Family touring in Sicily

[Mel]

Hi All,
New to Cycle Chat and was wondering if any of you had suggestions for touring routes for the family in Sicily this autumn. Happy to do 50+km per day and want to stay off the main roads for as much as possible. We have a GPS and are happy camping if necessary.
Also any suggestions for need a new bike for my 14yr old. Definitely a road bike and needs to take a bike rack for school and touring. I have an Isla Luath 700 for sale in mint condition as a result. Its 3 years old and has done plenty of miles but has been very well looked after and no prangs.
Cheers
Mel

 

[coffeejo]

 

[Haitch]

Hi Mel. I've been to Sicily twice (not cycling). My memories of it are that it is very hot (over 40c in August) and there is very little shade.

 

[Jimmy Doug]

Went cycling there last year. I did most of my cycling on mainland Italy itself, though - didn't venture out much on a bike in Sicily. It was indeed very hot and hilly. Some of the driving was scary - I'd definetely recommend a mirror and an Air Zound!

 

[andym]

Mel

I don't have it to hand, but I think the Lonely Planet guide to cycling in italy might have a chapter on Sicily.

Alternatively you might get some ideas from

http://www.piste-ciclabili.com/regione-sicilia

This site from the Sicilian branch of the Italian 'friends of the bike' might have some useful links.

http://www.cicloturismoinsicilia.com/

Alternatively, if your budget will stand it, and you would like a bit of back up you might want to consider a self-guided holiday with Skedaddle.

http://cycling.skedaddle.co.uk/holi...ia_Cycling_Holiday_Self_Guided/297/view.rails

 

[mark]

As others have said, hot, hilly and the drivers can be scary. There is some pretty country though, the back roads between Catania (Lentini, really) and Siracusa are very scenic. Some of the roads circumnavigating Mt. Etna are very pretty as well, but you have to get a good distance from the towns before the traffic drops off to acceptable levels.

Are you cycling from point A to point B or doing tours from a fixed base? Where in Sicily do you intend to start?

Some local trains will take bicycles and lots of intercity buses will take them on a space available basis.

The Lonely Planet cycling Guide to Italy is definitely a good resource. Rough Guides also publishes a very good guide to Sicily- not cycling specific, but oriented to younger/more active/more frugal travelers.

Campgrounds are very plentiful along the coast, as are busy roads and tourists (especially German tourists). The interior is more sparsely settled, but it can be a long way between towns or villages.

Touring Club Italiano publishes an excellent map of Sicily (along with lots of other excellent maps) that I found very useful for cycling.