Search found 604 matches

by pal
12 Feb 2024, 4:04pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Cycling using trains (in UK and EU)
Replies: 589
Views: 61809

Re: Cycling using trains (in UK and EU)

I've had very similar experiences to Diatom's on GWR trains: no fun at all.

LNER has exactly the same rolling stock (bought as part of the same order, and with the specification dictated -- as Pendodave rightly says -- by the DfT), but they've made some small tweaks in configuration which make it much less stressful to use with a bike: the bike cupboards are strictly bike only (no suitcases allowed); platform staff are often (not always, but often) stricter about checking bike reservations; and they've slightly adjusted the set-up with the hooks to make it marginally less of a struggle to get a bike onto them. It's still very far from perfect, but shows what's possible if the ToC is willing to think about what cyclists need/want...
by pal
5 Feb 2024, 3:15pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: What's the best app for planning multi-day bike trips?
Replies: 48
Views: 2411

Re: What's the best app for planning multi-day bike trips?

bungle73 wrote: 4 Feb 2024, 11:57am Thanks. I'm not sure Cycle.travel does what I need it to. I want to be able to upload a gpx file from elswhere then split the route into daily sections at places of my choosing, so I can configure each section to be a do-able distance of cycling, and I know how long it is. Then I'll download each section to my Garmin for use. I used Komoot for this when I did the Cantii Way last year, but now it only seems to want to split the route where it wants, not where I want, and I can't find any obvious way of being able to change it. The whole thing has been a total pita to try and use, so I cancelled my subscription and it's due to expire next month.

I already have a Strava subscription btw, but it doesn't do what I want.
As others have said, uploading a gpx file is v. possible on cycle.travel. To split it into daily sections, you can either ask cycle.travel to divide it into a specified number of days (by clicking the 'suggest overnight stops' link), or add the overnight stops manually (or a combo of both); either way, it's straightforward to move the overnight stops to a different place. Once you have overnight stops marked on the route, you get an option when saving to split the route into separate files, one for each day. It's a very intuitive system, imo, and very flexible.
by pal
5 Feb 2024, 1:25pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Iceland F35 camping and bike on bus
Replies: 5
Views: 511

Re: Iceland F35 camping and bike on bus

The F26 is a lot of fun (for a certain value of 'fun', of course...!), but you're right, I think, that end of Sept is likely to be touch and go for it being open. (I think I'd be most worried about the couple of river crossings by the Nyidalur hut -- though I guess it's possible that those get easier later in the season, when there's less snowmelt...)

I've never cycled in the Westfjords, but people who have done have been very positive about it. Just to throw another option into the mix!
by pal
4 Feb 2024, 9:47am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: What's the best app for planning multi-day bike trips?
Replies: 48
Views: 2411

Re: What's the best app for planning multi-day bike trips?

Another vote for cycle.travel. As others have said, it tends to require a little bit of human input for very long routes (specifying via points, etc), but I trust its routing decisions far more than those of komoot et al, and I think the interface is excellent too. Like MrsHJ, I tend to plan my long rides as a single route, and then use the built-in widget to split them into day rides, for fine-tuning and uploading to my Garmin.

The free version gets you everything you need, and a small subscription/donation adds a few more features (more choice of base maps, first access to new features, etc). All that, and you get first rate user support right here on this forum (over on the cycle.travel thread...)
by pal
3 Feb 2024, 12:23pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Eurovelo 15 north to south from Wiesbaden to Andermatt
Replies: 14
Views: 2197

Re: Eurovelo 15 north to south from Wiesbaden to Andermatt

pal wrote: 31 Jan 2024, 7:08pm
Galactic wrote: 25 Jan 2024, 11:25am I was looking at the bit between the source and Bodensee on the map the other day, pondering whether I would want to do it. The bit up by the source looks superb, but a motorway joins the route just before Chur (if you're going downstream), and stays close all the way to the Bodensee. That sort of puts me off, although the valley widens out a lot, so there are other options if you don't want to cycle beside a motorway for 60km, and I do like the Swiss cycle routes. They put our Sustrans NCN to shame.
It's true that you're quite close to the motorway immediately south of Chur, but being a Polite Swiss Motorway it isn't too bad, and that stretch doesn't last too long. Otherwise, it's generally very pleasant cycling along wide towpaths alongside the river, with some potential for short detours through vineyards, into Liechtenstein, etc. North of Chur to the source is indeed spectacular (and hilly!).
Others will have worked this out already, but the map that lives in my head had obviously flipped upsidedown: it's north of Chur that there's the brief motorway-adjacent stretch (though, as foxyrider rightly says, that's over before you get to Sargans); south (and west) of Chur you head into the hills, and through the very fun gorge of the Anterior Rhine.
by pal
3 Feb 2024, 12:10pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Iceland F35 camping and bike on bus
Replies: 5
Views: 511

Re: Iceland F35 camping and bike on bus

Bus: I've taken a bike on an icelandic bus with no problem -- it just goes in the luggage space underneath. Obv. it will depend on it being physically able to fit -- but if you're getting on at the start of the route (which it sounds like you will be?) then I wouldn't expect any issues. I didn't pre-book a space, but it would probably be worth checking with the relevant operator (I haven't been to Iceland since pre-pandemic...).

Water: I used a filter (a squeeze bag thing), which was able to cope with glacier water (though it takes a while!). I don't know the F35, but I didn't find it too hard to find other water sources (springs, non-glaciated streams) in other places, though sometimes it required a bit of a detour off the trail.

Camping: legally, the wild camping rules are more relaxed for cyclists than for motorists (broadly: if you can't reasonably reach an official campsite, then it's ok to wildcamp for one night provided you aren't in a restricted area: https://ust.is/english/visiting-iceland ... -you-camp/ ). Practically: I've never cycled the F35, so I can't give specific advice -- though I do get the impression it can get pretty busy along there (i.e.: you might have quite a noisy night!). There are some official camp sites/huts along the F35 though -- info on this (v. useful) cycling map: https://cyclingiceland.is/en/cycling-map/

Bike box: I think the storage place at the airport is no more, but these people offer bike box storage -- https://www.bikerent.is/bike-box-storage.html
by pal
31 Jan 2024, 7:08pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Eurovelo 15 north to south from Wiesbaden to Andermatt
Replies: 14
Views: 2197

Re: Eurovelo 15 north to south from Wiesbaden to Andermatt

Galactic wrote: 25 Jan 2024, 11:25am I was looking at the bit between the source and Bodensee on the map the other day, pondering whether I would want to do it. The bit up by the source looks superb, but a motorway joins the route just before Chur (if you're going downstream), and stays close all the way to the Bodensee. That sort of puts me off, although the valley widens out a lot, so there are other options if you don't want to cycle beside a motorway for 60km, and I do like the Swiss cycle routes. They put our Sustrans NCN to shame.
It's true that you're quite close to the motorway immediately south of Chur, but being a Polite Swiss Motorway it isn't too bad, and that stretch doesn't last too long. Otherwise, it's generally very pleasant cycling along wide towpaths alongside the river, with some potential for short detours through vineyards, into Liechtenstein, etc. North of Chur to the source is indeed spectacular (and hilly!).
by pal
14 Jan 2024, 12:58pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Caledonian Way vs National Cycle Route 1
Replies: 15
Views: 1174

Re: Caledonian Way vs National Cycle Route 1

I'd put in a small word for Shetland. I was also lured there for a bike ride by the tv series, and it didn't disappoint. It's true that there's less tourist infrastructure, and also probably a bit less scope for traditional (point to point) touring -- not only because of the road network but also because of the extremely unpredictable weather (esp. very strong winds). I stayed in a couple of places for a couple of nights each, so I could be more flexible about the day rides I chose to do. It's significantly more hilly than Orkney; I think has more puffins, if that's your thing; perhaps more cake fridges? (apologies if I am neglecting Orcadian roadside cake provision, though...); definitely more scope for saying 'ah! there's the Murderers' Hideout From Series 3!' (etc) as you cycle along.

Orkney is also great, mind you...
by pal
9 Jan 2024, 8:14pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Tour Plans for 2024
Replies: 78
Views: 9619

Re: Tour Plans for 2024

I cycled from Copenhagen to Oslo in (gulp) 2010 (my brain says it was just the other day, but my diary disagrees…). It was a really nice ride: not especially challenging, but very scenic, especially the stretch north of Gothenburg up to the border. From Copenhagen, I cycled up the Danish coast for a short way and took the ferry over to Helsinborg (rather than taking the train over to Malmo). And I also got a ferry up the last bit of the Oslofjord at the other end, to save having to cycle into Oslo (though I think Oslo’s got dramatically more cycle-friendly in recent years, so perhaps that wouldn’t be needed now). Anyway: v recommended!
by pal
6 Jan 2024, 12:05pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Newcastle to Ijmuiden DFDS Ferry
Replies: 27
Views: 1648

Re: Newcastle to Ijmuiden DFDS Ferry

Not answering the question you asked, but just in case you hadn't spotted it: DFDS are offering a 20% early booking discount on their Amsterdam route at the moment (it doesn't always show up if you start from their main page, but it's there if you go to the Newcastle-Amsterdam home page: https://www.dfds.com/en-gb/passenger-fe ... -amsterdam

To add another data point to the 'how long to get out of the port' question: my diary tells me that the last time I arrived in IJmuiden (in August 2022), I was cycling out of the port by 10.30; that was with a relatively long wait to get off the boat, but no significant wait at passport control (my experience, like some others' on this thread, was that the cyclists were waved to the front of the queue once we escaped from the ferry...)
by pal
6 Jan 2024, 11:35am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Flight-Free Holidays
Replies: 62
Views: 2762

Re: Flight-Free Holidays

I've been trying to make my cycling holidays flight-free, usually by doing a combo of train + ferry to get to where I want to ride (most recently: northern Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Belgium [not all on the same trip!]).

Pluses (leaving aside the environmental benefits...): it's way less stressful than flying with a bike (no more wrestling with a pedal spanner, or anxious waits in baggage reclaim...); as noted upthread, the journey can become part of the holiday (a brief stop-over in Paris; a quick ride from the ferry to a suitable train station in the Netherlands; etc etc).

Minuses: it usually ends up more expensive than a plane; there are more 'moving parts' in the itinerary, so more scope for hiccups on the way (if, e.g, there's a train strike in some intermediate country); it's harder to get some places (I'd love to revisit Norway, for example, but that's quite a complex prospect with bike + train at the moment -- not impossible, but time-consuming; likewise Greece...)

For me, the pluses definitely outweigh the minuses (though I realise I'm in a privileged position of having a relatively flexible work schedule, and not having to travel on the tightest budget).
by pal
3 Jan 2024, 8:37am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Cycling using trains (in UK and EU)
Replies: 589
Views: 61809

Re: Cycling using trains (in UK and EU)

:D (And thanks!)
by pal
2 Jan 2024, 7:11pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Cycling using trains (in UK and EU)
Replies: 589
Views: 61809

Re: Cycling using trains (in UK and EU)

As promised (threatened?): here are some pics of the bike cupboard in the Cross Country Voyager: one of the empty space, and one with my bike (and its 30mm tyres) for scale. [I can't persuade the photos to display the right way up! If anyone can fix this, I'd be v. grateful. Until then, rotate your computers by 90 degrees...]

This is the 'single bike' cupboard, which is more roomy (the one on the other side of the aisle holds two bikes, and can be more of a squeeze). I think the hook would accommodate a pretty wide tyre, providing you can heft the bike up onto it.

The same bit of the train (the end of Coach D, in the usual set-up of the Voyagers) also has the bulky luggage storage, and I'm pretty sure that a tourer would fit in there: it's a long space, with a partition/shelf at about 4 feet high. But this would only work if there were no luggage in that space, which I have to say is pretty unlikely. (Even the almost completely empty new year's day train I was on had a couple of big suitcases in there.)
by pal
31 Dec 2023, 9:23am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Cycling using trains (in UK and EU)
Replies: 589
Views: 61809

Re: Cycling using trains (in UK and EU)

mjr wrote: 30 Dec 2023, 9:41pm Even the cross-country?
Cross Country retired the last of its 125s in September (https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/d ... ed-8784449), so I think all of their long-distance routes now use Voyagers or SuperVoyagers. The bike cupboards on those are more roomy than the ones in the new Hitachi trains used by GWR and LNER (esp. if you can get the 'single bike' cupboard), and I think might even manage a 42mm tyre, but the weight of the bike might still be an issue.

(I'm due to be catching one, with bike, tomorrow, so I'll try to take a closer look at the hanger hook dimensions and heights and report back -- assuming the train shows up, of course...)
by pal
20 Dec 2023, 4:52pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Suggestions for a week's cycling trip - Europe
Replies: 23
Views: 1139

Re: Suggestions for a week's cycling trip - Europe

Yes, my bag's the same as Simon's, and my method's the same too: line it with cardboard (which it's almost always possible to locate, from a shop or a bin or somewhere...), and you're away! I used to take at least a (return) flight a year with it, and only once (in about ten years) had damage which necessitated a trip to a bike shop (a bent derailleur). It requires minimal dismantling, too (pedals and one wheel off; handlebars turned): about 15 minutes packing or unpacking time, if everything goes smoothly; probably quicker if you were really slick.

The downside: they're not especially cheap, esp. because they don't (afaik) have a UK distributor, so you have to pay import duties from NZ.