What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
Mike_Ayling
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by Mike_Ayling »

Cyril Haearn wrote:
ossie wrote:
Xilter wrote:Reading this fills me with despair. I’d LOVE to do a tour. But there is no way my wife would be remotely interested. So I don’t think it will ever happen.



I've been married for 30 years and have been touring for the 8.....alone :D

I try to encourage her to come along (no really) but the good lady refuses.

As for tours , I've done several tours of Southern / SW England. Two longish tours.
Spain back to the UK over the Pyrenees in 2011
Dorset - Harwich - Hook of Holland down the Rhine to Switzerland - back up Loire to Angers - St Malo -2400 km /1500 miles
Various tours of Northern France.

All fully loaded with a tent / cooking gear. Nothing this year as life got in the way. Although the longer tours were challenging in their own different ways I find a week or so in France gives me the same buzz without the hassle of being away from the family for extended periods.

Its a balancing act.

What does she do while you are cycling?


WE had been married for almost forty years when I convinced my wife who never learned to ride a bike as a child to take a test ride on a tandem that was for sale.
After some initial apprehension she started to enjoy it and we upgraded to a thorn tandem mit Rohloff.
We take two week credit card tours on the tandem now.

Mike
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mjr
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by mjr »

mnichols wrote:The only thing that I would add to that is that for me there has to be an element of exploration, and seeing something new. If I was cycling to cafe that I'd cycled to 50 times before on the same route, for me that's not touring. It's cycling and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. I do those routes, but that's not touring...for me

Why not? I've ridden some of the same routes a few times because they're annual events (the Reach Ride, the Ride to the Rose Fair and the Holland Hundred, to name three) and each time, I see something new - riding between fields newly given over to roses was this year's on one.

Some shorter rides, I've ridden even more often and things change over the seasons. If I remain able long enough, I'll probably ride them 50 times and still consider them day tours, still see new things. I think it's important to keep these shorter tour routes alive to introduce newcomers to the joys of touring and I don't understand why local CTCs don't seem to bother with this.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Psamathe
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by Psamathe »

mjr wrote:
mnichols wrote:The only thing that I would add to that is that for me there has to be an element of exploration, and seeing something new. If I was cycling to cafe that I'd cycled to 50 times before on the same route, for me that's not touring. It's cycling and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. I do those routes, but that's not touring...for me

Why not? I've ridden some of the same routes a few times because they're annual events (the Reach Ride, the Ride to the Rose Fair and the Holland Hundred, to name three) and each time, I see something new - riding between fields newly given over to roses was this year's on one.

Some shorter rides, I've ridden even more often and things change over the seasons. If I remain able long enough, I'll probably ride them 50 times and still consider them day tours, still see new things. I think it's important to keep these shorter tour routes alive to introduce newcomers to the joys of touring and I don't understand why local CTCs don't seem to bother with this.

I would agree. Even without loads, I often reflect on it being a mental approach to what you are doing. Some rides I over focus on my average speed (stupid thing to do) and it becomes training/exercise whilst other rides I'll just cycle glancing at the countryside (when avoiding potholes allows) and I'll think of the ride more as a "tour".

When I did my tour, on one day with a miserable forecast and a sopping wet tent I decided instead of progressing onwards I'd go for a ride to a nearby town (30 miles round trip) and get back to my campsite before the rain and I still regarded that ride as part of my "tour" even though it was unloaded, short and a "round trip".

Ian
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al_yrpal
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by al_yrpal »

Cycling up to the age when I discovered cars (17) there was a very long gap when I did bits of cycling until 2006 when I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at the age of 62. Since then I have done…

7 day tour of the Southern Hebrides including the Islay jazz festival
9 day tour of the Outer Hebrides
10 day tour of Brittany
7 day tour of Normandy
7 day tour of Mull from Glasgow
7 day solo tour of West Brittany
10 day solo tour of Southern England

Mostly with a group of like minded pals fully loaded and sometimes camping. Had I discovered cycle touring earlier I would have been off all over the world. At one point becoming so fit killed off my diabetes.

Unfortunately, now with a partially disabled wife I cant sneak off. Trying to move to a place where pasties are sealed at the top to share a big house with our daughter who can provide support so I can start sneaking off again. Unfortunately Mr Carney's daft comments have killed the housing market…

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
PH
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by PH »

mjr wrote:Some shorter rides, I've ridden even more often and things change over the seasons. If I remain able long enough, I'll probably ride them 50 times and still consider them day tours, still see new things. I think it's important to keep these shorter tour routes alive to introduce newcomers to the joys of touring and I don't understand why local CTCs don't seem to bother with this.

Apologies that this is going OT, if there's the interest in such a discussion maybe we could move it elsewhere?
I don't know what experience brings you to think that, but it differs from mine. It is a shame if a local member group isn't offering everything the current and potential members want. I think that's likely to be because no one has come forward with the the idea and volunteered to do so, I've not come across a group that have decided not to or were obstructive to anyone who wanted to fill those gaps. I've started several initiatives, some are ongoing, others never really took off, all have had the full support of the local group and the national organisation when requested.
albal1
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by albal1 »

E2E
Gibraltar to JóG
Eurovelo 6
Nordkapp - tarifa
Transam
Southern Tier usa
British coast
Basque country tour
Vienna to cherbourg
Santander - Cherbourg
Cherbourg - Munich - Cherbourg
Across canada
A few other smaller rides. Single now but wasn't for many of that lot.
Will get round to ; porto-vladivostock at some point!
UK - china.
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mjr
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by mjr »

About day tours re-exploring familiar routes http://midlifecycling.blogspot.com/2018 ... aeons.html
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
mnichols
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by mnichols »

albal1 wrote:E2E
Gibraltar to JóG
Eurovelo 6
Nordkapp - tarifa
Transam
Southern Tier usa
British coast
Basque country tour
Vienna to cherbourg
Santander - Cherbourg
Cherbourg - Munich - Cherbourg
Across canada
A few other smaller rides. Single now but wasn't for many of that lot.
Will get round to ; porto-vladivostock at some point!
UK - china.


Some great tours. I'd be interested to know more about Nordkapp to Helsinki for a self supported credit card tour - did you follow this route? Was it good?
mnichols
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by mnichols »

albal1 wrote:E2E
Gibraltar to JóG
Eurovelo 6
Nordkapp - tarifa
Transam
Southern Tier usa
British coast
Basque country tour
Vienna to cherbourg
Santander - Cherbourg
Cherbourg - Munich - Cherbourg
Across canada
A few other smaller rides. Single now but wasn't for many of that lot.
Will get round to ; porto-vladivostock at some point!
UK - china.


Can you tell me more about 'Across Canada'? What was the route? How far?
albal1
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by albal1 »

Hi,

Victoria bc to St.Johns NL.

Journal here www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/bikesbeersbears


As we had a limited time , yes of the Trans Canada Highway was extensively used.
Chatting to a fellow eastbounder we agreed the ride was mentally challenging.
Vorpal
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by Vorpal »

albal1 wrote: Single now but wasn't for many of that lot.

Is there a cause & effect? ;)
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
londoncommuter0000
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by londoncommuter0000 »

Done:

  • Glasgow to Durham
  • Glasgow to Inverness
  • Glasgow to London
  • Calais to Amsterdam
  • Loop of the Isle of Wight
  • London to Bruges
  • New Forest Long Weekend
  • Passau to Budapest

Upcoming:

  • Oslo to Trondheim (2020)
  • Guatemala City to Panama City (2021)
  • Bangkok to Surat Thani (2022)

Obviously, the ones far enough in the future, are subject to force majeure changes.
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MrsHJ
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by MrsHJ »

Upcoming:

May 2019 Washington DC to Clinton, Missouri [if this four week tour is extended by a job change it may be two weeks longer and get me through Kansas too]- this will be a bike trail tour ( largely rail trails) at 42% of the journey.
?September 2019. Clinton Missouri to Salt Lake City, Utah.
? June 2020 Salt Lake City to Portland, Oregon.
Last edited by MrsHJ on 9 Jan 2019, 5:11pm, edited 2 times in total.
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mjr
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by mjr »

I posted this to another thread but it seems I've not posted it here yet. Thanks to cycle.travel, I have pretty maps of my last three group tours:

2016: Ipswich-Harwich, overnight boat, Hook-Keukenhof (open April/May)-Noordwijkerhout, Noordwijkerhout-Soest, Soest-Dordrecht, Dordrecht-Hook, overnight boat, Harwich-Bury St Eds (but I wouldn't recommend that last day - better routes are available).

2017: Dover-Dunkirk-Oostduinkerke, Oostduinkerke-Bruges, Bruges-Vlissingen, Vlissingen-Renesse, Renesse-Hook, overnight boat, Harwich-Ipswich (not on map - it's 2016's IPS-Harwich Short route reversed)

2018: Dover-Dunkirk-Adinkerke, Adinkerke-De Panne-train-Tienen-Leuven-Mechelen, Mechelen-Aalst-Gent, Gent-Bruges, Bruges-Ypres-Poperinge, Poperinge-Dunkirk-Dover
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
durhambiker
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Re: What tours have you done? What do you want to do?

Post by durhambiker »

albal1 wrote:E2E
Gibraltar to JóG
Eurovelo 6
Nordkapp - tarifa
Transam
Southern Tier usa
British coast
Basque country tour
Vienna to cherbourg
Santander - Cherbourg
Cherbourg - Munich - Cherbourg
Across canada
A few other smaller rides. Single now but wasn't for many of that lot.
Will get round to ; porto-vladivostock at some point!
UK - china.

Your biking was not the cause of singledom was it?
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