Search found 209 matches

by pedals2slowly
14 Mar 2023, 5:25pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Travelling to southern Europe without flying
Replies: 136
Views: 14748

Re: Travelling to southern Europe without flying

nirakaro wrote: 14 Mar 2023, 8:42am You call it c**p; a more easy-going person might call it thread drift. I'd call it an interesting – if meandering – conversation mostly about getting to Europe without flying, which was the subject of the OP.
Trouble is it means trawling through idle chit-chat to find useful info. One of the big problems of social media and the reason many potentially helpful people don't use the forum. There are many contributors who just can't resist typing away even if they have nothing useful to say. Anecdotes about 15 years ago are really pointless.
If only we had a decent CTC touring department and Chris Juden back! Sigh.
by pedals2slowly
13 Mar 2023, 9:36pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Travelling to southern Europe without flying
Replies: 136
Views: 14748

Re: Travelling to southern Europe without flying

As the original poster I'm aghast at the c**p people have posted in this thread that have nothing to do with the title question - glad I opted out of notifications as the time wasters chatted amongst themselves!
Anyway if anyone is interested we're currently heading south taking intercity or TER trains when the weather is bad and it's working well, cheapish and simple.
The object is to reduce our carbon footprint.
I hope that helps anyone actually interested in the title subject.
(Heading back via Santander Plymouth ferry late April)
by pedals2slowly
16 Feb 2023, 5:59pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Eurovelo8 in Spain north of Barcelona
Replies: 0
Views: 275

Eurovelo8 in Spain north of Barcelona

Anyone know why the Eurovelo8 diverts so far away from the coast road between Sant Feliu de Guixols and Blanes.
Is the road very busy? It seems to add 20 miles to the journey and the sea views look good from the coast road.
by pedals2slowly
12 Feb 2023, 9:01pm
Forum: National Standard Cycle Training
Topic: Instructors pay, have you given up and left?
Replies: 8
Views: 4851

Re: Instructors pay, have you given up and left?

You are very very lucky to get £18 per hour.
Worcestershire County Council pay about £11, no travel time payment just mileage.
I gave up because it interfered with retired life AND because Bikeability didn't seem to increase the number of children cycling.
by pedals2slowly
10 Feb 2023, 11:47am
Forum: Cycling UK Member Groups and Affiliates
Topic: Member group avoiding VAT as CUK is charity
Replies: 6
Views: 6252

Re: Member group avoiding VAT as CUK is charity

Excellent replies and nobody hijacking the thread!
by pedals2slowly
3 Feb 2023, 7:29pm
Forum: Cycling UK Member Groups and Affiliates
Topic: Member group avoiding VAT as CUK is charity
Replies: 6
Views: 6252

Re: Member group avoiding VAT as CUK is charity

Yes that makes sense.
I'll see if HQ will help us out .......
by pedals2slowly
3 Feb 2023, 5:54pm
Forum: Cycling UK Member Groups and Affiliates
Topic: Member group avoiding VAT as CUK is charity
Replies: 6
Views: 6252

Member group avoiding VAT as CUK is charity

We want to fund an active travel feasibility study (£15K)
As a CUK member group can we avoid paying VAT on that, being part of CUK, a charity?
by pedals2slowly
11 Nov 2022, 3:18pm
Forum: Racing, Olympics, TdF, Competitive cycling
Topic: Any bald ex-pro cyclists?
Replies: 13
Views: 7176

Any bald ex-pro cyclists?

Just watched Ned Bolting's ITV programme about Irish cycling and it struck me that I can't recall seeing any high level ex-pro racing cyclists who have gone bald.
Apart from Pantani are there any?
Is this testosterone linked?
Me being bald and ex-extremely mediocre, have I now got an excuse?
by pedals2slowly
12 Oct 2022, 9:52pm
Forum: National Standard Cycle Training
Topic: High BMI how to approach the subject?
Replies: 34
Views: 8044

Re: High BMI how to approach the subject?

All parents have to complete a form identifying any students health issues.
I've never had obesity identified but have had plenty of overweight children. Adjust training accordingly and it's fairly easy to get children enthusiastic about cycling.
I've never managed to squeeze a 6 mile ride into Bikeability session! Best to spend the time covering the safe cycling training and unless you have an exceptional hill to climb overweight children won't have a problem.
by pedals2slowly
12 Oct 2022, 9:30pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: British Cycling partners with Shell
Replies: 94
Views: 7274

Re: British Cycling partners with Shell

It's pretty irrelevant.
The majority of people who ride cycles also consume vast amounts of products produced by Shell.
Most competitive and many non-competitive riders cycles travel more miles in a car than when ridden.
Like the majority of the population cyclists have general apathy towards making lifestyle changes necessary to reduce environmental degradation.
So good for Cycling UK if we can make this a positive plus for membership but bad for everyone, even if it's supposed to be some sort of greenwash.
by pedals2slowly
4 May 2022, 12:53am
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Gumtree and scammers
Replies: 18
Views: 1380

Re: Gumtree and scammers

I simply ask people to phone me - usually stops scammers in their tracks
by pedals2slowly
14 Apr 2022, 8:21pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Travelling to southern Europe without flying
Replies: 136
Views: 14748

Re: Travelling to southern Europe without flying

simonhill wrote: 14 Apr 2022, 3:53pm Ferry to N Spain then train to wherever. The Spanish MD trains take assembled bikes for €3. High speed take bagged bikes, but they have to be small-ish. You can book on the renfe website (Spanish Railways). Do a Google search for bikes on trains in Spain, lots of useful info in English on the renfe site.

Others will advise on going by train through France.

Check out if Morocco is open. It wasn't about 4 weeks ago and all the ferries from S Spain were freight only.

Might help if you say if bike is packed or 'a bike'.
Brittany Ferries seem to be the only company that does UK - Spain routes and they stop running in early November
by pedals2slowly
14 Apr 2022, 3:00pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Travelling to southern Europe without flying
Replies: 136
Views: 14748

Re: Travelling to southern Europe without flying

Jdsk wrote: 14 Apr 2022, 2:39pm Have a look at Ouigo:
viewtopic.php?p=1679144

And I would include hiring a car in the options, especially if there's more than one of you. This is generally much cheaper if you drop off in the same country where you pick up.

Jonathan
That's interesting. Speed and expense is not of the essence and I 'd rather gaze out of a train window than drive a car anywhere anytime.
Thanks
by pedals2slowly
14 Apr 2022, 2:30pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Travelling to southern Europe without flying
Replies: 136
Views: 14748

Travelling to southern Europe without flying

Planning a trip to warmer bits of Europe this winter but slightly restricted by the 90 days in 180 EU rule so can't cycle all the way.
Probably need to hop out of the EU to Morocco to reduce days in EU for a month, so getting to France, Spain or Portugal make sense.
What's the easiest way to get to the Mediterranean with a bike without flying in December?
by pedals2slowly
29 Oct 2021, 4:33pm
Forum: National Standard Cycle Training
Topic: Franklin's Cyclecraft - not fit for purpose?
Replies: 29
Views: 8489

Re: Franklin's Cyclecraft - not fit for purpose?

DaveReading wrote: 29 Oct 2021, 2:14pm
pedals2slowly wrote: 29 Oct 2021, 11:54amThere are other odd pieces of advice -P91 'you should usually aim to stop without using your brakes', P93 'you should use your brakes as little as possible' and there are more.
From a conservation of energy point of view, both of those are sound advice. Applies to motor vehicles too, come to that.
Except on the slightest of downhill incline ( so perhaps 30% of the time) you have to use the brakes to stop.
Simply using that phrase 'you should use your brakes as little as possible' may encourage people to not use their brakes when they should be IMHO. I can hear it now (as the ambulance goes off in the distance) ' But he told me I should stop without using brakes'