Search found 774 matches

by bohrsatom
15 Mar 2024, 1:24pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Holland - Short Tour
Replies: 37
Views: 1085

Re: Holland - Short Tour

CliveyT wrote: 15 Mar 2024, 10:19am but seeing you're staying in Gouda you'll probably have had enough of cheese by then
I'm not sure I've ever had enough of cheese :lol:
by bohrsatom
15 Mar 2024, 8:08am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Holland - Short Tour
Replies: 37
Views: 1085

Re: Holland - Short Tour

CliveyT wrote: 14 Mar 2024, 9:13pm Would be going right past de Molen brewery so I would have the problem of getting 'delayed' in Bodegraven
I’m going to Gouda in May (with my Brompton), this is now on my list of places to visit!
by bohrsatom
14 Mar 2024, 6:47pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Holland - Short Tour
Replies: 37
Views: 1085

Re: Holland - Short Tour

This is a fun agenda. Definitely take time to explore Delft and the boat suggestion is a good one too. Gouda is a pretty town that's worth adding to the list.

Within the towns you can leave your bike securely in guarded cycle parks ('Fietsenstalling' in Dutch). These are generally free for daytime parking. Recent experience in Delft/Utrecht is the guard will put a barcode sticker on your bike and give you a small keyfob which proves ownership. They'll scan both barcodes on the way in and the way out.
The guards don't always speak English but if you act confused a local will probably help out.

Secondly, take a look at https://www.groenehart.nl/the-green-heart-of-holland for some route inspiration
by bohrsatom
7 Mar 2024, 1:40pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Cycling using trains (in UK and EU)
Replies: 587
Views: 61421

Re: Cycling using trains (in UK and EU)

mattheus wrote: 7 Mar 2024, 1:25pm How do advance TGV tickets work in terms of cancellation/amendments?
Generally TGV INOUI tickets are refundable/exchangeable free of charge up to 7 days prior to departure else a 19eur charge applies: https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/help/conditions.

Travelling with a bicycle brings extra difficulty as close to departure you're unlikely to find a train with bike spaces available. Your only option might be to refund and go the slow route by TER.

In 2022 I travelled from London to Bordeaux via Dover, Calais and Paris. Whilst most trains were flexible, the Paris-Bordeaux TGV required a bike reservation and I'd have been stuffed had I missed that train. In the end I booked two tickets (+ bike spaces) for different Paris-Bordeaux departures (one 6h after the other) and cancelled Plan B when I got to Montparnasse station on time. I had to pay the fee for cancelling but as an insurance policy it was well worth it.
by bohrsatom
6 Mar 2024, 8:09pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Elbe Radweg
Replies: 46
Views: 6904

Re: Elbe Radweg

Jdsk wrote: 5 Mar 2024, 5:28pm The timetable for next year is:
Rotterdam Centraal 21:22
Den Haag HS 21:42

And the ferry from Harwich arrives at Hook of Holland at 0800 (or 1715).

The sleeper can be boarded at Rotterdam or Den Haag as above.

So what's the smart way to do this? Overnight crossing, cycle to Den Haag, visit some galleries, read a book until the evening?
Day sailing (with a half-price cabin), get to HvH at 1715. Drop into to the Albert Heijn supermarket (2 mins from the port) for provisions. Ride 10kms, have a picnic dinner in the dunes then ride the final 10kms to Den Haag before catching the 2142.
by bohrsatom
6 Mar 2024, 8:00pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: When will Eurostar recommence carrying bikes?
Replies: 198
Views: 26652

Re: When will Eurostar recommence carrying bikes?

IME they won't transport the bags, only the bike, so you'll have to carry your panniers yourself.

The official luggage policy is 2 pieces of luggage plus one hand luggage, so two panniers and a bar bag would be fine
by bohrsatom
4 Mar 2024, 8:09pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Canal du Garonne - Bordeaux to Toulouse, best bits/ bits to skip / detours?
Replies: 7
Views: 432

Re: Canal du Garonne - Bordeaux to Toulouse, best bits/ bits to skip / detours?

Checking my notes we also took the Cicerone guidebook recommended detour to Bruch. Although not a particularly interesting place, we did enjoy the most amazing menu du jour at the Café de la Paix. For 14eur we had a tureen of soup with melon and ham, a huge portion of moules frites and a frozen tiramisu for dessert. It was one of those places that was empty at 11:58 but full of local workers by 12:15. If you're nearby at lunchtime (and its open) then pop in!
by bohrsatom
4 Mar 2024, 6:13pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Canal du Garonne - Bordeaux to Toulouse, best bits/ bits to skip / detours?
Replies: 7
Views: 432

Re: Canal du Garonne - Bordeaux to Toulouse, best bits/ bits to skip / detours?

The Cicerone guidebook is very comprehensive and will tell you pretty much all you need to know. As far as detours go, Auvillar is particularly nice and worth the short hop from the canal. There's a great view over the Garonne from just behind the mairie.

Agen, Moissac and Montauban would be good options for taking a break from cycling and doing some exploring.

In 2022 I rode between Bordeaux and Moissac, and a few years before that I rode the entire length. I recall the entry to Toulouse being a little dull so you could catch a train from Montauban (or another intermediate station) to Toulouse Matabiau.
by bohrsatom
19 Feb 2024, 10:53pm
Forum: Cycle Camping sub-forum
Topic: Best camping set up for electronics
Replies: 55
Views: 1953

Re: Best camping set up for electronics

A new power bank will make a big difference.

My camping setup is two fast-recharge 10000mAh power banks and a 65w USB-C charger. The powerful charger will recharge a power bank from empty in around 4h. Think my power banks are Anker 523, they're a couple of years old now so there are probably ones available now that recharge even faster.

I find a single power bank is enough to sustain my iPhone and Garmin for 2 or 3 days. I cycle through them: when one's getting low (under 50%), I'll ask reception to charge it whilst I put up my tent, shower etc, and by the time I'm done faffing it'll be mostly recharged. If the power bank is almost empty then I'll ask if I can leave it overnight. Even when camping I tend to stay in a hotel every 4 or 5 nights so if I was prepared to risk it I could probably get away without any recharging outside of a hotel room.

Since my last trip I upgraded my iPad mini, which I can also use as a power bank to recharge my phone. As a result I might leave the second power bank at home.

Also, with a powerful USB-C charger you can recharge most phones to 50% within about 30 minutes, so even a quick visit to a bar/cafe might be enough to avoid having to use the power bank for an evening.
by bohrsatom
17 Feb 2024, 3:05pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Best Ortlieb Rear Panniers for touring?
Replies: 92
Views: 7486

Re: Best Ortlieb Rear Panniers for touring?

I've had a set of back roller classics since 2013 and in that time they've travelled a LOT of miles, both bike touring and commuting. Yet they look pretty much the same as they did when I took them out the box.

The only issue I've had is that the stitching of the inner pockets eventually failed. My local dry cleaner had a go at restitching but it didn't last long. Ortlieb sell replacement parts for almost every component of the bags but not the inner pockets, so I just got used to using the bags without the pockets.
Last November I found a promotion where Lyon Equipment (the Ortlieb distributer in the UK) were offering free repairs. I contacted them and a few days later had a new set of inner pockets, all FOC. It turns out Ortlieb do manufacture spares but don't sell them to the public. Bags are now good as new.

I paid £80 for mine so it's interesting to note that a new set costs £150.
Psamathe wrote: 15 Feb 2024, 6:00pm For me camping I find that "roller" style panniers have a massive benefit in that they can become very big buckets when you stop off at a supermarket shortly before arriving at a campsite for the consumables you'll be eating that evening/next morning (bread and bulky stuff).
I do the same - without that space I'd never fit the evening's apero into the bags
by bohrsatom
7 Feb 2024, 8:59pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Herne Bay
Replies: 13
Views: 746

Re: Herne Bay

Norman H wrote: 7 Feb 2024, 8:19pm The Viking Way (regional route15) would make a nice circular ride around the North Foreland. Follow it east along the coast from Reculver and at Cliff’s End head inland to Minster and Saint Nicholas-at-Wade. Cross the A299 and then continue alongside it to return to Reculver .
This would be a good ride. The more populated parts of route 15 can be a bit manic during summer, but in March it'll be perfect.
by bohrsatom
7 Feb 2024, 8:49pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: When Using Navigation Devices Do You Loose The Overall Perspective of Your Tour?
Replies: 47
Views: 2370

Re: When Using Navigation Devices Do You Loose The Overall Perspective of Your Tour?

I don't think it's fair to say that using a GPS turns a bike tour an exercise in pedalling.

Digital mapping and GPS devices have changed route planning for the better. It's easier than ever to create high quality cycle touring routes with data that's not available on many paper maps: cycling popularity data, traffic counts, even the type and quality of the road surface. With satellite images/street view you can get a view of the scenery from the comfort of your armchair and filter out parts of the ride that might not be to your taste. I've found some amazing rides by looking for 'white roads' on cycle.travel/google maps then cross checking them with street view. I doubt I'd have come across them had I only had paper maps to hand.

An often made argument for analogue mapping is you have more flexibility than a pre-planned GPS route, but really the flexibility (or lack of it) is down to the rider rather than their source of mapping. The GPS isn't going to complain if you divert down an interesting looking road: it'll just recalculate another route to your destination. Digital maps also give a large scale view of huge areas: if you wake up one morning bored of southern Germany, jump on a train to Austria and you have all the maps you need to get riding again. Try doing that with paper.

Small scale paper maps are great for spreading out on the lounge floor to give me the country/region wide view, but once I've figured out a rough plan then digital is the way forward for me.
by bohrsatom
3 Feb 2024, 6:16pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: What's the best app for planning multi-day bike trips?
Replies: 48
Views: 2349

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

Jdsk wrote: 3 Feb 2024, 6:05pm Have you tried cycle.travel, website and app?
https://cycle.travel

Jonathan
C-T is the best
by bohrsatom
1 Feb 2024, 9:42pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Security on Ferries
Replies: 23
Views: 1430

Re: Security on Ferries

I use a ROK strap to secure my bike on ferries. Whilst everyone is busy tying knots in frayed blue rope I’m done and on my way upstairs for a coffee.

On a tour I generally bring all my bags onto the ferry so I can spend the journey repacking them after throwing everything in before leaving home :lol:
by bohrsatom
23 Jan 2024, 10:05pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Searching for hotels with cycle parking?
Replies: 17
Views: 1129

Re: Searching for hotels with cycle parking?

I don't think it's any easier, I've just got better at it.

From looking at a listing you can get a hunch about whether a hotel will be bike friendly. Bigger hotels with meeting rooms and underground parking will likely find you space somewhere; smaller ones on the main square of a large city with reception on the first floor probably won't, but of course there are exceptions.
A quick search of the booking.com reviews can help, but often there's no info. If the hotel has an official website I'll check that out too as they often have more detail than booking.com. And if there's no info and I'm still at home planning my trip then I'll fire off a few emails.

The ADFC Bett+Bike is a quick way to be certain you'll have no issues, but on my trip last year I found the room rates tended to be higher than the average for the area, so as ever there's a trade off between convenience and cost. I also think that to be bett+bike affiliated you have offer extra services like a repair kit so many hotels with a garage but no other special interest in cyclists wouldn't be able to apply (yet I'd be perfectly happy to stay there myself).

In NL I've found secure bike parking at hotels to be less common than other countries. I figure it must have something to do with there being so many cyclists but I'm not totally sure why. Many towns/cities have free guarded bike storage provided by the municipality, where a key fob and barcode stuck to the bike prove ownership and you can't leave without getting both scanned by the guard.

Generally speaking though, just turning up works out fine. Over the years we've spent countless nights in hotels and almost everywhere we've been has found us space, from leaving the bikes with the concierge at a 4* hotel in Portugal to nestled under the stairs at a small b&b in the centre of Bonn