Cycling UK Forum

whoof wrote:

mercalia wrote:I was thinking if taking a train from London down to Brighton and cycle around the coast a ) back to london eastwards or b) westwards to where ever. any comments?

I've never found riding the coast around Brighton that great. It's better once you go north and get over the Downs.

You could try this to Eastbourne but even that leaves the coast at Seaford.

http://www.gps-routes.co.uk/routes/home ... ycle-route

From Brighton north I've ridden the NCN (local route) 82 which is an off road path (tarmacked) that goes from Hove to Poynings where it joints the NCN 20.

why in particular - just boring? I spend a short time at Burley YHA a few weeks ago on my M/cycle and enjoyed riding along the roads and the various places from Milford on sea to Bournmouth. Living in London I rather like exploring towns not just green spaces

Agree, i really like the coast around brighton.

I can recommend a visit to lancing college chapel. Fond memories of a visit there from a sadly discontinued simple campsite.

How about the OP getting back and answering:
How many days, so we have a rough idea of daily mileage; and
The state of his team. He says one is unfit, but is that an ex triathlete who hasn't trained for a while , or a lardy mate who hasn't left the pub in 20 years.

Go on, put us out of our misery.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions and helpful insights, and my apologies for the delay in replying - I've been away from my computer, and I'm not super-confident in my ability to post a coherent message from my smartphone.

- I think we'd be looking at a tour of about 3 days.
- My 'unfit' friend has significant health issues, so I guess 40 miles per day would be ideal. Whilst we don't want lots of huge hills, he can push his bike up gradients which he finds hard to ride. We did the Way of The Roses about 5 years ago (when he was in better health) and he managed with pushing the bike on several occasions.
- I think we'd be OK with a few miles on tow-paths - we'd probably be on bikes with fat tyres (eg, my Ridgeback Voyage has 32 inchers).

Also, I'm quite keen on routes which are signposted with those little blue signs (?NCN) as it saves me from having to keep peering at my map.

Thank you again.

Pete

If one is very unfit any hill is going to be an agony. With a bike loaded for touring, any bridge or road flyover will be a struggle.
Would advise for a trip around Norfolk, very flat and lovely area to cycle.

Gattonero wrote:With a bike loaded for touring, any bridge or road flyover will be a struggle.

OP is looking at 3 days, so luggage can easily fit in a moderate saddlebag and add all of a couple of pounds. So additional weight should not be a problem. No mention of camping.

Would advise for a trip around Norfolk, very flat and lovely area to cycle.

If the weather is good, otherwise flat open land is a headwind purgatory. At least hills are a finite length. I'd suggest rolling countryside. Perhaps a trip around the Isle of Wight with an excursion to the southern end of the New Forest via Yarmouth/Lymington. Yes, the IOW is bit lumpy, but only in some places, and the southern end of the New Forest is pretty flat.

Whatever includes overnight staying by your own, add considerable weight for most (even bivy+sleeping bag), surely a credit-card touring makes life a lot easier.
I would say that any area around the coast will have problems when the wind blows strong, it's always a dice from the pot. I've had good luck starting in Norwich then following the coast northbound, ending in King's Lynn.