Drinking and cycling

[Drago]

Nah, Ive never been stopped while riding tipsy, mainly because whenever they try to pull me I take to the fields and escape cross country. I haven't had a ***t all night, drinkstable!

 

[Joffey]

I've fallen off a few times drunk. I have stopped riding drunk.

 

[Seevio]

S30 does not make it an offence to cycle while drunk. The offence is being unable to control your bicycle due to the effects of alcohol. You can be completely hammered, but if you can control your bike you do not fall foul of this law.

 

[tyred]

I am considering buying a unicycle for riding to the pub.

 

[palinurus]

It so happens that I cycle even better after drinking. If cycle racing took place in the early hours I wouldn't stop winning.

 

[Edwardoka]

If the island with lots of distilleries is the one I'm thinking of, it's hard enough to ride a bike while sober. Windiest place I've ever been.

 

[Drago]

S30 does not make it an offence to cycle while drunk. The offence is being unable to control your bicycle due to the effects of alcohol. You can be completely hammered, but if you can control your bike you do not fall foul of this law.

No, you must have proper control of the bike. Simply managing to get home without losing any limbs might not make that grade.

 

[TheDoctor]

No, you must have proper control of the bike. Simply managing to get home without losing any limbs might not make that grade.

So, to take a fictitious example, if my friend was to ride ten miles home, including a few fast downhills, a wiggly country lane and a chance of ending up in two different duckponds and a ford, would that be 'proper control' if he arrived home unscathed, undampened and without an unexpected visit to the llamas?
A nearby pub *may* have had half-price beer, and we *may* have stayed until it was all gone. And yes, you pass a field with llamas in. Or possibly alpacas.
Generally, however, I stick to two while I'm riding, then drop into the pub at the end of my road for a final few.

 

[Drago]

Yeah, that sounds reasonable to me.

 

[fossyant]

I'll have a few pints down at our caravan, but we're not riding on roads - NCN. We'll potter up the track 2-3 miles to a pub, have a couple then wobble back. Bike stays at home if having any more. We walked 6 miles return to Prestatyn and back to the van for 4 drinks at weekend.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I had an altercation with a Gendarme at Dieppe Port after 9 pints on the ferry, does that count?

Only if you beat him in the cycle race to town.

 

[oldwheels]

The islands are renowned for having a more relaxed attitude to driving whilst inebriated. I'm sure tipsy cyclists are also widely tolerated. If not active encouraged.

Don't bank on it.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

.........
I'm asking because I'm planning a visit in a renowned and very low populated island of Scotland, famous for its whisky. We're going by car, but bringing the bikes with us. The island is small enough to be able to cycle from a distillery to the other, and cycle back to the hotel. Obviously would be nice to do the distillery tours and whisky tasting sessions, although not sure how straight I can cycle after 9-12 drams of delicious single malt

Have any of you ever attempted such a thing?

Not sure if there's 12 distilleries or two, but if the former have you checked out the cost of visiting each distillery?
That might put a stop to your gallop or at least leave you a lot less inebriated than you're currently thinking

Now, if you wanted to do it properly, pack a tent and give each distillery the respect they deserve by spending a full day there and sleeping on the premises! A great two week tour!

To be boring and going on the use of "we" splitting a taxi shouldn't be a burden. I'm sure such a service is available.
I've been pulled by Police in at least three different countries for being drunk on a bike but I was younger then and bounced better.

I'm sure you'll have a great time. There are some wonderful characters giving tours.
Good luck!

 

[oldwheels]

Read a book recently about a party of South African retired journalists cycling in Germany. One of them worked out that they did about 18k per litre of beer with only the occasional brandy.

 

[Drago]

Don't bank on it.

Indeed, even going back to my childhood the McDibble would finger people for drink driving and document offences with amazing regularity.

A susprirsing few would moan along the lines of "I moved aphere to get away from all the rules and red tape", which seemed odd to me as even my young mischevious self knew full well what the laws of the land were and that they applied there as equally as they did in Hampstead.

I think some of the locals and natives were less respectful of such rules, but the McDibble seemed no less rigorous in their zeal to catch people.