Cycling UK Forum

Thermarest Stuff Sack Pillow

I have tried inflatable pillows but prefer my Thermarest stuff sack pillow. A dual purpose weight saver. I use it to stow my evening clothes when on tour. The brushed surface is pleasant in use and doesn't move about in the night.

"The Thermarest Stuff Sack Pillow is a multi purpose stuff sack, that you can use for your sleeping bag or clothes, Turn it inside out and fill it with soft clothing, and hey presto! a great camping pillow, that you didn't even notice carrying in. It's a simple idea that ultilises something you're already going to be carrying on your backpacking adventure - the humble stuff sack

The interior of the stuff sack is a soft brushed polyester, for warmth and comfort as a pillow. The exterior is light, tough and very water resistant 20D siliconised Cordura nylon."



https://www.climbers-shop.com/10940324/ ... small.aspx

Ivor Tingting wrote:

nick12 wrote:One night in the woods at windermere there was 2 red deer rutting which made me wonder if i was going to get trampled on . Only once have I been discovered. On hard knott pass above the layby over a ridge is a flattish patch a young couple were surprised to see me there i think i spoiled their plans I try to be discrete and off the paths.

This guy was disturbed in the night by a Bengal Tiger .

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/pag ... 73408&v=2w

Tell me about it..!! Never a dull moment for the codhead on tour.

I have just read that a rubber plantation worker was taken out by what the authorities suspect was a Sumatran Tiger. His family went looking for him and found his head before locating the rest of his body. Just as well I wasn't wild camping in Sumatra as it was far too hot.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/201 ... ttack.html

I cycled up to Tromso via the Lofoton Islands a few years back on the coastal route 17. A fantastic tour but blighted by midges that made life difficult as I wild camped every night. Every patch of skin had to be covered up. In contrast, I experienced no biting insect at all on the tours I have done in Iceland.

Norwegian Air provided the flights from Gatwick to Trondheim (direct) and Tromso back to Gatwick via Oslo. I caught a bus from Tromso airport to Namsos and started cycling from there. The flights were very cheap indeed but Norway very expensive. Despite that it ended up one of my cheapest tours as I cut my cloth accordingly. The small norwegian ferries across the fjords were reasonably priced and the water free from the streams.

The ferry from Bodo arrived in Lofoton in the early hours and I then enjoyed one of the best day's cycling I have ever had. A beautiful place.

Iceland..... love the place but the weather is wicked. The routes over the interior are superb if you like the rough stuff. Wild camping utopia.

I have to fit in most of Europe from Arctic Norway to Gib to Turkey and inc most countries, Morocco and Canada to Panama. In future years I'm hoping to stretch that out into Asia and the southern hemisphere so the requirement is worldwide really.

I'll probably have to do a detailed UK map and maybe another for Europe and then do a broad outline map for the world.

The Strava heatmaps are good but the problem is that I have quite a few tours that were pre GPS.

Garmin basecamp.... I'll take a look. Thank You.

Thanks mate. I have downloaded the Mapyx app and will take a look.

Thanks Ian. I'll take a look and try to get my head around it.

Hi Folks,

I am looking at trying to stick all my completed tours on one map. Some were pre gps days which will need plotting to produce a gpx file to go with my more recent rides.

Is there a mapping website that allows me to throw them all together on one map?

Cheers.

The Lofoton Islands are worth routing through. Up there with some of the best cycle touring I have enjoyed. Ferry from Bodo to A and from Andenes to Gryllefjord.

https://www.visitnorway.com/places-to-g ... n-islands/

I was advised to buy a fishing rod to keep my food bill down but never did. There is an abundance of fish. Also boiled up some fresh mussels alongside a fjord one afternoon. Midges were an absolute nightmare and I had to cover up every bit of exposed flesh when wild camping.

toontra wrote:We've done a fair bit of climbing in 40c+ conditions. We generally cope OK although my friend suffers from bad leg cramps for the first couple of days. He's tried electrolytes, salt tablets, etc but it just takes some time to acclimatise. I now recognise the shouts of pain and looking back to see him crouched over in pain!

Your posts, blog and Strava feeds have given me loads to work with Dave. It's invaluable stuff - how to deal with the tunnels for example, and some places that I'll include in the route. Many thanks!

Glad you found something useful, mate. Have a good tour and give me a shout if you need owt.

I don't know how much climbing you have done in really hot weather but I found electrolytes to be very useful to pop in the water bottles in Turkey. The temperature can get well over 40 deg C in the afternoons and the sweat pours out on the long hot climbs.

The tour east of Antalya was with a friend and we ended up in Cyprus flying back from Lanarca. We went fairly lightweight and pre-booked the accommodation for the first few nights then just winged it with a tent as back up which wasn't needed. Along the coast there is always accommodation to be found. It was clean and basic.

The tours I have done to the west of Antalya have been mainly wild camping but I did make use of cheap hotels on a few occasions before heading up into Bulgaria. There is loads of accommodation from Izmir southwards. Fethiye and Kas are nice places to stay. If you like a good climb then drop down to Olympus beach for a night. It is after Kumluca. It has lots of pensions, tree houses, ancient ruins and a lovely beach. The boat trips go there from Kemer during the day. Camyuva and Kemer are lovely resorts too.

I haven't used public transport much in Turkey so I'm sorry I can't help you with the coach information. I'd send them an email to find out.

It is a good exchange rate compared to a few years back so things will be even cheaper nowadays.

I've just had a wonderful time cycling through Morocco. Just one occasion of stone throwing when cycling through the Riff mountains in the north. I pulled up and told them off in good old Anglo Saxon language. At other times some of the kids would run alongside and on one occasion seemed a little hostile which had me hoping that they wouldn't push me over. Generally though they are a friendly lot and just unpredictable as they get very excited to see you especially in the towns along the desert highway in the south. I had some good laughs with them but they WILL come up and beg for stuff. I think it is inbred into them and it's not just the kids. Just keep a close eye on your gear. I had a rear light stolen in one village when surrounded by kids.


It's funny when you mention feeding the masses. I had a few occasions when the Berbers appeared out of the desert with their camels asking to be fed. I thought at the time, "What do they expect. I'm not a bloody canteen van..!!" It was a great sight seeing a camel train appearing out of the hills.

Southern Morocco was awesome. A bloke told me they were desperate for rain as it hadn't rained since September.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/codheadontour2016

I've cycled most of the western and southern coastlines of Turkey from Tasucu in the south to up past Gallipoli in the North and into Bulgaria. If you like climbing then there are plenty to go at along the coast. You will find a lot of roadside water taps along the way to keep your bottles topped up and it will be needed on the big climbs in hot weather. The main road D400 is fine for cycling along. Just take care around Izmir as it is all a bit hectic entering and leaving the city. There are cycle paths along the city foreshore and ferries are available to cross the bay. Accommodation along the way is cheap and plentiful if you need it. I used budget hotels on tour from Antalya to Tasucu at around a tenner a night and also stopped at Calis Beach in Fethiye, Kas and Ayvalik. All clean, basic and good value.

My ride from Antalya to up past Izmir is covered here: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/codheadontour2015

I've done Marmaris to Antalya and Antalya to Fethiye sections as well on previous tours and thoroughly recommend the Turkish coast for cycle touring. There are plenty of resources along the way and I never hand any trouble at all from the Turkish people. Quite the reverse in fact. I found them to be very friendly and supportive which didn't come as a surprise as I had a villa in Camyuva near Kemer (south of Antalya) for 6 years so had done a lot of acclimatisation along the way. The food is wonderful and cheap. Nice and fresh and very tasty. One of my favourites is Tavuk Sis which is chicken kebab. It is basically grilled chicken on skewers with bread, rice, onion and salad. Lahmacun is also nice. A round, thin piece of dough topped with minced meat and minced vegetables and herbs including onions, tomatoes and parsley, then baked.

There is a big climb out of Kas and also a big climb out of Kumluca heading towards Antalya. My favourite section is probably Fethiye to Antalya. When you get to Camyuva check the maps as minor roads can be taken heading towards Antalya to keep you off the D400 as it starts to get busy from there with a series of tunnels. When you get closer to Antalya you will have to rejoin the main road.

Good luck with the tour.

I've had a couple tours through Romania and found it to be safe and very friendly.

First tour went over the Transalpina pass from north to south and left the country at Vidin.

The second was earlier this year and took in some of the veloroute 6. I had cycled from Antalya and picked up Romania at the Bechet ferry crossing from Bulgaria. A nice flat route west taking in some nice rural villages. The children would hold their hands up for high 5's with big grins on their faces. Just be careful they don't grab hold as one young girl did and nearly pulled me off my bike. The adults were just as friendly with loads of waves and smiles. The only problem I had was having my cheap sunglasses swiped off the top of my panniers when I nipped into a village shop so be careful with that as there are a lot of people about. I think I know which young man whipped them.

I crossed the border into Serbia at the dam just past Drobeta- Turnu Severin. The Serbian side of the river is very quiet and scenic. The main road on the Romanian side of the Danube was very busy with a lot of freight trucks heading in both directions.

All in all, I found Romania one of the friendliest countries on my route from Antalya to the UK. The motorists are very respectful with lots of horse drawn carts and tractors on the roads. I wild camped it rather than used hotels etc.

see: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o= ... 16197&v=Yb

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/pag ... 23604&v=BI

I have cycled along the northern bank of the Danube through Vienna and it was an interesting experience. From what I can remember, the path was decent and straightforward. Very busy with pedestrians. We seemed to go through a variety of cultures as we cycled along. One section was full of romany people and one large group were busy spit roasting a large pig. Further along we passed through a nudist section full of middle aged people with portly figures.