Summer Plans?

[millimole]

We were hoping to take our Big European Interrail Adventure this autumn, postponed from summer 2020 - but that's looking increasingly unlikely even in its truncated form.
The fallback plan - bearing in mind my wife has mobility issues - is a train & bus trip up the east coast of England from Cleethorpes to Redcar returning to Leicester via York.
I'm due my bus pass in June, my wife and daughter have disabled bus passes. The accommodation is booked on a free cancellation basis
All we'll need is the weather!

[willem jongman]

Things remain unsettled, of course, now that there are also emerging concerns (I think exaggerated) about the one shot Janssen vaccine. The good news is that Pfizer Biontech have brought forward supplies to the EU of an additional 50 million doses to be delivered in the current quarter. This will speed up the campaign by a few weeks, or, if the Janssen vaccine will be withdrawn permanently, keep it more or less on track for the target in the Netherlands of a first dose for all 18+ by early July (and a second dose for many).
The EU is also negotiating a contract with them for close to two billion doses for the years 2021-3, for booster shots, to deal with emerging mutations, and to donate to poor countries outside the EU. All of this to be manufactured in the EU.
For cycle tourists the snag remains that immunity only emerges slowly, and it takes at least a month or so to be somewhat OK. So even in an optimistic scenario if people in e.g. the Netherlands will all have had a first jab by early July, it takes at least until early August for a large part of the population to be fairly immune. And this assumes that everyone is willing to be vaccinated. Sadly the concerns about the Astra Zeneca vaccine have reduced that willingness significantly.
I am increasingly accepting that our late July/early August tour will not be to France or Italy, but to either Germany or even just the Netherlands. Ever the optimist, I am now toying with the idea of an extra solo tour to the Mediterranean in September (my wife and daughter will have to work).

[glucas]

Thanks for the update Willem. So much uncertainty.

So looks like EV15 is out this year. Will have to pencil in for next May.

Cannot afford long trip to the Shetlands, so planning a shorter C2C ride late May this year and have booked a charity ride from Lincoln to London late August.

[willem jongman]

And in the meantime I am waiting for temperatures to go up a bit for a short local tour. The nature campsites are mostly open now, so I could for example do a three day tour with two nights of camping. We are lucky because it only takes half a mile or so to get out of town, so we don't have to ride for half a day or so before it gets nice.

[simonhill]

For those eschewing overseas touring here is some bad news that I suspect may be increasingly common viewtopic.php?f=42&p=1597769#p1597769

basically campsites on a well used cycle route (C2C) not taking tents anymore and other sites having a 3 or 5 day minimum.

Bivy bag anybody?

[willem jongman]

It does not surprise me. Too often UK campsites seem to think that tents are a nuisance and only used by scum. Unlike in for example the Netherlands or Scandinavia camping in a tent is often eschewed by higher social strata.

[glucas]

I very much hope this is not a trend. Disallowing tents or stipulating minimum stays.

I don't really subscribe to wild camping - where are you going to shower? No electric sockets for re-charging. No supermarket etc. This does not sound like fun, although I've seen it glamorised on Youtube by various cycle tourists.

I am not a mover or shaker, so I hope the powers to be in the cycle lobby can put a word in to the upper echelons of the C&CC and other campsite organisations and mention that if this is a business move - to maximise profit - it's pretty sad.

Might be to do with Covid though. Communal area use?

[mattheus]

I very much hope this is not a trend. Disallowing tents or stipulating minimum stays.

I don't really subscribe to wild camping - where are you going to shower? No electric sockets for re-charging. No supermarket etc. This does not sound like fun, although I've seen it glamorised on Youtube by various cycle tourists.

I am not a mover or shaker, so I hope the powers to be in the cycle lobby can put a word in to the upper echelons of the C&CC and other campsite organisations and mention that if this is a business move - to maximise profit - it's pretty sad.

Might be to do with Covid though. Communal area use?

The minimum stay thing sounds like market forces - not specifically an "anti-tent" attitude. It's common in other accomodation (e.g. centre parks!). That's just a guess. If so, it might level off in future e.g. demand will die down in time, or more sites will open up (there is plenty of land in the areas we like travelling through )

"Sockets for Charging" you say? Is this common for tent users?

Communal areas shouldn't be a problem, BUT C&CC do seem to think it's a problem in May, whereas the independents I've spoken to are making sensible Covid measures - as they did in Summer 2020.

[simonhill]

I know a site in Rutland that stopped taking tents last year. The reason was that tent campers used the facilities which are shared. Easy solution, ban them and restrict camping to self contained vans, motor-homes and caravans. It was meant to be for a year, but continuing this year. It wouldn't surprise me if it became permanent. As long as they have enough punters, they probably think why bother with the extra aggro of providing facilities. They also upped their prices, which may be more palatable to 'van' campers.

In the current slightly eased lock-down, most campsites are only taking self contained units. How many will open up come June remains to be seen.

(Cross posted with previous)

[glucas]

"Sockets for Charging" you say? Is this common for tent users?

This is just me being optimistic

[Jdsk]

"Sockets for Charging" you say? Is this common for tent users?

Yes, it's pretty common. But you may need to leave the device unsecured...

It's usually also possible in pubs, restaurants etc.

If you're relying on powered devices you need a good idea about how often you need to recharge. Many tourers now use USB battery packs to lengthen that interval and avoid leaving the device out.

Jonathan

[simonhill]

As a further thought, I wonder if some of these campsites may be breaching their planning permission if they applied on the basis of tent and van mix. I guess Covid law tops all at the moment, but once the plague is over, maybe some of these sites could be challenged.

[willem jongman]

Early last summer Dutch camp sites were only allowed to take people with their own toilet facilities. However, one camp site that I like for short trips had some portable toilets and toilet tents that you could rent. It felt a bit odd, but that was all. Quite soon, that restriction no longer applied, and it still does not.

[willem jongman]

Dutch newspapers report that the government is about to introduce a ten day mandatory quarantine for travellers into the country (or five days after a negative test on day five) coming from red or orange zone countries (i.e. just about anywhere). We already have a quarantine advisory, but it was not mandatory and there were no fines or checks. Now there will be spot checks and fines. This will be from 15 May. I assume this is not for just a few weeks, so it will effectively reduce holiday travel quite a lot, and all the more so since Dutch summer holidays tend to be rather earlier than in e.g. the UK or France. I can see the rationale: last summer the infection rate in the Netherlands was extremely low until people came back from their summer holidays.

[Jamesh]

For those eschewing overseas touring here is some bad news that I suspect may be increasingly common viewtopic.php?f=42&p=1597769#p1597769

basically campsites on a well used cycle route (C2C) not taking tents anymore and other sites having a 3 or 5 day minimum.

Bivy bag anybody?

I doubt there is an anti tent movement.

Camping is done by many middle class families who use it to suppliment overseas holiday in the summer. Sticking to motorhomes and caravans us short sighted as the number of caravaners is decreasing because of the faff of younger people getting a B+E license to tow a decent sized caravan.

Those that might limit tents will be top end anyway.

If you want a field toilet and shower there is plenty of choice esp in scenic areas..

Cheers James



Cheers James