first venture into touring

[webby03]

We are taking our first cycling trip, a few days in south west ireland. I was wondering what other people did about insurance, either use our house insurance to cover our bikes and a seperate travel insurance (hubby is already covered through his work) or a combined insurance (we were looking at sportsdirect).
Some of the specalised companies seem to put restrictions on where bikes should be kept away from home.

Any advice / suggestions welcome

Another question - what are peoples thought on shoe covers, our friends are worried about their shoes getting wet and not being able to dry them out.

 

[Andy in Sig]

What sort of shoes are you wearing? You can get cycling shoes designed for touring i.e. stiff soled and with recesses for fitting cleats but in which you can also walk around comfortably. If you haven't got clip on pedals then hill walking shoes are usually very good. Overshoes are great and they really help to keep your feet warm if it gets cold. The thing is to buy some which you can get on quickly enough when you see rain approaching.

 

[andym]

We are taking our first cycling trip, a few days in south west ireland. I was wondering what other people did about insurance, either use our house insurance to cover our bikes and a seperate travel insurance (hubby is already covered through his work) or a combined insurance (we were looking at sportsdirect).
Some of the specalised companies seem to put restrictions on where bikes should be kept away from home.

If your household insurance already covers property away from home then it's probably the best bet. IIRC most travel insurance policies only cover up to about £300 for the loss of bikes. If you household policy doesn't cover property away from home and your bike is worth more than say £500 it might be worth looking at the CTC's travel policy.

if you go down the route of using general travel insurance then check the small print - it may not cover cycle touring. Also be aware that they generally won't pay for the cost of bringing the bike back or hiring a replacement.

Oh, and it's best to only ask one question per thread.