What tours are you planning for next year?

[Hill Wimp]

Hook, Delft, Utrecth, Arnhem, Nijmegen, maastricht, Liege, Namur, Charleville Mezieres, Reims, Ghent , Brugges, Calais.

There are also various places inbetween but these are the main.

Those mileages seem a bit off to me, possibly correct if you are planning on cycling on A roads all the time but you need to check the legalities of that.

Charleville in the Ardennes is at least 289km away from Calais. You may want to reconsider some of your calculations and your routes.

 

[vernon]

Also, does anyone have any idea on predicted wind direction in the area in July? That will determine which direction I go (circular route but would like the wind behind me in certain areas if poss).

Past experience suggests that the wind always blows from an againsterly direction.

 

[db7db7]

Home - Harwich (120ish), Hook - Eindhoven (85ish), Eindhoven - Dusseldorf (70ish), Dusseldorf - Liege (85ish), Liege - Charleville (95ish - this route from Givet looks great!), Charleville - Calais (170ish over 2 days - not sure where to stop yet).

I'm hoping the mileage/routes are OK. I'm using Garmin Connect to plan as a starter then tweaking the routes to avoid questionable paths (it has taken me into farmer's fields before!). This should also avoid main roads. Once that's all done I'll then pop them on here somewhere to ask for any local/experienced input from forum members who know more than me.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Home - Harwich (120ish), Hook - Eindhoven (85ish), Eindhoven - Dusseldorf (70ish), Dusseldorf - Liege (85ish), Liege - Charleville (95ish - this route from Givet looks great!), Charleville - Calais (170ish over 2 days - not sure where to stop yet).

I'm hoping the mileage/routes are OK. I'm using Garmin Connect to plan as a starter then tweaking the routes to avoid questionable paths (it has taken me into farmer's fields before!). This should also avoid main roads. Once that's all done I'll then pop them on here somewhere to ask for any local/experienced input from forum members who know more than me.

you will need to be very careful with your route through the Netherlands. Because of the proliferation of cycle paths, (not lanes) you will find that there are a great many roads that cycling is not permitted on and those cycle paths will slow you down considerably - quite a few we met even had dedicated speed bumps on them for cyclists and there was no going around them or maintaining any speed over them. Best of luck with those distances!

 

[Hill Wimp]

Also be careful in Belgium and sticking to the cycle paths rather than the road. Its illegal not to use them however whether you would be prosecuted seems to be another matter.

Are you camping or b&b ?

@ThompsonCrowley recommends using the trans ardennes route ( think its a Ravel route) to get down to Charleville-Mézières and @xilios recommends the N617 avoiding the East side of the river around Liege in
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/m...lectronic-gismos-on-tour.180995/#post-3720948.

 

[db7db7]

Thanks for the info. Yeah, i do have concerns that cycle paths will slow me down and i had read about the Belgium path law. However, my first rule of touring is safety and i'd rather go slower and be safe. With that in mind, i might allow an extra day as a contingency. I'm going to camp and B&B so can be pretty flexible. Yeah, i was hoping to use the trans ardennes route too - my Garmin doesn't recognise it, but i have a pdf which looks pretty straightforward to follow (famous last words).
What's the advice with maps? i'm struggling to find suitable maps. How would this sort of thing http://www.amazon.co.uk/Netherlands...F8&qid=1433068271&sr=8-1&keywords=map+holland do as a back-up? i know they prob won't have cycle paths, but as an emergency would they be of some use? When touring in the UK i've always used a GPS breadcrumb and road atlas as a back-up.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Thanks for the info. Yeah, i do have concerns that cycle paths will slow me down and i had read about the Belgium path law. However, my first rule of touring is safety and i'd rather go slower and be safe. With that in mind, i might allow an extra day as a contingency. I'm going to camp and B&B so can be pretty flexible. Yeah, i was hoping to use the trans ardennes route too - my Garmin doesn't recognise it, but i have a pdf which looks pretty straightforward to follow (famous last words).
What's the advice with maps? i'm struggling to find suitable maps. How would this sort of thing http://www.amazon.co.uk/Netherlands...F8&qid=1433068271&sr=8-1&keywords=map+holland do as a back-up? i know they prob won't have cycle paths, but as an emergency would they be of some use? When touring in the UK i've always used a GPS breadcrumb and road atlas as a back-up.

Have you looked a the garmin base map software (map source) with velomap software. His maps were excellent when we used them several years ago, and I can't see that they will be any worse.
You have to download each country separately unless you give a donation in which case you get all of Europe. We found the donation worth it. You will be able to create routes and send to your garmin with that software and his maps of countries such as the Netherlands with all their cycle paths soon sorts you out.
https://www.velomap.org/download/odbl/
change to 2nd tab for downloads. Do follow his instructions for map source and where to install the maps to though. It does make a difference.

 

[db7db7]

Have you looked a the garmin base map software (map source) with velomap software. His maps were excellent when we used them several years ago, and I can't see that they will be any worse.
You have to download each country separately unless you give a donation in which case you get all of Europe. We found the donation worth it. You will be able to create routes and send to your garmin with that software and his maps of countries such as the Netherlands with all their cycle paths soon sorts you out.
https://www.velomap.org/download/odbl/
change to 2nd tab for downloads. Do follow his instructions for map source and where to install the maps to though. It does make a difference.

Thanks - would this be just for planning purposes as my GPS is just the 200, it doesn't have mapping capability.

 

[Hill Wimp]

Maps.me download them all on a tablet. Brilliant detail, even down to an ice cream stand and plotaroute is good if you want to scare yourself daft seeing some of the hills you are going to have to climb.

I always take paper maps too, the Michelin maps are the best for mainland Europe.

 

[db7db7]

Wow what a great app maps.me is - thanks for that will add a bit more assurance. I'll get those maps ordered too.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Thanks - would this be just for planning purposes as my GPS is just the 200, it doesn't have mapping capability.

nope, but it does have the option to follow a course which you can create using this software. I have a garmin edge 200 and use the course option myself.

 

[vernon]

Time slots:
Up to ten days at Easter
Up to a week in June
Three weeks in July/August

Possible tours.
A three week LEJOG
A three week JOGLE
Mizzen Head to Malin Head
A relaxed Channel to the Med
Some of the Rhine Radweg
The northern section of the Elbe Radweg
Some of the North Sea Cycle route from Aberdeen southwards
Reivers Route
Trans Pennine Trail
Some of the North Sea Cycle Route from Harwich northwards

No planning needed apart from booking transport to the start and back from the end of each route. I have maps for all of the listed routes and a packing list that has served me well for the past eight years.

How plans change!

I have done only a short section of the North Sea cycle route from Hull to Whitby and some of the C2C from Workington to Penrith. Forecast heavy rain, sleet and now over the Pennines saw me abandon that.

To make up for it I'm off to America for three and a half months to have a go at the Northern Tier route next Monday.

I've started a blog and at the moment it's nearly content free which I hope to change over the coming months. http://www.foyfab.co.uk/Northern_Tier

 

[robing]

hows the knee ?

My knee is good thanks. It seems to be improving with the cycling.