does anyone know

[Ran]

My buddy and I, from the states, are planning a 2 week cycling tour of southern England in the Spring of 06, we're seniors, would like assistance on topics such as best time, April or May, planning not to camp, don't want to put ourselves on a tight schedule, thinking we can find lodging when night falls. suggestions? Thanks.

[gar]

come by!

check google interactive map UK DT27HH

[Ran]

Thanks for the quick reply and the invite Gar. Am new to message boards, will figure it out as go. I spoke to my buddy after I made the post, he says I should clarify, area to tour is South East England. Where are you?

[TATANAB]

May - gets the April showers over and done. April and May can be quite spectacular because it is still spring time.

Lodging should be easy to come by. Personally I would not bother with hostels, but especially if the two of you are prepared to share a room then hotels can be quite reasonable, even given the poor $ to £ exchanged rate (for you). The other thing is Bed and Breakfast, B&B. This is not like it is in the USA. I found in the USA the prices frequently rival motel/hotel prices. In the UK I would expect to pay say £35 for a good B&B where a small hotel may be £60, and possibly as low as £20 for the little house that has a couple of rooms that get rented out.

Just come and do it; I know you will enjoy it. I seldom book any accommodation when on tour anywhere in Europe and just find it as I need it.

[gar]

DT2 7HH is more South West but you might get
here; who knows!

I am in Dorset; it is a very tiny group of islands
England Scotland and Wales. Dorset is in England,
a district of England.

[DMG]

In my view May is the best time to visit the UK. You should be able to find accomodation quite easily at that time of year. Most medium-sized towns have a Tourist Information Office that have lists of hotels/pubs/B&Bs and will phone up for you. There are only a few small areas near or above 1,000 feet in the South East. Usually the best scenery of course! I would suggest you avoid main "A" roads as much as possible as they are usually quite busy. Hope you enjoy your trip.

[mike6]

You could also enquire at www.cyclingplus.co.uk/forum they have a Tour section.

[gar]

A foreign tourist would be very much mistaken in NOT using the 10,000miles of planned SUSTRANS cycling routes, possibly with an occasinal Ordinance survey.
I will post the hyper in a moment

Gar

[gar]

A foreign tourist would be very much mistaken in NOT using the 10,000miles of planned SUSTRANS cycling routes, possibly with an occasinal Ordinance survey.
I will post the hyper in a moment
www.sustrans.org.uk

[mel]

Why not join the CTC, you could make use of the information obtainable via this website but only available to members.

[Ran]

Thank you all for your suggestions, I attempted to join CTC yesterday but the web site was under repair. Will try again later, 20 pounds is cheap insurance.
We're planning itinerary today, will keep in touch. Gar, Goggle interactive map does not support Apple, thanks for the location. I saw your post concerning the radio broadcaster who said he'd run down bikes on the highway. We had a similar comment from a station in Texas, belonging to Clear Channel Company. C.C issued an apology, even donated funds to local cycling organization we were told. Responded to emails from across the country.

[chiefsub68]

Ran

As a fellow Mac user, try

http://www.theaa.com/travelwatch/planne ... database=B

The AA is a car group but if you plan your route in short stages, you can pick out the quieter roads.

As well as Sustrans, you may like to look at http://www.thenationalbyway.org/partners.asp

Bob