Newbie first time multi day ride.

[Dic Deryn]

Hi All.

I am currently contemplating a multi-day ride form the tip of the Llyn Peninsula (Uwchmynydd) across to Hornsey approx 300 miles all in (detour to York included) on the East coast. I may be camping alone on a couple of nights and pre arranged accom for the rest of the trip. I would appreciate any advice or guidance on but not limited to the following.

• I will be using my old Marin Bobcat with smooth tyres and expect to be traveling lightish, what ball park mileage is realistic - I am reasonably fit and can top 100 miles on a single day ride, but not sure how consecutive riding days will impact mileage through fatigue and sightseeing.
• I am familiar with most of the North Wales Coast path, but intend to use the TPT from Warrington onward any pointers for this route.

I am looking at 5 days of cycling with a break in the middle so all told 7 - 8 day trip looking at approx. 65-75 miles a day.

Many thanks

 

[raleighnut]

just take your time and you'll be fine.

 

[arallsopp]

I find multi day rides go one of two ways.

Either you wake up, realise you have nothing to do but ride and get going, in which case you can hit your expected mileage before lunch time, and find yourself travelling far further than you'd anticipated before sun down.

Or you wake up, realise nobody will know if you've spent the morning miffling around, feeling a bit stiff from the day before, and don't really get going until noon.

Oddly, whichever path you take, the effects are magnified by consecutive days. If I'm on ride eat ride eat ride sleep repeat mode, I'll travel twice as far on day one, and three times as far again on subsequent days. The soreness never gets a delay to onset in, and the increased riding time means I end up arriving way ahead of schedule (then sleep).

If I'm on a pootle mission, day two is normally spent ogling a castle or campsite, and day three I'm lost chasing some fabled lane that's supposedly the best tarmac this side of the Stelvio Pass, but will not appear on any map I can call to hand. I end up arriving three days late, and spend much of the interim arriving at places I didn't know I needed to be.

The problem with 300 miles is that one can accidentally do it in a single hit if suitably distracted

 

[Hill Wimp]

Mifling , i like that description

 

[Dic Deryn]

Ha, great arallsop, sounds like a Zen approach will work best, which is great as that's how I like to do things.
Not sure on the 300 in one approach though, however there is a distinct leaning towards the mifling around end of the spectrum de....

 

[steveindenmark]

Do you mean Hornsea on the East Coast? If you do I am wondering why, because there is sod all there. I am from East Yorkshire and if I was doing your ride I would finish the ride at Flambrough head and the lighthouse and then drop into Bridlington for fish and chips at the harbour. There is very little difference in the distance from York.

You can also get a train back to Hull or York if you need one from Bridlington. The nearest train station to Hornsea is Beverley and that is a long ride back the way you came.

Airbnb is a good accomodation site.

 

[Dic Deryn]

Do you mean Hornsea on the East Coast? If you do I am wondering why, because there is sod all there. I am from East Yorkshire and if I was doing your ride I would finish the ride at Flambrough head and the lighthouse and then drop into Bridlington for fish and chips at the harbour. There is very little difference in the distance from York.

You can also get a train back to Hull or York if you need one from Bridlington. The nearest train station to Hornsea is Beverley and that is a long ride back the way you came.

Airbnb is a good accomodation site.

Thanks for the local knowledge tip. Hornsea was a location that I had picked up from somewhere, Flambrough head seems a lot nicer and fits in with my York detour.

Cheers

 

[Ticktockmy]

Problem on any tour, of any length, is what your likes ans interests are, I have a interest in Archaeology and Earth science, so if I see anything to interest me, my plans fall apart. So just take your time, if you are planning on 7 days, that only 40 odd miles each day, so a early start, and you can take the afternoon off sight seeing, or just relaxing beside nice a river or having a swift half in some pub,or something like that. If its peeing down with rain just get your head down and ride through it.

 

[Dic Deryn]

Problem on any tour, of any length, is what your likes ans interests are, I have a interest in Archaeology and Earth science, so if I see anything to interest me, my plans fall apart. So just take your time, if you are planning on 7 days, that only 40 odd miles each day, so a early start, and you can take the afternoon off sight seeing, or just relaxing beside nice a river or having a swift half in some pub,or something like that. If its peeing down with rain just get your head down and ride through it.

On the second draft of my itinerary and due to the fact that my wife will be meeting me every evening as she is going to be camping along the route, I have upped the daily mileage to approx. 60 ish mark
Starting in Uwchmynydd on the Llyn Peninsula on Day 1, I will finish at Conwy and go home to bed as I live around those parts.

Day 2 will involve being dropped off at Conwy and cycle to a set up camp -

I can appreciate this is quite a sterile way of doing things, but it is a compromise as my wife and dog want to come along for a trip but not the cycling...........

 

[efrog]

We did the TPT last year average was 55 miles per day. Second day Sale to Penistone was only 42 miles a lot of climbing with stretches of walking with a loaded bike (eg Woodhead) - agreed not much at Hornsea. Good luck

 

[Dic Deryn]

We did the TPT last year average was 55 miles per day. Second day Sale to Penistone was only 42 miles a lot of climbing with stretches of walking with a loaded bike (eg Woodhead) - agreed not much at Hornsea. Good luck

Yeah Woodhead sounds like a challenge that I am looking forward to. Is the TPT suitable for a road bike with skinny tyres (25mm) or is it better suited to a hybrid setup ??

 

[efrog]

Yeah Woodhead sounds like a challenge that I am looking forward to. Is the TPT suitable for a road bike with skinny tyres (25mm) or is it better suited to a hybrid setup ??

Hi, a hybrid would probably suit best as a couple of tracks are not much more than footpaths (see pic) I still have the TPT maps from our trip if they are of use or if you use Garmin Connect they should be visible on there.

 

[Dic Deryn]

Hi, a hybrid would probably suit best as a couple of tracks are not much more than footpaths (see pic) I still have the TPT maps from our trip if they are of use or if you use Garmin Connect they should be visible on there.

Cheers efrog, I will get on to Garmin connect tonight, photo looks ok to ride with a hybrid as you say, although I can see why there was some pushing involved on the hills; that's quite a load to be carrying...