Search found 314 matches

by jamesgilbert
18 Jun 2015, 7:55am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: La Vélo Francette. Caen to La Rochelle.
Replies: 4
Views: 2903

Re: La Vélo Francette. Caen to La Rochelle.

A link might be helpful: http://www.lavelofrancette.com

It's a new cycle route, 615km, some of which is on quiet roads and some on cycle-only voies vertes. All signposted as of June this year.

It goes through some nice areas that maybe aren't so well known, so it looks pretty good.
by jamesgilbert
17 Jun 2015, 11:33am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Schwalbe Marathon vs Marathon Plus
Replies: 16
Views: 4753

Re: Schwalbe Marathon vs Marathon Plus

What tyre pressure do you use? And what kind of terrain, mostly roads? I'm also not sure whether inner tube quality makes a difference but I tend to use proper brands rather than the cheap Decathlon-style ones.

My girlfriend & I did 4000km around Europe a couple of years ago with the basic Marathon tyres and had zero punctures but I guess a lot is down to luck!
by jamesgilbert
17 Jun 2015, 7:11am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: I'm off again
Replies: 2
Views: 331

Re: I'm off again

Enjoy the rest of the tour! Any idea what caused the food poisoning? Dodgy tapas? :wink:
by jamesgilbert
15 Jun 2015, 10:33am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Transport to South France
Replies: 5
Views: 549

Re: Transport to South France

Yes, you just wheel the bike on, but it must be booked in advance on this type of intercity - it costs 10 euros whatever the length of the journey.

If booked on https://www.capitainetrain.com just tick the bike option and you're good to go. You'll get a booking reference that you use to retrieve the ticket in any train station, no need for the credit card.

There is only one Paris-Narbonne intercity per day, and there's also a night train that accepts bikes, again for 10 euros.
by jamesgilbert
15 Jun 2015, 10:05am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Transport to South France
Replies: 5
Views: 549

Re: Transport to South France

If it is in a bag, you can take it on the TGV from Paris to Narbonne in 4.5 hours, but that line doesn't accept unpacked bikes. There is an occasional Intercity train from Paris to Narbonne that will accept bikes for a 10 euro fee, but is much longer at 8 hours - check out https://www.capitainetrain.com for times.

Le Havre to Paris is no problem, it takes 2 hours on a regional TER train and bikes are free, with no need to book.

I don't understand your 3rd option, Bilbao to Narbonne is a lot further than 120km :?:
by jamesgilbert
14 Jun 2015, 3:46pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Gas Cartridge Availability
Replies: 17
Views: 1047

Re: Gas Cartridge Availability

khain wrote:When I toured France last year I didn't see a single screw-in type cartridge and ended up using a spirit stove. You might be able to get the screw type in outdoor shops but I didn't see any of those. The other canister type can be bought in just about any supermarket though.


All Decathlon stores will stock the screw-in type, as will any other outdoor shops. I also frequently see them for sale in supermarkets, campsite shops, etc. The Decathlon stores tend to be outside of town centres, so you may be able to plan your route in or out of towns to go past one.

@HarryD, for future reference, the Carcassonne Decathlon is here :wink: http://www.decathlon.fr/fr/store?store_id=PS_114
by jamesgilbert
14 Jun 2015, 12:02pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Transport to South France
Replies: 5
Views: 549

Re: Transport to South France

Is the bike being taken as a bike, or packed into a bag smaller than 90cm x 120cm?
by jamesgilbert
14 Jun 2015, 11:58am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Gas Cartridge Availability
Replies: 17
Views: 1047

Re: Gas Cartridge Availability

There are basically 3 types of cartridge:

- Threaded connector with valve (Coleman type - screw-on)
- Smooth connector with valve (Camping Gaz type - clip-on)
- No valve, but a dimple that is pierced by the stove connector (dangerous and being phased out in most places - you can't remove the stove until the gas has all been used)

All three are available in France, although the third is becoming less common in my experience.

For photos, scroll down to "cartridge gas products": http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/expert-advi ... el-and-gas
by jamesgilbert
14 Jun 2015, 9:37am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Gas Cartridge Availability
Replies: 17
Views: 1047

Re: Gas Cartridge Availability

Yes, both types are readily available.
by jamesgilbert
12 Jun 2015, 7:32am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: What constitutes light touring?
Replies: 24
Views: 2153

Re: What constitutes light touring?

Agreed, there wouldn't be many threads on this forum if everyone had to just "load up and go" without asking any questions :wink:
by jamesgilbert
11 Jun 2015, 2:34pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Scotland in 2 weeks
Replies: 48
Views: 8070

Re: Scotland in 2 weeks

Here's the information for the Rowardennan ferry, it leaves from in front of the Youth Hostel every day at 16:45 - http://www.cruiselochlomond.co.uk/ferri ... nan-ferry/ The boat in the photos looks a lot bigger than the one I used in 2012!

I actually took the road from Drymen to Rowardennan as I was on a normal touring bike, it was nice and quiet.
by jamesgilbert
11 Jun 2015, 1:43pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Scotland in 2 weeks
Replies: 48
Views: 8070

Re: Scotland in 2 weeks

Wow, those Iceland photos are really good!

Here's my alternative suggestion for the start of the route, leaving directly from Edinburgh airport and avoiding travelling to Glasgow (unless you really wanted to go there!):

Take cycle route 76 along the south side of the Firth of Forth towards Falkirk (the Falkirk Wheel is worth a look), there are a couple of off-road sections, some canal towpaths and some tunnels. Leave the route at Bonnybridge and head into the hills, past Carron Bridge and the Carron Valley Reservoir, then onwards to Drymen. When I did this, I then rode up the east side of Loch Lomond as far as the Rowardennan youth hostel before catching the tiny ferry across the loch to Tarbet. It was two days cycling from Edinburgh airport to Tarbet for me.
by jamesgilbert
11 Jun 2015, 10:22am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Tour of Brittany
Replies: 39
Views: 9079

Re: Tour of Brittany

I also find the IGN Top100 maps to be very useful. The only problem, as I think is mentioned above, is that they don't show any voies vertes or other cycle routes, despite having a nice bicycle logo on the cover.

The Michelin maps are generally very good at showing cycle routes. My 1:60,000 Michelin map of Lyon doesn't have contour lines, just a bit of shading, so I'd be surprised if the 1:200,000 maps do.
by jamesgilbert
11 Jun 2015, 8:37am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Calais to Montpellier
Replies: 12
Views: 818

Re: Calais to Montpellier

One other thing regarding 'priority to the right' is that you can imagine the confusion caused by the introduction of roundabouts in the 1980s (where you give way to the left). This is why many French roundabouts still have signs saying "you do NOT have priority"! On some of the much older huge roundabouts in Paris you still give way to the right (i.e. traffic entering the roundabout has priority).
by jamesgilbert
11 Jun 2015, 8:30am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Calais to Montpellier
Replies: 12
Views: 818

Re: Calais to Montpellier

beardy wrote:One thing that is different enough to cause trouble is the "priority from the right" rule.


This is the road sign that tells you that you are approaching a junction where you have to give way to the right: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panneau_de ... _en_France

Unfortunately it's not always used, especially in towns.