Which country's maps should I be hopefully poring over?

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MASSIVE disclaimer first: OF COURSE we don't know how things will look in a month's time - things could get better, or things could get worse and borders start slamming shut all over the place.

But with that in mind, I'm doing some day-dreaming about going somewhere before we reach proper winter. Probably with/by bike.

I had thought that the likely trips would be the shorter ones i.e. Scotland/Wales or France. But S&W look likely to hang onto travel restrictions for a lot longer than ENG, and France are ... well, not exactly encouraging Brits to vacation over there.

So given what we think we know, about the various plans announced by the various governments, whaddya reckon?
(I'm thinking Spain looks possible, as there is a direct ferry, and they're welcoming ... but there is still the 14-day quarantine on return to the UK.
EIRE? Would that have less barriers?
Iceland and Portugal look good for flyers ...)

Matty
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
As a person who makes maps for a living I pore over every map I can find. However, on this years touring side I am aiming to be flexible and looking at everything from mini wild camping trips in the UK, through longer UK based trips and a trip based to meet up with some friends in Portugal. I think the beauty for me of cycle touring is twofold - the fabulous fun I can have planning a trip that never happens and the ability to just go on a trip with no warning when the possibility arises.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
and France are ... well, not exactly encouraging Brits to vacation over there.
France were all set to exempt UK from quarantine rules and then gov.uk rejected it, so it's not really their fault. I'm sure if gov.uk stop being daffodils, we can go to other countries... so we're probably stuck in England for now.
 
Location
España
Other than for enjoyment of planning & dreaming purposes, I'd be very wary of placing any faith in actually being able to complete a tour abroad in the current climate. The fact is that it is just too risky for most situations.

The biggest danger as I see it is a localised lock-down leaving you stuck and stranded.

Other factors are;
Quarantine - only Ireland & the UK have a no quarantine reciprocal arrangement at the moment. Depending on where you go you may have to face quarantine at home. Remember, it could be imposed after you leave!

Expect any service that a cycletourist may use to be limited and restricted. I'm thinking of campgrounds, hostels, buses, trains and ferries. And at short notice! Imagine taking your bike on a ferry to Spain and being refused to take it back!

I can see wild camping to be far riskier than before. Whereas a blind eye may often have been shown to a cyclist or two later in the day in strange areas, now these cyclists will more likely be tracked. Whereas previously a farmer may have taken a sly wander to suss out his new neighbours, a dog might be the safer option nowadays. Then there's the simple fact of more people looking for stealth spots.

Simple activities will be more difficult - shopping, eating out, having a coffee. Add to that how difficult human interactions will be. Touring will be very, very different.

Travel & health insurance may be more necessary than before and yet offer less.

Fluency in the local language is probably more important than ever before to understand what is going on, as is connectivity and staying on top of news.

To conclude, a number of countries are talking about opening up their tourism sectors but the fact of the matter is that we are a minority hobby and are way, way down the priority list for services. A bike tour in Spain will be very, very different to one last year.

To answer your question the best place to tour is in your own country where you have more backup if things regress.

If you want to go abroad, Ireland is probably the safest in terms of getting back.

Sorry.:sad:

Probably the safest way to conduct a bike tour is to consider an all in package from a company. Then (and read the small print) lockdowns etc. will be their problem - not yours.

(If you do go, it's Ireland. Éire is the name as gaeilge ;))
 

classic33

Leg End Member
Other than for enjoyment of planning & dreaming purposes, I'd be very wary of placing any faith in actually being able to complete a tour abroad in the current climate. The fact is that it is just too risky for most situations.

The biggest danger as I see it is a localised lock-down leaving you stuck and stranded.

Other factors are;
Quarantine - only Ireland & the UK have a no quarantine reciprocal arrangement at the moment. Depending on where you go you may have to face quarantine at home. Remember, it could be imposed after you leave!

Expect any service that a cycletourist may use to be limited and restricted. I'm thinking of campgrounds, hostels, buses, trains and ferries. And at short notice! Imagine taking your bike on a ferry to Spain and being refused to take it back!

I can see wild camping to be far riskier than before. Whereas a blind eye may often have been shown to a cyclist or two later in the day in strange areas, now these cyclists will more likely be tracked. Whereas previously a farmer may have taken a sly wander to suss out his new neighbours, a dog might be the safer option nowadays. Then there's the simple fact of more people looking for stealth spots.

Simple activities will be more difficult - shopping, eating out, having a coffee. Add to that how difficult human interactions will be. Touring will be very, very different.

Travel & health insurance may be more necessary than before and yet offer less.

Fluency in the local language is probably more important than ever before to understand what is going on, as is connectivity and staying on top of news.

To conclude, a number of countries are talking about opening up their tourism sectors but the fact of the matter is that we are a minority hobby and are way, way down the priority list for services. A bike tour in Spain will be very, very different to one last year.

To answer your question the best place to tour is in your own country where you have more backup if things regress.

If you want to go abroad, Ireland is probably the safest in terms of getting back.

Sorry.:sad:

Probably the safest way to conduct a bike tour is to consider an all in package from a company. Then (and read the small print) lockdowns etc. will be their problem - not yours.

(If you do go, it's Ireland. Éire is the name as gaeilge ;))
Second the "go West", but will Wales let us through. The two main points of departure being in Wales. Liverpool is an option, but they don't all allow bikes on the ferries.
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
The situation's likely to change at very short notice if there are flare-ups later in the summer anywhere in Europe. I was gazing out of the window of the TGV heading south from Paris last summer. There is absolutely stunning countryside in Burgundy, and towns that look largely unspoiled. It looked like a great place to take the bike. I promised myself that I would visit one day.
Anyway, that's my dream.
 

chriswoody

Legendary Member
Location
Northern Germany
I'm in a much more fortunate position living in Germany, I don't need to worry about ferries or flights in order to escape an island. pre-covid I was always planning to go to Slovenia bikepacking this year. I was always planning on going lightweight, so a bivvy bag instead of a tent and off-road away from the crowds. As Hobbes says, this style of travel is even more appropriate post-covid, where I can be really discrete and keep away from people. Re-stocking food should be fine because supermarkets are still open and I'll just need to forsake pizza and beer in a restaurant.

I had a small window of time available end of June/early July and this is starting to look more favourable by the day as the Schengen countries are negotiating the re-opening of borders, sans quarantine measures. I'm looking at various routes/maps and countries, keeping my options open so that I can just go with barely a moments notice. There will still be the ever present risk of a border snapping shut behind me, I'll just have to weigh that risk before I make a final decision on which country. There are some really enticing routes here in Germany as well, which would be far and away the safest option and my fall back if it's looking to risky elsewhere. it's the thought that there is a very faint glimmer of hope that I may complete a tour this year, that's keeping me going at the moment.
 
Talking of low-impact travel post-covid, GBDURO just announced a brave plan for their UK end-to-end:
https://www.theracingcollective.com/gbduro.html#

The rule changes can be summarised as follows:
  1. Format: delayed start date (provisionally set for 8am Saturday 1 August 2020) to be ridden as a single stage, no checkpoints, no Finisher’s Party
  2. Rules: ride in a self-sufficient, rather than self-supported, manner without social contact (2m rule)
The main upshot of self-sufficient riding means riders will have to take all the food they’ll need with them to get from start to finish.
<snip> ...

Self-sufficient riding on the other hand, does not permit assistance from others, use of any buildings (commercial or otherwise), or disposal of non-biodegradable waste – the key test here is one of ‘no assistance from others’… if it relies on assistance from others, riders shouldn’t be doing it.

WHY ZERO WASTE? THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH COVID-19!
On backcountry trips it is normal to 'pack out' any packaging you brought in, forcing us to think about how to minimise the packaging in the first place. We want to see that logic in ultracycling and the move to self-sufficient riding, which inherently produces less waste, provides a perfect opportunity.

Under our self-sufficiency rules, riders will not be allowed to dispose of any non-biodegradable waste during the ride.

COVID-19 or not, we want to force our brains to engage on the problem at hand and shine a light on progress in biodegradable packaging etc. By creating the problem i.e. the burden of having to carry it, we will find solutions and in time, we hope the eye-watering amounts of plastic waste on ultras will be a thing of the past.
 
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