End of Season blues

[Speicher]

Yes, I must get into training for my next Tour.

I shall start by ordering a new copy of Thomas Cook's railway timetable.

Then find the route of the Tour de Suisse.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

What I'd really love to do though and haven't managed to do yet is just load my bike up and head off for a campsite somewhere. Now where's that 'what tent' thread...

I'd recomend doing that before a tour just to sort out any gear issues...and get used to how campsites tick. Choose one about 140km from home, set out early an daim to collapse in the tent about 8pm..that should do it...then get up at dawn and head home the next day. Hopefully the Drunken Wohnwaggenors next door will have supplied you with enuff free booze to numb the noise they make all night and you will arise refreshed and ready for the day ahead...well it's a plan.

 

[ASC1951]

As it is I am going to Gran Canaria in early Jan for a week

Lucky sod! Best place ever for a cycling week, even if rubs my nose in my lack of fitness.

 

[Christopher]

My only tour so far was a 4-dayer in August in Dumfries (SW Scotland). It was such fun that I'm hoping to do some long weekend mini-tours in wild mid-Wales when I get back from hols in October. Plan would be to stay in bunkhouses rather than wild camping...

Off to SW France tomorrow for 5 weeks leave, working on the parent's house and doing day rides, maybe some mountain walking in the Pyrenees...

 

[John Ponting]

Is anyone else HANKERING to go on tour again? I'm literally aching to get on the bike and set off round Europe again. Just me feeling like this?

I haven't had a holiday so far in 2008 and your constant reports and pictures are not helping me at all.

 

[Bodhbh]

My only tour so far was a 4-dayer in August in Dumfries (SW Scotland). It was such fun that I'm hoping to do some long weekend mini-tours in wild mid-Wales when I get back from hols in October. Plan would be to stay in bunkhouses rather than wild camping...

Yes, burned most of my hols now, but hope to have some mini-jaunts at the weekend before the nights pull in too much. It's the nights drawing in more than the weather that puts me off camping in winter. Suppose a good book and the hospitality of the local alehouse is the key.

Anyone use the Christmas period to do some touring? Seems like a better use of time than sat watching rubbish on TV for a week.

Did some camping over Easter in the Dales around Ingleborough when we had the snow (hiking not biking). First time been out in the full on Winter, was great fun, scenery amazing. Also the 'bad' weather kept the area relatively clear of people. Look forward to at least having a crack on the bike.

 

[coopman]

I did my first tour this year, and Im itching to get away again, but probably wont be till next year, its not so easy to bale out of the house when you have a 1 year old daughter! Well so my wife says anyway!!!!

 

[Amanda P]

We just got back from a two-and-a-half week jaunt around the south-west of Ireland. We also got unmitigatedly wet.

On our return, we joined up with the Moulton Bicycle Club's annual weekend get-together. It rained, hard, often and lots.

This all just makes BTFB's photo all the more irritating. We're still cycling to work, but it's still raining!

We plan to visit the Mrs's parents in South Africa early next year, when it's mediterranean-style summer in the Cape, and do some of the Garden Route. We've done it before (that was our honeymoon) but not by bike.

 

[HelenD123]

I'd recomend doing that before a tour just to sort out any gear issues...and get used to how campsites tick. Choose one about 140km from home, set out early an daim to collapse in the tent about 8pm..that should do it...then get up at dawn and head home the next day. Hopefully the Drunken Wohnwaggenors next door will have supplied you with enuff free booze to numb the noise they make all night and you will arise refreshed and ready for the day ahead...well it's a plan.

Just remember that you're now a seasoned tourer. That was slightly more than I had in mind.

Anyway, I've just reserved one of these as recommended by Vernon. Thought it was worth a try for £25. Just need to find a new sleeping bag now. Mine's ginormous and would more than fill a pannier itself!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

..well in that case you are allowed to remove the 0 from the figure

let us all know how you get on with tht tent, for £25 it looks good...big as well although at 2.1kg it's heavy, but may be worth it if you can ge tthe bike under it.

 

[Amanda P]

We've learned the hard way that, no matter how light the shop says your tent is, when you pack it away wet, it will weigh a lot more than that...

 

[HelenD123]

Decathlon were quoting 2kg for the tent you have, unless I've looked at the wrong one.

 

[Dayvo]

The tent you have reserved Helen looks OK, but if it's only a single skin, it might not be too waterproof in a rain storm.

For a few more pounds, this http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produ...0199393/c_3/3|cat_10199393|Tents|10199417.htm looks quite good, and it's a 'bit' lighter.

 

[HelenD123]

Vernon mentioned the tent on the 'cheap tents' thread (sorry, no idea how to link to it). It is doubled skinned and survived his very wet and windy tour of Wales so seems worth a punt. I can always return it to Argos if I don't think it's suitable.

 

[Scoosh]

HelenD123 - go to the link Dayvo gave you, then click on the Special offer available - click here for details
There you will see that you can get the (bigger, lighter ) tent for £100 and they'll throw in a sleeping bag and a rucksack FREE !

Get the tent, try the sleeping bag, consider the rucksack, then sell what you don't want and you get the tent for effectively - what - £50


Now that's got me thinking .....