Tour or a trudge

[Jdsk]

..which makes me wonder if the best place to sight see from isn't perhaps a canoe or some sort of ship..

For slowing down the pace of life I recommend a canal boat or a horse-drawn caravan.

Jonathan

[al_yrpal]

Tour...I like to start early, do 40 to 50 miles, stop at interesting places, chat to locals and finish before 4pm, shower, short kip, pub/café. Not interested in large milages per day LEJOG or any such thing.

Al

[foxyrider]

Tour...I like to start early, do 40 to 50 miles, stop at interesting places, chat to locals and finish before 4pm, shower, short kip, pub/café. Not interested in large milages per day LEJOG or any such thing.

Al

sounds about right

[cycle tramp]

Tour...I like to start early, do 40 to 50 miles, stop at interesting places, chat to locals and finish before 4pm, shower, short kip, pub/café. Not interested in large milages per day LEJOG or any such thing.

Al

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, hats off to those who cycle heroic distances but having attempted half a heroic distance (80 miles in one day) I know it ain't for me...

..However if you string enough days where you are cycling 30 or 40 miles together, then before you know it you're almost at Scotland's boarders, or have crossed most of mainland Europe and are heading towards India...

And at 30 or 40 miles a day, you're placing your body under less stress, are less likely to be caught in bad weather, and are less likely to have any itinerary upset by bike mechanicals or illness

[MrsHJ]

I think there’s something here about long distance tourers not covering vast distances a day whereas those who are grabbing a few days often want to cover a long distance (I realise this isn’t always a case but I often hear of LEJOG riders saying that there trip coincided with time off work for those doing it and so they do it lightweight with support which is fine).

Whereas cyclists headed to India self supported are by nature going to be more measured- they can’t just focus in doing 100 miles a day- it’s a wider project. Even people heading off for a 2 or 3 week cycle trip are going to be a bit more circumspect on distance I suspect.

If I ever did a LEJOG it would be a 3 week scenic journey for me. It isn’t calling my name yet though.

[Bmblbzzz]

Just remember to have fun whatever you do and if that’s cycling 10-12 hour days good for you and for all of us doing our cycling however works for us- at least we’re out there doing it.

This, really. And it's great to mix up 'styles' so have a 12-hour day whacking out the miles, followed by a 3-hour day looking at everything and stopping at every cafe etc. The only time you should not be having fun is when having fun isn't fun for you!

[Pendodave]

For slowing down the pace of life I recommend a canal boat or a horse-drawn caravan.

Jonathan

I once hired a donkey for a few days hiking, when the children were younger, to carry our luggage and the smallest one when they were tired. (not in The Cevennes, but somewhere near the Dordogne iirc). Progress was somewhat staccato.

As for the main thrust of the topic, I've found that getting the right balance between miles and sightseeing takes take a bit of practice as a newcomer. Pottering doesn't come naturally, but I'm beginning to get the hang of it.

[Tiggertoo]

I once hired a donkey for a few days hiking

There are guides on the John Muir Trail in California who use Llamas.

[keefwaddo]

I used to hitch hike internationally for 2-3 months every summer. Nothing was planned. Wild camped every night.

When I moved to Japan we would buy Lonely Planet and plan every detail: sightseeing, hotels, campgrounds etc. Now for our tours, google earth and maps with street view allows me to choose the exact kind of road I want, as well as finding sightseeing places that are not well known. Combined with general internet research there is no reason to have a bike tour where you basically just ride.

Any one who has seen any of my vids will know that using modern internet tools allows us to see, visit, ride and camp in absolutely amazing places.

[Sweep]

I used to hitch hike internationally for 2-3 months every summer. Nothing was planned. Wild camped every night.

When I moved to Japan we would buy Lonely Planet and plan every detail: sightseeing, hotels, campgrounds etc. Now for our tours, google earth and maps with street view allows me to choose the exact kind of road I want, as well as finding sightseeing places that are not well known. Combined with general internet research there is no reason to have a bike tour where you basically just ride.

Any one who has seen any of my vids will know that using modern internet tools allows us to see, visit, ride and camp in absolutely amazing places.

link to your vids?

[simonhill]

Sweep - search on his name. He regularly posts links.

He's probably asleep at the moment.

[Sweep]

Sweep - search on his name. He regularly posts links.

He's probably asleep at the moment.

thanks simon.
found this.
https://piped.kavin.rocks/channel/UCYIh ... F8QNPjiRGA

will explore.

[TrevA]

LeJog is a set distance and many people will only be able to get 2 weeks off work to do it, so that dictates the daily distance that must be done to achieve it (indeed, there are those who may only have a week to do it). We decided that we could manage 60 miles a day fairly easily, so planned ours on that basis. That meant 6 hours of riding at our average pace of 10 mph, which left plenty of time for tea and lunch stops and the odd bit of sightseeing. It took us 18 riding days plus a rest day and travelling days, so 3 weeks in total.

One consideration if you want to sightsee is what to do with your bike. Can it be left somewhere secure where it won’t be stolen and the luggage won’t be interfered with? We found that this was the limiting factor. Whenever we were separated from our bikes, we would suffer “ potential theft” anxiety, despite carrying decent but heavy gold standard locks.

Nowadays, we tend to do fixed centre day rides from our Campervan. We ride where we want, for as long as we want and stop when we want, but bike security is still a thing when we stop, which limits our sightseeing opportunities.

[Vorpal]

Personally, I associated trudge with walking, though it also suggests something long & arduous.

100 miles a day is well over what I would enjoy, though I might consider doing it on a supported ride. That would be something I would do as a personal challenge, though. Not a tour.

Touring to me, suggests stopping to see the sites & take photos. I prefer the flexibility to sort of wander around by bicycle & just give myself an overall amount of time, i.e. 6 - 7 days to get from A to B. The daily average is likely to be closer to 40 than 100 miles, though it does somewhat depend upon terrain & conditions. On routes where I have to pre-book due to popularity &/or lack of wild camping, I am conservative with my distance, and plan for shorter days when there's lots to see & do.

[keefwaddo]

I used to hitch hike internationally for 2-3 months every summer. Nothing was planned. Wild camped every night.

When I moved to Japan we would buy Lonely Planet and plan every detail: sightseeing, hotels, campgrounds etc. Now for our tours, google earth and maps with street view allows me to choose the exact kind of road I want, as well as finding sightseeing places that are not well known. Combined with general internet research there is no reason to have a bike tour where you basically just ride.

Any one who has seen any of my vids will know that using modern internet tools allows us to see, visit, ride and camp in absolutely amazing places.

link to your vids?

https://www.youtube.com/c/waddo