Ideas for December tour

[HelenD123]

I have about a week's leave left which I have to take before the end of December. I haven't done much touring this year and fancy a week pootling around on my bike. BUT, touring to me usually includes camping and it's not fun when the nights are so long and many campsites will be closed in December. I'm guessing most hostels will also be closed. And of course there's the weather to consider. Does anyone have any sensible suggestions on what I could do? I could book the time off and make a last minute decision on the destination based on the weather but that would mean more expensive train tickets. Am I mad to even consider it?!

How about if I got the ferry over to the Netherlands?

 

[derrick]

There are some reasonably priced B&Bs in the Netherlands.

 

[Soltydog]

Hi Helen, if you are wanting cheap train tickets in December you might have missed the boat by now, but if you haven't I wouldn't leave it too long. Hope you have a great trip wherever you head off to

 

[HelenD123]

Hi Helen, if you are wanting cheap train tickets in December you might have missed the boat by now, but if you haven't I wouldn't leave it too long. Hope you have a great trip wherever you head off to

You're right. I'm thinking early/mid December rather than Christmas week and can be pretty flexible so we'll see. I'd be taking my folding tourer so at least wouldn't have to getting a bike space.

 

[Crankarm]

Walking in the Lakes. There are a few YHA still open that offer rock bottom rates at this time of year £9 a night - Windermere or Keswick. Climb Helvellyn or Old Man of Coniston. There might still be some leaves on the tress unless the strong winds have blown them all off, making the views and scenery spectacular. Alternatively get a flight down to Southern Spain and mince around there for a week - still quite pleasant day time temperatures there or visit a German Christmas market, in Germany. Just a few thoughts.

 

[MarkF]

Go to LBA and fly to Barcelona, probably cheaper than the fly/ferry to the Netherlands. Nice room in BCN for 25 euros, road or hybrid bike for the week less than the cost of flying out your own bike. Nightlife, streetlife, Girona, old Olympic coastal sites etc etc

 

[HelenD123]

Go to LBA and fly to Barcelona, probably cheaper than the fly/ferry to the Netherlands. Nice room in BCN for 25 euros, road or hybrid bike for the week less than the cost of flying out your own bike. Nightlife, streetlife, Girona, old Olympic coastal sites etc etc

Interesting suggestion. I'm not long back from a honeymoon in Barcelona so I think it would feel a bit strange being there without hubby.

 

[HelenD123]

Walking in the Lakes. There are a few YHA still open that offer rock bottom rates at this time of year £9 a night - Windermere or Keswick. Climb Helvellyn or Old Man of Coniston. There might still be some leaves on the tress unless the strong winds have blown them all off, making the views and scenery spectacular. Alternatively get a flight down to Southern Spain and mince around there for a week - still quite pleasant day time temperatures there or visit a German Christmas market, in Germany. Just a few thoughts.

You're right, quite a few of the Lakes hostels are still open. It's worth looking into.

 

[tiermat]

Go to LBA and fly to Barcelona, probably cheaper than the fly/ferry to the Netherlands. Nice room in BCN for 25 euros, road or hybrid bike for the week less than the cost of flying out your own bike. Nightlife, streetlife, Girona, old Olympic coastal sites etc etc

Sort of what I would do, but would only be in Barcelona for about 3 hours, long enough to ride up the LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG drag out of Gava.

A week is long enough to do a nice circular tour of Catalonia, I have done it in 5 days (and did one in which I only did about 3 days of cycling, but that is another story!)

Head Northwest out of the city, towards Cervera, stay overnight there. Next day ride to Seu D'urgell. Day 3 ride to Ripoll (or wimp out of the 4 Cols on the way and get a taxi, like we did). Day 4 Ripoll to Girona, via Olot and the Vies Verde. Day 5 ride down the coast back to Barcelona. Job done, days 6 and 7 are spent shopping and getting ready to come home. Take your own bike, Jet2 charge £60 roundtrip for each bike and there is no need for a bike bag, a length of VisQueen is all that is needed (or a CTC plastic bag)

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

You're right, quite a few of the Lakes hostels are still open. It's worth looking into.

you will also find quite a few of the major campsites in the Lakes (and Scotland for that matter) are also open in the winter. A few days after Christmas and New Year in particular can get quite busy. Christmas Day on a campsite is like nothing you have experience before, very quite and the few people that are there are really civil and talk to each other, come over and say hello and don't pretend that you are an alien. My OH and I used to camp over Christmas and New Year a lot! You just need to double check what is open. We tended to stay put and have a base camp and wander from there. that was walking/mountaineering mind you (same with Ireland as well) and people would often stop and offer you lifts if they saw you walking on a road in the dark. Totally different atmosphere from any other time of year.

 

[Soltydog]

Interesting suggestion. I'm not long back from a honeymoon in Barcelona so I think it would feel a bit strange being there without hubby.

Didn't realise that you had got married Congratulations to the both of you Is 'hubby' not a cyclist then?

 

[HelenD123]

Didn't realise that you had got married Congratulations to the both of you Is 'hubby' not a cyclist then?

Hubby isn't a cyclist and also doesn't have any holiday left! Luckily he's happy for me to head off on the bike for a bit and scratch my touring itch.

 

[MarkF]

Interesting suggestion. I'm not long back from a honeymoon in Barcelona so I think it would feel a bit strange being there without hubby.

The stay in Badalona or Mataro, next door, tourist free too.

 

[tiermat]

Day 1

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/catalonia-2013-day-1

Day 2

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/catalonia-april-2013

Day 3

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/catalonia-april-2013-day-3

Day 4

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/full-vie-verde

Day 5

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/catalonia-2013-day

 

[TheDoctor]

How about a cheap flight somewhere? Canaries or Madeira would be distinctly clement in December, I'd have thought...