Cycling UK Forum

As the nights draw in I'm finding that I'm pining for long days on the bike and don't think I can wait 'till next spring and summer in France to experience the satisfaction of a long tour, so I'm looking at the "swallow option" of flying south.

Singapore airlines will take me from Heathrow to Christchurch for about £1,1000 at the end of January, so I'm thinking of 15 days (probably 10 or 11 cycling when you take off the travelling and jet-lag) around South Island. Does anybody have any suggestions for a route of around 800 miles? I'll be on a road bike so need to avoid gravel roads and tracks. I don't mind a few hills, but would prefer a few days on the flat to get my legs in first and I'm looking to camp wherever possible to keep the cost down and the freedom up.

Anybody with any ideas, suggestions or experience of a similar trip. ?

I finished this ride last week. 903 miles from Dunkirk to Perpignan in 13 days, including one day lost through heat stroke. I didn't do the bit from Perpignan to the border in the mountains due to the heat and if there's one thing I've learned from this tour it's to avoid France, especially central France in August. Apart from a couple of days when there were thunderstorms, the mercury was over 33 degrees every day and hit 41 degrees on three consecutive days. Everywhere I looked there were touring cyclists suffering and trying to find some shade.

The roads were great until I got south of Lyon and then the conditions deteriorated as there were very few roads running south and those that were had heavy, fast-moving traffic. Apart from a few sections along canal paths, the last three days were some of the scariest cycling I've ever encountered and I don't scare easily

All in all a really good trip, but I won't be troubling the south of France again in a hurry.

NB. Apparently Nimes is twinned with Preston. When I originally saw this on the sign on the way into town, I thought this was a bit harsh on Nimes. By the time I got out of the other side, I had decided that someone had done Preston a great injustice......

I managed to get the bike on the plane, but had to take the wheels off in order for it to fit through the scanner at Perpignan. I'd packed the bike and taped up the bag and checked-in the panniers (with my tools in) when the rather animated luggage handler said it wouldn't fit and I'd have to take the wheels off. Had I known beforehand, I could have probably got away with just reversing the stem to reduce the overall height of the bike, but I was left with no option but to take both wheels off and hope that the frame didn't get crushed. It didn't, but the moral is: check the bike fits through the scanner before you pack it.

Vmlopes wrote:

whoof wrote:Get the train to Penzance and ride back to Reading about 260 miles. Use the LEJOG route to Bristol and then the Sustran 4 route up the Kennett and Avon Canal to Reading.

Like the sound of this one

I did LeJog in 2012. The first 4 days were hell and would be enough to put me off cycling for life, never mind touring. Each to their own.....

rualexander wrote:Flown loads of times with Ryanair and CTC plastic bag, no problems, most recently was last october prestwick to carcassonne and return.
A plastic bag is a 'protective bag', it protects other luggage from your oily chain, thats what they are worried about, no bag protects your bike from anything.
No reason to worry about Ryanair more than any other airline.

Thanks very much, that's just what I wanted to know. Do you think I'll get away with the tent strapped to the rack?

maxglide wrote:

I did Santander to St Malo in 12 days and I didn't kill myself.

What was your daily milage?

I aimed for 100k most days apart from a short day to San Sebastian and a very short day from there to Biarritz and one long day from Tours towards Rennes via Angers when I did 100 miles on flat roads. 100k a day should see it done easily in 14 days or less and that's a very manageable distance given the terrain. I was arriving at my campsite by 2pm on some days.

Make no mistake that if I could choose to use another carrier I might consider it, but as Ryanair are the only operator that fly from Perpignan to Stansted it's largely academic how shoddy their customer service is.

I did Santander to St Malo in 12 days and I didn't kill myself.

Thanks for the replies. I'm planning on taking the wheels off just because it's easier to handle the bike on a luggage trolley and in taxi etc. I will, of course, use drop-out spacers to protect it from crushing. I'm not too concerned about scratches to the frame as I've promised myself a re-spray next winter anyhow.

I just want to gauge the likelihood of being turned away if I use one of these polybags. The bed shop sounds like a great idea BTW. Thanks.

I'm flying back from Perpignan to Stanstead via Ryanair after my up-coming French end to end and am looking at using the CTC bike bag to pack the bike in for the journey. I'm planning to remove the pedals, turn the bars, drop the saddle and remove the wheels and zip-tie them to the frame for ease of handling.

The question I have is that the Ryanair T&C's clearly state that bikes must be carried in a box or "protective" bag. A polythene bag can hardly be described as protective, so has anyone actually been refused in the past by Ryanair when attempting this? Also, am I likely to get away with leaving the tent on the rack?

chocjohn9 wrote:Just to the south of the city centre there is a Decathlon. They have always been very good to me when it comes to box giving.
Watch out, though, there is also a Decathlon there which specialises in fishing (nature) and golf only.....
Box in French is "boite" (b-w-at)

What are my chances of contacting them beforehand and reserving one? I don't fancy going there on spec. I'd hate to end up boxless and bagless.....

robing wrote:

mullinsm wrote:I did the Santander to St Malo run

I'm in Burgos and am heading to San Sebastián and then St Malo. Do you have a link of your route? I had a provisional plan as far as La Rochelle but originally I was going to Calais.

I didn't plot it or plan it. I headed north east from Biarritz through Bordeaux towards Poitiers, then to Tours, Angers and Rennes before St Malo. To be honest, the terrain is pretty much flat whichever way you choose and the roads are so quiet it really doesn't matter which route you take. Just make sure you've got food as it can be very hard to find any out in the wilds.

bikepacker wrote:

mullinsm wrote:I had been told that the section across the border from San Sebastian was a nightmare with busy roads an tunnels to contend with. I did it on a Sunday morning And just set my Garmin to take me from one village on the route to the next and before I knew it I was in France having seen no traffic, no tunnels and no border. Once you're in France you can pick your route and you're pretty much guaranteed quiet roads.

I am glad someone has had the same experience I have had with my now 4 rides on this section. As I have stated in previous postings; if you pick the correct costal route as stated, from village to village you will have a good ride on fairly quiet roads. Once over the border at Irun you will find almost traffic free coastal roads past Hendaye and onto Biarittz.

It has to be said that my easy journey was in no small part facilitated by the helpful advice which you provided at the time Alan. Thanks again!

I'm setting off in two weeks but could do with some help getting home afterwards. I'm planning to cycle back to Perpignan and fly back to Stanstead. Does anyone know of any friendly, English speaking bike shops in Perpignan where I can maybe buy a box to pack the bike in? Failing that, where can I get a big polythene bag that I can take with me? Anyone?....

I did the Santander to St Malo run a couple of years ago and was getting quite stressed about the Spanish section until I actually did it. The roads from Santander to San Sebastian are fine apart from a short section on the run-in to San Sebastian itself where it was a bit busy. There are some hilly sections along the coast road, but nothing too drastic and the traffic was light all the way. Avoid Bilbao by crossing the estuary at the transporter bridge before you get to the city.

I had been told that the section across the border from San Sebastian was a nightmare with busy roads an tunnels to contend with. I did it on a Sunday morning And just set my Garmin to take me from one village on the route to the next and before I knew it I was in France having seen no traffic, no tunnels and no border. Once you're in France you can pick your route and you're pretty much guaranteed quiet roads.

You might struggle with hostels on the Spanish section. I stayed in one in San Sebastian but it wasn't cheap or good. Apart from that there didn't seem to be a lot along that part of the coast and even camp site are few and far between.