'Credit Card' touring

[MacB]

to do it truly credit card only then you need to restock at each stop. If it's planned ahead then you purchase the items you want online and have them mailed to each hotel. On arrival you have waiting for you, an evening outfit, toiletries and fresh cycling kit for the next day. You also re-use the packaging to mail the dirty kit/evening outfits home. If your route isn't planned then you'd need to look for shops, that may prove a bit trickier.

 

[cheadle hulme]

Not very enviro but I am considering taking the car + tent to a area I have not visited in detail before. Find a good campsite, erect my frame tent complete with carpets chairs, table, cooker etc and spend 2/3 days doing different circuits from the campsite on a light racer. I've also considered just taking the [estate] car and using car to wild camp and as a base. Anybody done this?

Jim

Same here, just got back from a month in France doing this. Stayed at campsites for 3/4 days as it was a pain packing and unpacking everything, including reassembling the bike.

I went off cycling all day, the missus went doing whatever missus things she does and we met back at camp at tea time and went out for the evening.

It was a bit of a tighter squeeze in a Skoda Fabia than I'd have liked though. Ended up breaking the rear mech as I slammed the car door on it at one point.

 

[andym]

You could have the best of both worlds: use the train/ferry/bike to get to your base. Then set up base camp and go riding.

 

[willem]

Alternatively, ride there on an audax bike with a two wheeled trailer with the luggage, and make unloaded tours from there.
Willem

 

[bonj2]

to do it truly credit card only then you need to restock at each stop. If it's planned ahead then you purchase the items you want online and have them mailed to each hotel. On arrival you have waiting for you, an evening outfit, toiletries and fresh cycling kit for the next day. You also re-use the packaging to mail the dirty kit/evening outfits home. If your route isn't planned then you'd need to look for shops, that may prove a bit trickier.

This is ridiculously optimistic! What are the chances that *every* hotel is going to have received the kit, and is going to have it ready for you?
There are so many things that could go wrong: post late, person that received the hotel's mail doesn't communicate with the receptionist, hotel begrudges guests receiving mail there, hotel nicks it, etc etc...

But a very good way of doing it if you could be sure it was going to work!

 

[Riverman]

How about 'charity shop and primark touring'?

Buy clothes from charity shops and primark in each town/city then replace in the next? lol

Shirt - £3
trousers: £4
pants and socks - probably about £6 combined from primark

Not exactly good for the environment but affordable.

Maybe take the clothes back to the charity shop once you've used them?

 

[bigjim]

You could have the best of both worlds: use the train/ferry/bike to get to your base. Then set up base camp and go riding.

In the UK that could be a pain getting them to accept the bike. There is enough stories on here about accessing public transport with a bike. Like it or not, it is so much easier to use the car and you can transport more gear to make life a little easier.

 

[bonj2]

How about 'charity shop and primark touring'?

Buy clothes from charity shops and primark in each town/city then replace in the next? lol

Shirt - £3
trousers: £4
pants and socks - probably about £6 combined from primark

Not exactly good for the environment but affordable.

Maybe take the clothes back to the charity shop once you've used them?

only problem is charity shops and primark don't sell cycling gear.

 

[willem]

The train is never a real problem on the continent. The problem with the car is that you cannot do a one direction ride: you always have to return to your car. As for gear: less is more in my experience. The less junk the better.
Willem

 

[andym]

In the UK that could be a pain getting them to accept the bike. There is enough stories on here about accessing public transport with a bike. Like it or not, it is so much easier to use the car and you can transport more gear to make life a little easier.

Complete and utter rubbish.

UK trains companies are among the most bike-friendly in Europe. And that's a fact from a survey by the European Cyclists Federation.

If you are travelling in a group of say four then a car is possibly easier, ditto if you want to cart a bunch of useless crap like camping chairs, but otherwise the train is easy and convenient. Yes OK maybe you have to get off your arse and do some research and maybe make a reservation but once you're on the train it is way easier, more relaxing, and often quicker than by car.

 

[bonj2]

Complete and utter rubbish.

UK trains companies are among the most bike-friendly in Europe. And that's a fact from a survey by the European Cyclists Federation.

If you are travelling in a group of say four then a car is possibly easier, ditto if you want to cart a bunch of useless crap like camping chairs, but otherwise the train is easy and convenient. Yes OK maybe you have to get off your arse and do some research and maybe make a reservation but once you're on the train it is way easier, more relaxing, and often quicker than by car.

I quite like cycling by train, but do find the car much easier.
I'm doing a sportive down south in october, and i'm going on the train purely 'cos it is more relaxing and less boring - I don't want to drive all that way, but i've got to take my audax bike, as i will have to have my lights and GPS on, plus i won't worry about it getting knocked as much.

Still it's quite a reasonable price, 45 quid return.

 

[dellzeqq]

to do it truly credit card only then you need to restock at each stop. If it's planned ahead then you purchase the items you want online and have them mailed to each hotel. On arrival you have waiting for you, an evening outfit, toiletries and fresh cycling kit for the next day. You also re-use the packaging to mail the dirty kit/evening outfits home. If your route isn't planned then you'd need to look for shops, that may prove a bit trickier.

a few years ago I mailed my clothes to Kirkwall 'poste restante' and it worked fine.

One thing just arose that I'd not come across before. I always phone the hotel and ask if there is indoor storage space for the bike. Well, every hotel on the official Harwich guide said 'no'. It took a daytrip up there to find one that would say 'yes'. It may be a Harwich thing - from the humblest B+B to the grandest hotel there always seems to be a will to make room, although one scottish hotelier did remark as I chained my bike up inside a garage 'Simon, you live in a different world to Carfraemill - nobody's going to steal your bike up here'.

 

[snorri]

only problem is charity shops and primark don't sell cycling gear.

It's only a problem if you have been conned into thinking you cannot cycle in ordinary clothes.

 

[bonj2]

It's only a problem if you have been conned into thinking you cannot cycle in ordinary clothes.

but ordinary clothes are only acceptable to cycle in if you've never worn lycra and realised how much more comfortable it is, or you're vain enough to think you look silly/skinny/fat in lycra (and stuck-up enough to care).

 

[bigjim]

Complete and utter rubbish.

If you are travelling in a group of say four then a car is possibly easier, ditto if you want to cart a bunch of useless crap like camping chairs, but otherwise the train is easy and convenient. Yes OK maybe you have to get off your arse and do some research

What an extremely rude and unpleasant reply.