Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
paul_n
Posts: 13
Joined: 31 Jul 2019, 7:12am

Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by paul_n »

Hi all

6 of the last 7 years I have been able to tour in The Netherlands for up to 2 weeks at a time with either 1 or 2 companions.

A couple of times I have been alone for 2 - 4 days and found some problems being on my own ?

This time I may have the whole 2 weeks with no companions.

Now I love the cycling infrastructure and the people/scenery etc during the day there is map reading , route planning and I usually carry crosswords to do , however I find difficulties once I have found a campsite ?

Obviously tent pitched I will shower and do any laundry etc and then go out for a meal and a drink and once I have done that [ say by 19:00 ]
there is no one to talk to and is much to early to turn in.

Drinking on my own is little fun ?

I could take a few books to read ?

Any other answers.

all the best Paul
tatanab
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Joined: 8 Feb 2007, 12:37pm

Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by tatanab »

Books on an e-reader; radio/music on an MP3 player plus headphones. Looking at ideas for the next days route (inevitably changed on the day). Afternoon nap.

Often on campsites (I tend to camp in France) I will find other cyclists or perhaps GB folk to talk to and get invited to a cup of tea.

People ask why I go away for a maximum of only 4 weeks, to which I joke "I get fed up of my own company", or "I run out of sandwiches".
paul_n
Posts: 13
Joined: 31 Jul 2019, 7:12am

Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by paul_n »

Hi there

I usually have a destination in mind [ Museum/City/Town etc ] so I mainly ride all day and only hit the campsite for 1 night then move on , otherwise I would treat myself to an afternoon nap.

I do tend to come across a few touring cyclists during the day , they are usually going in the opposite direction to me ! [ sods law ] or they are couples , I did meet a nice Australian couple whilst having my 2nd breakfast sadly they were more interested in pouring over my maps as they were on a tight schedule to get to Germany for a wedding.

Still they are all fond memories.

Paul
simonhill
Posts: 5227
Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 11:28am
Location: Essex

Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by simonhill »

Go out later in the evening and eat later. If you get back about 9pm, less time to dwell on before bed.

Sadly, I have turned to my smartphone for company. News, sport, travel websites, weather, routes, etc. If camping then charging a problem, but I stay in hotels.
Galactic
Posts: 249
Joined: 21 May 2022, 7:42am

Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by Galactic »

Yeah, the evenings can get lonely can't they? Particularly when wild camping.

I second the e-reader suggestion (get one with it's own backlight). And a radio can really help with loneliness (if you don't understand the local lingo very well you can take podcasts and radio plays from the iplayer). After a while I find myself going to bed very early and getting up with the sun. It's lovely in the summer, heading out at 5am, no traffic, lots of birds and wild animals, low mist over the road and fields.
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MrsHJ
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Joined: 19 Aug 2010, 1:03pm
Location: Dartmouth, Devon.

Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by MrsHJ »

I don’t get lonely until towards the end of a fortnight when I’m getting ready to re enter family life etc.

For me:
Books on my kindle
Podcast
A couple of Netflix series I have downloaded (in advance but you can use your Netflix account in other countries if you get decent Wi-Fi)
Planning the next days activities
More books in my kindle
Some social medya. (I tend to post my photos for the day and a brief record in FB-my friends claim it’s nice- they are a tolerant bunch).
When Wi-Fi permits FaceTime with the dog (ok, and family).
I’ve considered starting to write when travelling but generally work is so busy that I relish the downtime and don’t want to do anything constructive.
I’m not particularly social but being by yourself you’ll usually attract some social attention especially from other cyclists who’ll often be happy to share a meal etc
Last edited by MrsHJ on 15 Feb 2023, 9:39pm, edited 1 time in total.
Garry Booth
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Joined: 12 Jan 2010, 11:22am

Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by Garry Booth »

A small old fashioned transistor radio is a good companion. They're very light and don't need wi-fi.
simonhill
Posts: 5227
Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 11:28am
Location: Essex

Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by simonhill »

Pre smartphone, I always carried a small radio. Shortwave for long haul and BBC World Service and it has Long wave, so I can get Radio 4 in nearby Europe.
PT1029
Posts: 1744
Joined: 16 Apr 2012, 9:20pm

Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by PT1029 »

A lot of the above. Often going for a walk is good, though this can very much be area/location dependent.
bohrsatom
Posts: 807
Joined: 20 May 2013, 4:36pm

Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by bohrsatom »

Agree with most of the other suggestions

Kindles are good as they can carry a vast quantity of books, are backlit and rarely need charging
Podcasts too
Write a journal
Go to sleep early so you can wake up early

I don't mind drinking a beer or two during 1 and 3, less so 2 and (in particular) 4 :lol:
1982john
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Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by 1982john »

know one chap who brings an oil painting set up. its very light.
Another does a spot of fishing

personally, i'll do some puzzles (crossword, sudoko etc) or try and take some interesting photos
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foxyrider
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Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 10:25am
Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by foxyrider »

Eating a bit later maybe incorporating an evening walk or sometimes short ride into the town/village, then checking out the route etc for the following day and writing up my trip diary by which point i'm often ready to turn in anyhow! If i'm not camping i'll often end up flipping channels on the room TV :lol:
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
keyboardmonkey
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Joined: 1 Dec 2009, 5:05pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by keyboardmonkey »

paul_n wrote: 15 Feb 2023, 2:34pm … I will shower and do any laundry etc and then go out for a meal and a drink and once I have done that [ say by 19:00 ]…

Drinking on my own is little fun ?

I could take a few books to read ?

Any other answers.

all the best Paul
If you’ve finished drinking by 1900hrs you’re not doing it properly!

I would prefer a proper book rather than Kindle etc. I’ve not toured for years but I have since got a watercolour travel kit and I like to imagine I’d get in to that. Or even sketching. Or creating geometry puzzles. It rather depends what you’re in to doesn’t it? We can’t tell you that.
Last edited by keyboardmonkey on 16 Feb 2023, 12:22pm, edited 1 time in total.
paul_n
Posts: 13
Joined: 31 Jul 2019, 7:12am

Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by paul_n »

Hi all

Glad others have some problems , it is not just me :)

many thanks for the ideas a couple of things worth pursuing , a luddite really so a real book and I will look into a radio.

I do try and keep a journal and route planning sometimes in the evening.

If I do go to sleep early I tend to wake early as my back can only tolerate a few hours on a self inflating mat.

Paul
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horizon
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Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Cornwall

Re: Solo tours any strategies for the evenings ?

Post by horizon »

paul_n wrote: 15 Feb 2023, 2:34pm
Obviously tent pitched I will shower and do any laundry etc and then go out for a meal and a drink and once I have done that [ say by 19:00 ]
there is no one to talk to and is much to early to turn in.
First of all just to say that I agree it is a genuine problem (loneliness in the evening if you are travelling on your own). At home, it tends to be hidden by TV, maybe going to the pub and of course nowadays the internet (which might in any case be your saviour if you have a smart phone or tablet).

I reckon one cure though is to do more during the day. I rarely if ever arrive by 5.00pm - more like 8.00pm at times! By the time I've had a cup of tea, put up the tent, yes, shower and so forth and cooked a simple meal and washed up it's pretty much time for bed (which should be about 10.00pm). It only takes one passing chat to throw even this schedule out. There are quite a few maintenance tasks to do while cycle touring like charging the phone, washing clothes and checking the bike for that annoying squeak. These simple things can really swallow time when you're tired.

If you really want to get to your campsite in good time (food, shower, check-in etc), then it might be worth planning a proper town visit or walk for the evening when you are refreshed.

At a more philosophical level, these unexpected and unwanted short periods of feeling alone and suffering from boredom/loneliness are part of why it is actually good to travel alone: you are confronted with having to explore that great country known as the Self and it can at times be quite a challenging place. Aside fom that, there are the stars to gaze at and wonder about.

Anyway, you have my sympathy.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
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