France and Northern Spain

[oldleggs]

Starting a tour in May travelling through France down the west coast from Cherbourg to Biarritz and then across northern Spain to Girona..... around and not over the Pyrenees. Planned a route based on a general direction, as there are no time restraints the route can and no doubt will wander a little.
This is my first real attempt at proper cycle touring mostly camping/bb for accommodation. My aim is to do 35miles per day approx.What would be a reasonable weight to carry? At present l have 2 roll top rear panniers and a bar bag.
Lots of information on France available but not so much info on Spain.
Any advise or info would be appreciated. Thanks oldleggs.

 

[andym]

With two panniers and a bar bag you'll only have room for essentials - and even then you might struggle. I'd worry first and foremost about cramming everything in. (If you do find you need more space, then you might find that a drybag bungeed to the top of the rack is a good idea).

Carry some travelwash and a universal sink plug (basically a disc of rubber that works with campsite sinks, which almost never have plugs. There's someone selling some on eBay that weigh a couple if grams) and a couple of travel washing lines.

While I think there is still a national Spanish tourism website, the websites for the regions ('autonomous communities') and provincias (equivalents if our counties) are likely to be more useful eg

http://www.turismo.navarra.es/eng/home/

 

[MarkF]

I did a Catalonia tour last Autumn BB & camping, 2 large Altura panniers and bar bag, My rack always had a 2L water bottle on it and boy, was it needed, you'll need plenty too even in May. If I was doing it again I'd take a different bike (I had carbon forks) and have front panniers too. An option for you would be to junk your camping gear and post it home when you get to the border, rooms are much cheaper in Spain.

Wild camping is easy, inland, in Catalonia but hardly worth it with rooms so cheap, coast campsites rife with petty crime.

 

[oldleggs]

My bike's a Dawes S/G so front panniers would be an option worth considering

 

[andy_spacey]

i am planing to cycle from Coventry to faro in Portugal in the beginning of June ( around the 6th), this is my first long tour. i plan to to cross from Portsmouth to Cherbourg the ride down near to the coast of France , a cross the north of Spain and then down Portugal, again all near the coast. i have no planed route so am flexible. plan to wild camp most of the way, just using camp-sites when needed. sounds like your just be ahead of me. lol :-)

andy

 

[oldleggs]

Depends how fast l peddle Andy l'm planning to leave on the 22cnd May so l wouldn't be that far in front.
As its an open ended trip for me there'll be no rush.

Don't call myself oldleggs for nothing

 

[andy_spacey]

yes, same here , no rush, I am looking at leaving Coventry around June 1st, will take 4 days to get to Portsmouth and get the ferry on the 6th of June, that will allow me a rest day before the trip across the water so that i am fresh for the crossing and finding a place to camp on the first day in France, just to get my bearings. I am plaining to do around 50 miles a day, again this is not set in stone. you never know what lies ahead or how big the hills are.

 

[rich p]

Andy, although you say you'll wild camp, it's possible to use the French municipal sites at very little cost. Between 5 and 10 Euros pn.

You'll have free hot showers, washing sinks, relative bike security, often picnic tables etc and you can stop at 3pm, say, instead of skulking around till late at night trying to remain unseen.

Just a thought!

 

[andy_spacey]

I have read the Munich camp-sites are cheap but I am going to be running are a very low budget and even at 10 Euro a night that would be a 100 Euro saved over 10 nights of camping. I will use them but i cant rely on them or a will run out of money. The plan is if i can wild camp i will and if i cant then use them, Or if i am lucky and have a good run of wild camping, use a camp site as a stop of for a shower and charge the battery mine and the net books ,phone,ect

 

[andym]

Andy, although you say you'll wild camp, it's possible to use the French municipal sites at very little cost. Between 5 and 10 Euros pn.

You'll have free hot showers, washing sinks, relative bike security, often picnic tables etc and you can stop at 3pm, say, instead of skulking around till late at night trying to remain unseen.

Just a thought!

... and bear in mind that in both France and Spain it's illegal to camp on the beach. A 'multa' would wipe out any savings.

Rooms in Spain are indeed cheaper but the cost of postage is likely to put the mockers on sending stuff back to the UK.

 

[andy_spacey]

i am not planing to camp on the beach, more likely inland a bit, i will just have to use common sense and be fixable, i am taking a modified DD trap and travel hammock plus i will have a gore- tex bivi bag with me so i have a very flexible sleeping set up so i be able to just pull over and sleep if need be with out real unloading the bike, Well that's the plan but again. anything could happen :-)

 

[oldleggs]

Yes the posting back to the UK of equipment is not an option as if l should reach Girona l would aim to cross back into France and push on further north.
Sounds easy when when l say it like that!!

oldleggs

 

[tbtb]

My aim is to do 35miles per day approx.What would be a reasonable weight to carry?

Hard to say. There's the weight on the road vs the comfort in camp vs the effort of packing and unpacking vs the various costs. One idea is to load up all the stuff you plan to take and go for one or two 35 mile day rides. Camp in the garden maybe too, and pack and unpack a few times.

 

[rich p]

Anyway, where's Willem? Does he not realise there's a weight question around!

 

[Paladin - York]

Fantastic dialogue chaps - great inspiration - time I broadened my outlook & flew south.