First cycling holiday planning

[Amac]

Hi guys,
I am just starting to think about either later this year or next year.
We currently go for leisure rides locally, only 25-30 miles, and always stop for a bit of snack to enjoy the country side.
We are thinking of trying a cycling holiday, I think on our own, rather than in a group, so we can go at our own pace and stop at interesting places.

I am doing more miles than my wife at the moment, as she is chief grandchild child carer at the moment
I am probably a keener cyclist than my wife at the moment, so I want her to enjoy a cycling holiday, normally we are hikers.

She is pretty good on the miles, its the hills that take it out, she ok few a few ups and downs but not too many!

So at last my question
I am looking for suggestions for cycling areas for holiday, more on the flattish side, perhaps with with villages and all that to ride through.

We are based in Reading Berks, so areas you think, if any that might be suitable please five me a heads up.
I think I would try to pick one place, and stay there, then plan my own rides from there.

Either that, or try self guided with someone like Skedaddle....

Sorry if its one of those impossible questions to answer, just thought I would pick your brains

 

[mjr]

How do you want to get to the start? Ride? Rail? Drive?

 

[Brandane]

Since you're in Reading, the obvious choice would be (for me!) to catch a train to Portsmouth and get on a ferry to France. There is a wide choice of budget accommodation in Caen, which would save carrying camping kit. Plenty of flatt-ish day rides are possible from there. Normandy beaches, Route du Cidre, Lisieux, Bayeux, Deauville. Take a train down to Le Mans and ride round the road sections used on the 24 hour race. Good food, nice wine, courteous drivers.... STOP; I'm depressing myself as I'm on holiday soon and if it wasn't for the travel restrictions then that's exactly where I would have been heading .

 

[Amac]

Since you're in Reading, the obvious choice would be (for me!) to catch a train to Portsmouth and get on a ferry to France. There is a wide choice of budget accommodation in Caen, which would save carrying camping kit. Plenty of flatt-ish day rides are possible from there. Normandy beaches, Route du Cidre, Lisieux, Bayeux, Deauville. Take a train down to Le Mans and ride round the road sections used on the 24 hour race. Good food, nice wine, courteous drivers.... STOP; I'm depressing myself as I'm on holiday soon and if it wasn't for the travel restrictions then that's exactly where I would have been heading .

Hi thanks for getting back to us, I like France we did a few camping trips there years ago. I think to start with and to make it easy, we will stay in the UK to start with, also we do not really have all the gear to move around, so I think we will go for a centre based holiday.
Cheers, did out your old France photos, that will cheer you up

 

[Amac]

How do you want to get to the start? Ride? Rail? Drive?

Hi ya, I think to make it all as easy as possible, we will drive, and go for a centre based hol, we don't really have all the gear. Cheers.

 

[HelenD123]

You could try Norfolk. I had a very pleasant stay in Burnham Deepdale. There's plenty of choice of quiet inland roads and I don't remember the main coast road being bad.

 

[Amac]

You could try Norfolk. I had a very pleasant stay in Burnham Deepdale. There's plenty of choice of quiet inland roads and I don't remember the main coast road being bad.

Cheers for that, Norfolk was the only flattish place I could think of, thanks, I will have a look on my maps..

 

[BoldonLad]

Hi guys,
I am just starting to think about either later this year or next year.
We currently go for leisure rides locally, only 25-30 miles, and always stop for a bit of snack to enjoy the country side.
We are thinking of trying a cycling holiday, I think on our own, rather than in a group, so we can go at our own pace and stop at interesting places.

I am doing more miles than my wife at the moment, as she is chief grandchild child carer at the moment
I am probably a keener cyclist than my wife at the moment, so I want her to enjoy a cycling holiday, normally we are hikers.

She is pretty good on the miles, its the hills that take it out, she ok few a few ups and downs but not too many!

So at last my question
I am looking for suggestions for cycling areas for holiday, more on the flattish side, perhaps with with villages and all that to ride through.

We are based in Reading Berks, so areas you think, if any that might be suitable please five me a heads up.
I think I would try to pick one place, and stay there, then plan my own rides from there.

Either that, or try self guided with someone like Skedaddle....

Sorry if its one of those impossible questions to answer, just thought I would pick your brains

Hi

You mention, in other posts, a "centre based" holiday, by that, I assume you mean, staying in Hotel, B&B, or, self-catering accommodation?

We typically do something similar (although, our accommodation is a Motorhome).

We have enjoyed, what I call gentle cycling, in UK, and, mainland Europe, usually, but not always by seeking out Canals, or, coastal areas. Rivers also often provide an "easy" cycling valley to follow.

So, for example, in UK, we have cycled around:

Staveley area, Derbyshire, giving access to Lancaster Canal

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Hexham, etc, giving access to Hadrians Way Cycle Route, and, if you are up for a few hills, the Northumberland Coastal Coast and Castles route.

Peterborough, well served with dedicated cycle routes

York, well served with dedicated cycle routes

Brighton / Littlehampton area

Hanley Swan, Worcester, rather more hilly than we usually tackle, but, we managed to enjoy it!

Denham, Buckinghamshire, access to the Grand Union Canal.

I am am unsure of your age profile, but, we are 72 and 73 years old, and, typically 20-30 miles per day cyclists

 

[Amac]

Hi

You mention, in other posts, a "centre based" holiday, by that, I assume you mean, staying in Hotel, B&B, or, self-catering accommodation?

We typically do something similar (although, our accommodation is a Motorhome).

We have enjoyed, what I call gentle cycling, in UK, and, mainland Europe, usually, but not always by seeking out Canals, or, coastal areas. Rivers also often provide an "easy" cycling valley to follow.

So, for example, in UK, we have cycled around:

Staveley area, Derbyshire, giving access to Lancaster Canal

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Hexham, etc, giving access to Hadrians Way Cycle Route, and, if you are up for a few hills, the Northumberland Coastal Coast and Castles route.

Peterborough, well served with dedicated cycle routes

York, well served with dedicated cycle routes

Brighton / Littlehampton area

Hanley Swan, Worcester, rather more hilly than we usually tackle, but, we managed to enjoy it!

Denham, Buckinghamshire, access to the Grand Union Canal.

I am am unsure of your age profile, but, we are 72 and 73 years old, and, typically 20-30 miles per day cyclists

Hi,
Thanks for all those tips, the canals and rivers are a good idea, as you say, then try to stay in the valley.
Yes, self catering would be the idea, you can then do as you please.
We are similar, 60, and we would be about the same 20-30 per day, leaving time to look around places.
So far we have only ever done a long weekend in the New Forrest, so i was keen to get some ideas of other places to look at, so thank you for your list, that's great.

 

[mjr]

You could try Norfolk. I had a very pleasant stay in Burnham Deepdale. There's plenty of choice of quiet inland roads and I don't remember the main coast road being bad.

The coast road varies during the year and some sections are worse than others. The section between Hunstanton and Castle Rising is worth avoiding, even at the expense of the detours required.

Thank you OP for saying how you want to travel. Car does open up more options for someone new to it, sadly. In the UK, I think Norfolk is a good start, but be aware that some bits by the coast are not so flat. Staying near one of the junctions between cycle routes would open up lots of easy-to-follow rides. Somewhere near Fakenham would give easy access to National Routes 1 and 13, Regional Routes 30 and 33 and Local Route 2, as well as the Peddars Way being not too far away.

King's Lynn (Nationals 1 and 11, Regional 30, Locals 2, 5 and 9) and Norwich (National 1, Blue Pedalway, Edith Cavell Pilgrimage and various direct train rides to other routes) are also junctions of several routes, but it takes longer to get through their built-up areas and away from traffic. I like riding around Cambridge too, but it suffers similar problems for a holiday.

Another UK place I'd consider is the Tissington Trail / Manifold Way area in Derbyshire, but that's really not flat apart from the trails and not all of the trails connect.

Abroad, bits of France are lovely, especially the Loire à Vélo and Chateaux à Vélo networks around Chambord and Blois. A trip to the Netherlands to see what all the fuss is about could be interesting too, or there are various cycling attractions in Belgian Limburg (Cycling Through Water, Cycling Through Trees and Cycling Through The Heath so far), or you could turn the classic Flanders loop (Dunkirk, Bruges, Gent, Ypres) into something centre-based, maybe staying in Roeselare but the distances are a bit too high for this time from the sounds of it and it may be better to save that for a first bike-travelling tour, but I guess you could drive the bikes out each day to a start point nearer the target town.

 

[HelenD123]

York, well served with dedicated cycle routes

Doh, I missed what's on my doorstep! Lots of flat cycling around York, and you can go quite a distance north and south of the city on off road paths. If you only want to do 20-30 miles you could spend a week going in all directions from the city with little repetition of routes. Coronavirus permitting, you can also jump on a train to Harrogate, Northallerton, Malton etc and done a linear route back.

 

[Amac]

The coast road varies during the year and some sections are worse than others. The section between Hunstanton and Castle Rising is worth avoiding, even at the expense of the detours required.

Thank you OP for saying how you want to travel. Car does open up more options for someone new to it, sadly. In the UK, I think Norfolk is a good start, but be aware that some bits by the coast are not so flat. Staying near one of the junctions between cycle routes would open up lots of easy-to-follow rides. Somewhere near Fakenham would give easy access to National Routes 1 and 13, Regional Routes 30 and 33 and Local Route 2, as well as the Peddars Way being not too far away.

King's Lynn (Nationals 1 and 11, Regional 30, Locals 2, 5 and 9) and Norwich (National 1, Blue Pedalway, Edith Cavell Pilgrimage and various direct train rides to other routes) are also junctions of several routes, but it takes longer to get through their built-up areas and away from traffic. I like riding around Cambridge too, but it suffers similar problems for a holiday.

Another UK place I'd consider is the Tissington Trail / Manifold Way area in Derbyshire, but that's really not flat apart from the trails and not all of the trails connect.

Abroad, bits of France are lovely, especially the Loire à Vélo and Chateaux à Vélo networks around Chambord and Blois. A trip to the Netherlands to see what all the fuss is about could be interesting too, or there are various cycling attractions in Belgian Limburg (Cycling Through Water, Cycling Through Trees and Cycling Through The Heath so far), or you could turn the classic Flanders loop (Dunkirk, Bruges, Gent, Ypres) into something centre-based, maybe staying in Roeselare but the distances are a bit too high for this time from the sounds of it and it may be better to save that for a first bike-travelling tour, but I guess you could drive the bikes out each day to a start point nearer the target town.

Wow, thank you all that detailed info, that’s going to keep me busy looking at the maps thank you

 

[Amac]

Doh, I missed what's on my doorstep! Lots of flat cycling around York, and you can go quite a distance north and south of the city on off road paths. If you only want to do 20-30 miles you could spend a week going in all directions from the city with little repetition of routes. Coronavirus permitting, you can also jump on a train to Harrogate, Northallerton, Malton etc and done a linear route back.

Thanks, I will make sure I have a good look at York then, I will ask my mum who was a really keen cyclist when she was younger, from the Nelson area.
what would we all do without forums and good people to ask

 

[Fab Foodie]

Romney Marsh is flat and very pretty. Dungeness and the coast Cinque Ports have much to offer too. Not so far from Reading.

 

[RoMeR]

You could try Norfolk. I had a very pleasant stay in Burnham Deepdale. There's plenty of choice of quiet inland roads and I don't remember the main coast road being bad.

+1 For N Norfolk, spent many happy days on the coast & inland. Would highly recommend Baconsthorpe site nr Holt if camping