

Ferry to Roscoff

Roscoff - Caen; 250 to 350 miles

Ferry to Portsmouth

Portsmouth - Bristol; 120'ish miles via Salisbury Plain, Kennett & Avon canal path, Bath

 

[Naphynkamik]

Dave, great route, I think I like this one the most. And the distance is not too big, since we are doing this first time.
I guess my travel mates will like it too.

Thanks!

 

[Naphynkamik]

Oh, by the way, do you know the websites for the ferries? Do I have to order tickets online or can I get them right there on the spot?

 

[Dave Davenport]

Brittany Ferries for both routes. Yes you will need to book.

 

[andym]

Brittany Ferries for both routes. Yes you will need to book.

Britanny Ferries also give you a degree of flexibility as you can change dates - subject to avaiability.