London to Barcelona summer 2011

[spudgun]

this year i cycled San Francisco to San Diego and it was really amazing (my first bit of touring). planning to cycle london to barcelona next summer. just have a couple of questions - if any of you have cycled in France your help would be really appreciated.
my bike is a full carbon Bianchi Infinito, really love it. basically, in the States i used a rucksack which worked pretty well. we stayed in B&Bs which was nice as it meant after a days cycling to chill out, have a spa and sleep in a bed! i actually can't have panniers fitted to my bike.

ideally next summer we'd look to camp (cheaper / easier etc) but really can't see how i can manage that since i can't fit stuff to my bike (so i take whatever i can get into my Dueter rucksack). anyone still camp with these kind of bikes?

also, in terms of routes and places to stay, cycling the length of France, what sort of roads are best? don't really want to be smashing it down the motorways obviously, but will need a reasonably direct route! where can i get route suggestions / route maps for that are cycle friendly?

if we don't do the camping option are there cheap B&Bs and if so are they a better option after a day in the saddle?

any suggestions or advice would be very helpful.
Thanks in advance

 

[mcr]

Each to their own, of course, but I'd think you'd have to be mad to lug a rucksack all the way across France, even if the alternative might be to acquire/borrow a more luggage-friendly bike. Could you at least attach a bar-bag and fix a saddle-bag? That's enough to do a lightweight credit-card tour in summer. Even camping ultralight, you'd need a couple of panniers-worth of space for the gear - though as you say 'we', does your proposed cycling companion have the same problem?

As for roads, steer clear of any with A (motorway) or N (route nationale, like our trunk roads but often busier) and keep to the smaller D and even C roads. The general route you take depends very much on which channel crossing start with (eg St Malo might suggest keeping to the west coast and cutting through via Toulouse and Carcassone; or from Calais etc down the Rhone - or across the middle if you want some serious hills). Have a play around with the online routing on Michelin or Google maps.

Personally, I've always found B&Bs (or Chambres d'hote) to be on the frou-frou, expensive side compared to the UK - basic hotels can be much cheaper, especially if you're brave and opt for the Formule 1 chain and its ilk.

I'm sure some more knowledgable answers will be forthcoming, but hope that helps for now.

Matthew

 

[spudgun]

thanks mcr. in terms of the bike, i really love riding it and would not ideally contemplate a different one, and the rucksack worked fine before. obviously though it makes camping an issue. my mate might have panniers fitted but not sure how keen he'd be to carry the tent!
i'll take a look at routes - we'd possibly cross to Dieppe as i live in Hove. we have also thought of maybe starting in Paris, but would prefer England.
one other thing, are the GPS sat navs worth looking into for a trip in europe to save time checking the map?
TIA

 

[Brains]

Frankly I think touring with a rucksack is not a good idea, it may be OK for a commute or even a day or two off roading, but I think I'd be prepared to lay down money that by the end of week one you will be prepared to swap your carbon fibre steed for a 3rd hand Dutch ladies sit up and beg with a rack and panniers.

I would go so far as to say that if the tour is a camping one rather than ultra light credit card B&B'ing then a rucksack is not even possible (unless of course your mate takes all the gear)

If you are really must insist on taking an unsuitable bike, then what about a trailer ? There are some very good single wheel ones such as the Bob-Yak that will fit to the rear hub of most bikes, carbon or steel.

A well know person of this forum took a carbon fixie across Australia with a bob yak a couple of years ago. (and said "never again, next time i get a proper tourer")

 

[Brains]

Maps vs. GPS

Maps tell you where you are going
GPS's tell you where you are

So ideally you need both, but if you can only take one then take the maps


Routing - If you are in Hove then its either Eurostar to Paris and start from there in which case the route is down the Rhone to Avignon and then along the south coast
OR
Cross over to Le Havre, and you can then follow the 'Route Vert' to Paris, and the Rhone route
OR
Head for Orleans and follow the Loire to Nantes and then the coast down to the Canal du Midi, Carcasonne and then Barca

Check out 'EuropeanBikeExpress' for your lift home

 

[aberal]

London to Barcelona is roughly twice the distance of San Francisco to San Diego and you plan to do that carrying a tent and a sleeping bag, cooking utensils, clothes, shoes and all the other paraphernalia which goes with it - on your back? I'll be honest with you - I don't think that's physically possible, frankly, and even if you can do it for a day or two, you'll be risking physical injury. Honestly, mate...I suggest you have a rethink about this one.

 

[spudgun]

thanks for the suggestions guys. basically, if we camp i'll need some backup... i do have a good mate who is quite keen, so i'll see if that works out. failing that camping is probably off the agenda. its more important for me to cycle on a bike that i actually enjoy riding than getting a proper touring bike and camping - probably do 100 miles a day so want to enjoy it (and make it as easy as poss on my legs!).
brains, re the rucksack, i did 8 days in the States with a rucksack and it was fine, (but obviously without panniers camping is completely impossible)! guess that was credit card touring rather than proper touring! i'll check out the routes you have suggested. cheers

 

[smith4188]

thanks for the suggestions guys. basically, if we camp i'll need some backup... i do have a good mate who is quite keen, so i'll see if that works out. failing that camping is probably off the agenda. its more important for me to cycle on a bike that i actually enjoy riding than getting a proper touring bike and camping - probably do 100 miles a day so want to enjoy it (and make it as easy as poss on my legs!).
brains, re the rucksack, i did 8 days in the States with a rucksack and it was fine, (but obviously without panniers camping is completely impossible)! guess that was credit card touring rather than proper touring! i'll check out the routes you have suggested. cheers

There have been lots of disparaging remarks about rucksacks here. Last year I did 32 days from the Isle of Man, through the UK, France and Spain to the Costa del Sol with back panniers and a rucksack. Until I got home and read this forum I hadn't even realised rucksacks were frowned upon. It'll probably be the way I go for my longer tour next year. Although I think you'd struggle to get everything in one rucksack, a few weeks with one on your back (especially if you're already used to it) shouldn't cause any problems. If your mate can carry some stuff then I would think you'll be OK. Obviously, it's not for everyone, but if you fall off at least you have protection for your back ;-)

 

[Deafie]

http://www.wicycle.c...cle_trailer.php
You wont even know it is there. With a BOB you would have to watch your speed as they tend to take over the steering past about 25 mph.

 

[tomasaustin]

http://www.cyclechat...31#entry1473031
hi, i did this cycle in the summer, and to be honest im no cycle expert, but the panniers we used attached to the seat stem/pole so maybe you could use panniers?

i recommend not going in August as we did because the French all go on holiday and you can go through fairly large towns and nothing will be open.

we camped the whole way and prices varied from 2 euros to 25 euros, the 2 euro campsites are called municipals and are disgusting and the 25 euro ones have swimming pools, restaurants etc

the road in France are amazing especially compared to England as they are flat, smooth and generally they are all straight

i wont say too much on routes as we did a day on the motorways by mistake and for ease hopped on them every now and then, but its hard to tell a motorway from a dual carriageway as french motorways can be two lane

our route went from Caen pretty much straight down to Bordeaux, then along the Garonne River valley to Toulouse, then down to Foix over Pyrenees to barcelona ( we got a train just outside of barcelona because we couldnt find a route that wasnt a huge motorway into the city)

If you need any more information just ask, good luck!

I've started a thread about cycling london to barcelona: http://www.cyclechat...31#entry1473031

and I am writing a blog on it: http://bed2barca.blogspot.com/

 

[JohnnyBoy]

Nice one Tom, read your blog so far look forward to the nest few instalments..!

 

[jay clock]

the 2 euro campsites are called municipals and are disgusting

whilst the €2 are likely to be dire MOST municipal campsites are €5-7 and excellent value for money and very clean. The €25 ones will be over-equipped for a one night camping stay.

 

[hubbike]

There have been lots of disparaging remarks about rucksacks here. Last year I did 32 days from the Isle of Man, through the UK, France and Spain to the Costa del Sol with back panniers and a rucksack. Until I got home and read this forum I hadn't even realised rucksacks were frowned upon. It'll probably be the way I go for my longer tour next year. Although I think you'd struggle to get everything in one rucksack, a few weeks with one on your back (especially if you're already used to it) shouldn't cause any problems. If your mate can carry some stuff then I would think you'll be OK. Obviously, it's not for everyone, but if you fall off at least you have protection for your back ;-)

is that what my mum meant when she said "always have something to fall back on"?

 

[tomasaustin]

whilst the €2 are likely to be dire MOST municipal campsites are €5-7 and excellent value for money and very clean. The €25 ones will be over-equipped for a one night camping stay.

correct, i was giving to two extreme examples, you can then postulate what campsites will be like for prices in between...

 

[frank9755]

In my experience you can't use price as a guide.

I did a 10-day camping trip last May. Most of the campsites were excellent. A couple that were €5 or even slightly less had everything you could want - spotless showers and toilet block, restaurant and bar, etc.

One that was the same price was clearly a long term, 'trailer-park' affair, and was tolerable for one night but not very nice.

The only one that was out of that price range was by the coast. It was about €20 but was no better, just in a more expensive location.

I conclude that French municipal campsites are excellent - although there may be the odd exception. The price varies a bit depending on how the local council choose to structure it but paying more doesn't mean a better site as some of the cheapest can be first rate.