favourite place

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

jags

Guru
any one got a favourate place to tour,,
anywhere high on the list of great trips..
an honest answer here,how hard is it to tour,
like,, pushing a fully loaded touring bike,cant be easy ,
finding a place to camp,,cooking meals,reading maps
honestly never done any of this
but im going to next year ,,
ok boys and girls lets hear it ,,take it easy on me,,,im new here
 

Cathryn

Legendary Member
My first tour was the Tauern Radweg in Austria (www.radtouren.at). It's downhill, gloriously beautiful and was a joy from start to finish. We were two rather unfit girls who didn't know how to change a puncture...and it was a brilliant trip. I'd recommend it to anyone as a first trip!!
 

Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
Hi...I'm about to find out...I'm off on tour for a week or two next weekend.

But I might be able to answer your question about pushing a loaded bike 'cos I've been practicing for a few months. I would say that whatever you are capable of doing on a non loaded bike in terms of distance you should allow for 75% of that or maybe a little less when loaded.

I have learn't that less is more when packing and that getting organized is paramount (like booking up sites well enuff in advance around bank holidays;);):rolleyes::biggrin:)

When i decided to get out there on my bike earlier this year I was at an all time peak of physical NON fitness...a fat slob ...but I've been doing 35-45km a day since and am feeling confident about the tour on the fitness score.

I suggest you read the answers to some of the questions I have been posting in this forum recently...as total beginners we may share some of the same concerns/needs/ lack of knowledge etc....I have found this forum to be very helpful and inspiring.
 
Welcome jags!

If you pack sensibly, you won't notice the weight on your bike. Take panniers and a bar bag, I don't recommend a trailer!
Take a small tent, plan in advance, but wild camping is easy and fun; even sleeping rough has its advantages.
A small stove, like a Trangia, will suffice for simple meals, but eat at cafs, restaurants, bakeries when you can. And drink plenty of water.
Either plan a route before you go, otherwise just make it up as you go along.
Your fitness will improve once you're on the way, so don't think you have to be super fit to start with.
There's a wealth of experience and knowledge here so don't be afraid to ask.
Good luck. ;)
 

snorri

Legendary Member
jags said:
never done any of this
but im going to next year

Try to get in one or more short tours this year. These will help you gain experience of which items you might like to carry (or leave behind) on a longer tour, and give you an idea of what is a comfortable daily mileage for you with a camping load on the bike.
 
OP
OP
J

jags

Guru
thanks all ,really quick replys
ok fitness is ok, ive been biking most of my life im 54
ive never toured,been looking at touring sites this past year or so im totally hooked ..
btfb ive been reading your posts regular cant wait to read about your trip,your a breath of fresh air ,,im in ireland buy the way
i hope to buy a thorn sherpa frame ,,ill build it up on mostly shimano xt
 

xilios

Veteran
Location
Maastricht, NL
Hi jags, and welcome.
When I made up my mind to take the plunge and cycle alone from Holland to Greece I was a bit nervous, I worried about my weight, my training, bike, food, camping sites, and so on. And to be honest I trained like hell, I loaded up my bike front and rear panniers and rode 140kms loops around southern Holland a few times just to be sure.
After a few tours now I would say you only need to cycle a couple of times on a fully loaded bike to get used to the handling, as far as fitness goes you will get fit soon enough. Just don't plan any large hills for the first few days.
A good inspirational book I read was by Anne Mustoe: A bike ride, check it out I'm sure you'll like it.
Also checking out forums like this one and bikeforums.net and reading cycling journals at crazyguyonabike.com I began to feel more confident.
I also went and bought the book by Richard A. Lovett: The essential touring cyclist, which helped quite a bit with many tips.
Once on the bike I was hooked, and when I returned home and told my wife what a great experiance it was she wanted to give it a try and the following spring we toured from Holland to Spain. Now we do two tours a year, we just love it.
If you have any questions don't hasitate, check out our site and drop us a line.
cheers
 

Andy in Sig

Vice President in Exile
I would recommend the River Main route. Start at, say, Bayreuth and follow it all the way to Mainz and then if you've got the time follow the Rhine route to the Hook of Holland. This is good, lazy touring i.e. no seriously bumpy bits and loads to see, eat and drink along the way. Definitely recommended for a first serious tour.
 

HJ

Cycling in Scotland
Location
Auld Reekie
Camping isn't compulsory there are B&Bs, so no need to carry a tent load lighten strait away. If you are looking to tour on the Continent, Austria is a great place to go, the tourist board can give you maps, book accommodation for you and even have your bags taken on ahead. Most routes follow the rivers, so no need to grind you way up hill, just follow the river down stream and take a train back. Of course if you really want to go up hill there is plenty of opportunity to do that to.

My current favourite is the Inn valley, fantastic place.
 
OP
OP
J

jags

Guru
thanks xilios,tough time in italy ,im heading there with a groop of my cycling buddies in september,,we are going to cycle from rome to brindisi,,the appian way,,last year we cycled camino de compastalla in spain ,,hopefully rome will be as good as spain ,we had a bit of a handy time , as we had a guy carry all our gear,, in a hired van .stayed in nice hotels,not much hardship,,cycling was great,
ill sus out those books ,read steven lord ,adventure cycle touring handbook,very good but a bit to much for me,,.
thanks all great stuff jags,,,
 

bof

Senior member. Oi! Less of the senior please
Location
The world
Just been to Italy where I did a fair bit of day-riding. On the whole pretty good: - only a couple of idiot drivers, smooth and not very busy roads. It's the first time I have been for a while and a big change is that a lot of people now cycle around towns - but not Rome!!! Rome was pretty well cyclist free, though even there the driving is a lot less aggressive than it used to be.
 

soltour

Active Member
I did the route Poland,Czech Rep,Slavakia and into Vienna....it was a nice experience apart from the continual rain until I reached Austria. I camped along the Danube and if I had the time would have followed the route along the said river. But to be honest I went over the Atlas mountains, Mount Troubdel if I remember correctly...now that was hard but wouldnt have missed it. Lots of snow and paradoxically heat..caught a chill and had to stay in a french ski hostel (I was the only one occupying the dorm) Afterwards I took the mule tracks over the mountains...yep one of them trips which stay in the memory
 

Tony

New Member
Location
Surrey
Over the "Atlas mountains"? Tatras, maybe.....
My preferred places are either the South of France (Med) or Australia. That was a trip that will live in my memory for a long time.
 
Top Bottom