Well, part of it 
.
I'm setting off on Friday to see the first three stages of the Tour de France, followed by a wander around Belgium, and maybe a bit of Zeeland, for two weeks.
I'll be getting a train from Warwick to London Marylebone, a quick ride to St Pancras, another train to Dover, ferry to Dunkirk and then ride towards Lille until I find a suitable village along the way to stop and watch.
I have no real plan apart from those first three days but hope to camp at a few bivakzones in Belgium, see some of the ww1 memorials around Ypres, and catch a classic car show near Brugges next Saturday.
I did a trip around the Netherlands with my daughter last year but she's maxed out her 90 days of visa-free travel in the EU so I'm on my own this year. That means not having two bikes to split the camping gear and using trains means I can't take the Bob Yak trailer that worked so well last time. Space is causing more of a problem than weight. With the trailer, you can just throw all the big stuff in and, if you stop at a market and buy loads of tasty treats, stack a couple of shopping bags on top without a care.
So I've repurposed a bar bag that usually carries lunch on my commuting bike, bolted a couple of extra bottle cages on the forks, and strapped the tent on top of the rear rack. I did look at buying a smaller 1 person tent but would rather utilise what gear I already have instead. It's a bit big and heavy for one but all the tents that focus on light weight do seem to sacrifice durability and space more than I'd like. At least there are minimal hills on this trip.
I'll try a post a few updates along the way if I can manage without a handy teenager along to handle the tech.
.I'm setting off on Friday to see the first three stages of the Tour de France, followed by a wander around Belgium, and maybe a bit of Zeeland, for two weeks.
I'll be getting a train from Warwick to London Marylebone, a quick ride to St Pancras, another train to Dover, ferry to Dunkirk and then ride towards Lille until I find a suitable village along the way to stop and watch.
I have no real plan apart from those first three days but hope to camp at a few bivakzones in Belgium, see some of the ww1 memorials around Ypres, and catch a classic car show near Brugges next Saturday.
I did a trip around the Netherlands with my daughter last year but she's maxed out her 90 days of visa-free travel in the EU so I'm on my own this year. That means not having two bikes to split the camping gear and using trains means I can't take the Bob Yak trailer that worked so well last time. Space is causing more of a problem than weight. With the trailer, you can just throw all the big stuff in and, if you stop at a market and buy loads of tasty treats, stack a couple of shopping bags on top without a care.
So I've repurposed a bar bag that usually carries lunch on my commuting bike, bolted a couple of extra bottle cages on the forks, and strapped the tent on top of the rear rack. I did look at buying a smaller 1 person tent but would rather utilise what gear I already have instead. It's a bit big and heavy for one but all the tents that focus on light weight do seem to sacrifice durability and space more than I'd like. At least there are minimal hills on this trip.
I'll try a post a few updates along the way if I can manage without a handy teenager along to handle the tech.
