Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

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1982john
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Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by 1982john »

Watching Marr this morning I was agape to see Fraser Nelson say that the only holiday you can expect this summer involved bikes and tents.

Campsites will be the first tourist sites to reopen. Probably July late June at best. So they will no doubt get stupidly full.

What could they do?

One thing would be to relax wild camping rules such as in Scotland?
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mjr
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Re: Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by mjr »

Fraser Nelson is wrong about so much that I'm not taking much heart from his prediction.

Can you really see Boris allowing people to [inappropriate word removed] in woods in response to a health crisis? The landowner press would have a field day!
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Jdsk
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Re: Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by Jdsk »

1982john wrote:What could they do?

One thing would be to relax wild camping rules such as in Scotland?

Hmmm...

Yes, that would be a good idea in appropriate areas, preferably as a controlled experiment. ; - )

A big push on offroad traffic free routes might be possible, especially if work creation schemes become economically desirable. But how much of the current slow pace is caused by lack of money and how much by slow decision making?

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simonhill
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Re: Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by simonhill »

Bikes and tents maybe, but I doubt many will exclusively combine the two.

Drive, camp, cycle will be more of the norm.
gbnz
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Re: Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by gbnz »

1982john wrote:
One thing would be to relax wild camping rules


Hmm, I think you're missing the entire point of wild camping. I've never asked anyone in the UK or abroad whether I can camp out :wink:
whoof
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Re: Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by whoof »

As above people may drive to a campsite and might do a bit of cycling whilst there.
If you told the majority of the population that they needed to cycle to a campsite carrying their tent, sleeping/cooking gear and clothes I think they would rather spend their time in lockdown at home.
RobinS
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Re: Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by RobinS »

I think the camping advice might not be thought through - in a self catered apartment or caravan with toilet and shower you could holiday without much risk of cross contamination with strangers, but a crowded campsite with toilets and showers shared between hundreds of people - one of the worst places to be in virus transmission terms I would have thought!
1982john
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Re: Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by 1982john »

simonhill wrote:Bikes and tents maybe, but I doubt many will exclusively combine the two.

Drive, camp, cycle will be more of the norm.



Hard agree on that. Probably a lot more caravans on the road... :evil:
LittleGreyCat
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Re: Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by LittleGreyCat »

1982john wrote:
simonhill wrote:Bikes and tents maybe, but I doubt many will exclusively combine the two.

Drive, camp, cycle will be more of the norm.



Hard agree on that. Probably a lot more caravans on the road... :evil:


Yeah, baby, including us. :lol: :!:
yutkoxpo
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Re: Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by yutkoxpo »

Other than stealth camping (and I'd expect a stronger reaction where it's actually illegal than before) I can forsee limitations in campsites for tents if not outright discrimination in the form of much higher prices and limits on the numbers of pitches.

The cycling will be fine, but everything else will be a major issue. Limited capacity in pubs & restaurants, public transport and in the future, possibly swiftly imposed mini lockdowns.

Unfortunately, I don't see a brighter picture until a vaccine is widely available.
1982john
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Re: Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by 1982john »

A vaccine or a treatment that sharply reduces the severity of the disease.

I agree that tenters could be discriminated against. If you only have so many pitches and high demand why would you want a tent customer over a caravan home.

I usually get the train to my touring sports, even that's going to be hard now so I will likely need to stay reasonably local.

I have not stealth camped much in England but I will be trying it this summer.
simonhill
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Re: Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by simonhill »

I'm not sure it's that tenters will be actively discriminated against, it's more likely that they will only accommodate people who are self sufficient. Then they will only need water and waste disposal. Of course, more caravans and campervans are self sufficient.

Some sites may also be able to allocate a toilet and shower to each unit, but this will mean very limited numbers of non self sufficient.

A lot will depend on how fussy the site is and how fussy (paranoid?) the campers are.
ossie
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Re: Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by ossie »

whoof wrote:If you told the majority of the population that they needed to cycle to a campsite carrying their tent, sleeping/cooking gear and clothes I think they would rather spend their time in lockdown at home.


Bang on

Only a few of us weirdos would ever do such a thing.
Rmr25
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Re: Are we going to become a country of cycle tourists?

Post by Rmr25 »

whoof wrote:As above people may drive to a campsite and might do a bit of cycling whilst there.
If you told the majority of the population that they needed to cycle to a campsite carrying their tent, sleeping/cooking gear and clothes I think they would rather spend their time in lockdown at home.

Only being allowed to cycle/walk to a site really appeals to me, I've done it for many years.
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