Just looking for ideas for a first tour?
Where did you tour first time round? What sort of mileage did you do per day? What accommodation did you use, tent, B&B etc? How much did you carry? What doos and don'ts do you have now you're experienced?
All answers gratefully recieved.
the Snake
Your very first tour experience!
first tour was LEJoG.
approx 75mpd for 2 weeks - over all around 1050miles
B&Bs (but took bivvi just incase.)
Two medium panniers, one bar bag plus a lot of stuff strapped to top of rack.
My advice would be to try something a little easier for a first tour - just to make sure that all the equipent, and, indeed, the legs work OK!
Comfort on the bike and reliability are the essentials rather than speed or lightness.
Allow your self plenty of time to stop and look around the places that you are going through. My problem was that athough 75mpd was fine for the legs it didn't leave much time for exploring.
I found TICs good for arranging the next day's accomodation.
approx 75mpd for 2 weeks - over all around 1050miles
B&Bs (but took bivvi just incase.)
Two medium panniers, one bar bag plus a lot of stuff strapped to top of rack.
My advice would be to try something a little easier for a first tour - just to make sure that all the equipent, and, indeed, the legs work OK!
Comfort on the bike and reliability are the essentials rather than speed or lightness.
Allow your self plenty of time to stop and look around the places that you are going through. My problem was that athough 75mpd was fine for the legs it didn't leave much time for exploring.
I found TICs good for arranging the next day's accomodation.
The first tour I took was a 2 week ride around southern England. I wrote a journal of that ride, if you are interested.
I didn't own a tent and didn't want to carry the weight, so I staying in B&Bs and with family. If you'd prefer being hosted, try hospitality sites like www.couchsurfing.com and www.hospitalityclub.org to find free places for the night.
I did between 40 and 50 miles/day. I like to keep it below 60/day, if I can.
As for dos and don'ts, I'd suggest
don't try to ride too far every day
take rest days every so often (I plan a rest day every 5th one)
don't carry any more gear than you need to (you can always buy things you need)
be sure to know the elevations of your route so you can go around hills or plan for them
carry rain gear
take a shakedown ride once you have all your gear and bike together.
Ray
I didn't own a tent and didn't want to carry the weight, so I staying in B&Bs and with family. If you'd prefer being hosted, try hospitality sites like www.couchsurfing.com and www.hospitalityclub.org to find free places for the night.
I did between 40 and 50 miles/day. I like to keep it below 60/day, if I can.
As for dos and don'ts, I'd suggest
don't try to ride too far every day
take rest days every so often (I plan a rest day every 5th one)
don't carry any more gear than you need to (you can always buy things you need)
be sure to know the elevations of your route so you can go around hills or plan for them
carry rain gear
take a shakedown ride once you have all your gear and bike together.
Ray
Visit my on-line bike touring archive at www.biketouringtips.com
Re: Your very first tour experience!
Snakes wrote:Just looking for ideas for a first tour?
Where did you tour first time round? What sort of mileage did you do per day? What accommodation did you use, tent, B&B etc? How much did you carry? What doos and don'ts do you have now you're experienced?
All answers gratefully recieved.
the Snake
One of the coast to coast rides such as
C2C (Coast to Coast)
W2W (Walney to Wear)
Reivers Route
Hadrians Cycle Way
All fit the bill as simple and easily completed mini tours well serviced by pubs B&B, camp sites and generally clearly way marked.
As for equipment have a read through some of the earlier threads dealing with the very same questions. It will save repitition of answers and duplication of effort.
Hadrians Cycle route is perhaps the flattest of the four listed routes.
I think that W2W is the mosr scenic overall though it does have some rough bits in COunty Durham.
Bike choice is listed here: http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=12334 as well as other touring related info.
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Cosstick
I havent done any tours yet, but in the next couple of weeks i plan to do about 40-50 miles from the essex coast (frinton on sea) up to kessingland/southwold, camp and then return the next day!
If all goes well i plan to go to holland next year and go exploring !
Getting excited about the one night trip already!
If all goes well i plan to go to holland next year and go exploring !
Getting excited about the one night trip already!
I had a 4 speed Elswick with army knapsacks as panniers, Optimus petrol stove and a hideously heavy sleeping bag. In 1977 I cycled to Stonehenge festival then carried on to tour around Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset sleeping in a variety of fields, beaches and woods.
I've cycled all over Europe and the UK and that trip in 1977 was one of the best adventures I've had so far. That's the magic of the first tour and it doesn't matter where you go.
I've still got the stove but I'm too scared to fire it up.
Have fun.
I've cycled all over Europe and the UK and that trip in 1977 was one of the best adventures I've had so far. That's the magic of the first tour and it doesn't matter where you go.
I've still got the stove but I'm too scared to fire it up.
Have fun.
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andymiller
- Posts: 1716
- Joined: 8 Dec 2007, 10:26am
Cosstick wrote:I havent done any tours yet, but in the next couple of weeks i plan to do about 40-50 miles from the essex coast (frinton on sea) up to kessingland/southwold, camp and then return the next day!
I could have sworn that it's a lot further than 40/50 miles. Campsite and beach at kessingland are very nice though.
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Cosstick
andymiller wrote:Cosstick wrote:I havent done any tours yet, but in the next couple of weeks i plan to do about 40-50 miles from the essex coast (frinton on sea) up to kessingland/southwold, camp and then return the next day!
I could have sworn that it's a lot further than 40/50 miles. Campsite and beach at kessingland are very nice though.
it will be at max 55miles, depends if i dip into the coast or go straight, also will be going to harwich and getting the foot ferry to felixtowe which is nice. cuts out a huge chunk
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thirdcrank
- Posts: 36740
- Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm
Why so few posts? We're either a diffident lot, or the people who say Cyclists' Touring Club is a mis-nomer have a point.
I started pestering to go solo touring in 1958 when I was 13. My dear old dad agreed we could try it out together by riding to Malton YHA for a couple of nights and spending a day in the North York Moors. He ended up being poorly so I rode from Castleford to Malton alone for one night's stay - hardly a tour.
With my father still too poorly to argue I booked a week - 6/6d per night (2/6d per meal 1/6d overnight fee.) Lincoln, King's Cliffe, Greens Norton, Ivinghoe, King's Cliffe, Hartington, Edale.
Main lessons learnt:
1/ Plan your route and stick to it unless you properly plan any deviation.
2/ Capes are rubbish.
3/ Take lights on tour.
1/ After leaving Lincoln, the plan was to visit friends in Ruskington (near Sleaford) for a couple of hours. They persuaded me to stay the night so I cancelled King's Cliffe. (Lesson 1/) I set off the following morning without even looking at the map. (16 miles to inch YHA map of youth hostels in England and Wales
) It's hard to explain how quiet main roads were then, and if you wanted to ride anywhere you could just follow the signosts to the nearest big town. I managed to ride some distance north from Stamford on the A1 when I was intending to ride south and eventually spent a lot of time riding around the East Midlands quite lost. It got dark and (lesson 3/) with a lot less street lighting, it used to get very dark. I had no front lamp so I could read nothing (and battery in back lamp had leaked.) Eventually reached Greens Norton about 20 minutes before closing. Warden's wife very kindly made me a meal and nobody blinked an eyelid at a 13 year old a bit out of his depth. Back on my planned route and the rest of the tour went according to plan. On the last day riding home from Sheffield it felt freezing. (Lesson 2/) It had been warm when I set off on this adventure and I didn't take any sort of jacket. I rode most of the morning with my cape on, even though it wasn't raining.
A great tour and I went on to do loads more.
I started pestering to go solo touring in 1958 when I was 13. My dear old dad agreed we could try it out together by riding to Malton YHA for a couple of nights and spending a day in the North York Moors. He ended up being poorly so I rode from Castleford to Malton alone for one night's stay - hardly a tour.
With my father still too poorly to argue I booked a week - 6/6d per night (2/6d per meal 1/6d overnight fee.) Lincoln, King's Cliffe, Greens Norton, Ivinghoe, King's Cliffe, Hartington, Edale.
Main lessons learnt:
1/ Plan your route and stick to it unless you properly plan any deviation.
2/ Capes are rubbish.
3/ Take lights on tour.
1/ After leaving Lincoln, the plan was to visit friends in Ruskington (near Sleaford) for a couple of hours. They persuaded me to stay the night so I cancelled King's Cliffe. (Lesson 1/) I set off the following morning without even looking at the map. (16 miles to inch YHA map of youth hostels in England and Wales
) It's hard to explain how quiet main roads were then, and if you wanted to ride anywhere you could just follow the signosts to the nearest big town. I managed to ride some distance north from Stamford on the A1 when I was intending to ride south and eventually spent a lot of time riding around the East Midlands quite lost. It got dark and (lesson 3/) with a lot less street lighting, it used to get very dark. I had no front lamp so I could read nothing (and battery in back lamp had leaked.) Eventually reached Greens Norton about 20 minutes before closing. Warden's wife very kindly made me a meal and nobody blinked an eyelid at a 13 year old a bit out of his depth. Back on my planned route and the rest of the tour went according to plan. On the last day riding home from Sheffield it felt freezing. (Lesson 2/) It had been warm when I set off on this adventure and I didn't take any sort of jacket. I rode most of the morning with my cape on, even though it wasn't raining.
A great tour and I went on to do loads more.
By "Tour", I suppose that means staying overnight somewhere. I spent many a ride touring around Lancashire as a yoof, but only ever getting home for tea! However me and my mate Paul rode down to Snowdonia in '68.
We covered 70 or 80 miles on the first day, he on his 5sp Carlton and me on my old Hercules with a 3sp SA modified to take two sprockets. We had a rack each and strapped our rucksacks to them. We were camping, so split the tent stuff between us. We made Ty Nant on the A5 a few miles west of Corwen. We camped in the front garden of a large B+B. A couple from Hounslow were on holiday there, and were amazed about me and Paul's adventure as 15 year-olds, and took us out to dinner in Betws-y- Coed!
The following day, we rode out via Betws-y-Coed, Capel Curig, Beddgelert and out to the foot of Snowdon, stopping in a field across the road from the Snowdon Ranger YHA - we used the shop there.
After our second night under canvas and stuffing ourselves with home-cooked, cobbled-together campsite food, we climbed Snowdon in the mist and saw nothing! We had lunch in the cafe at the top and made our way back down through the mist.
Next morning we were a little jaded with this camping/cycling lark, and didn't feel like going further, so pedaled back to Betws-y-Coed and caught the train to Warrington, and cycled home!
Oh well! It was great whilst it lasted, and I'm sure if we'd mooched around our camp for another day and grabbed a good night's sleep, we'd have been raring to go for another day or two. We were tired and over 100 miles from home!
We covered 70 or 80 miles on the first day, he on his 5sp Carlton and me on my old Hercules with a 3sp SA modified to take two sprockets. We had a rack each and strapped our rucksacks to them. We were camping, so split the tent stuff between us. We made Ty Nant on the A5 a few miles west of Corwen. We camped in the front garden of a large B+B. A couple from Hounslow were on holiday there, and were amazed about me and Paul's adventure as 15 year-olds, and took us out to dinner in Betws-y- Coed!
The following day, we rode out via Betws-y-Coed, Capel Curig, Beddgelert and out to the foot of Snowdon, stopping in a field across the road from the Snowdon Ranger YHA - we used the shop there.
After our second night under canvas and stuffing ourselves with home-cooked, cobbled-together campsite food, we climbed Snowdon in the mist and saw nothing! We had lunch in the cafe at the top and made our way back down through the mist.
Next morning we were a little jaded with this camping/cycling lark, and didn't feel like going further, so pedaled back to Betws-y-Coed and caught the train to Warrington, and cycled home!
Oh well! It was great whilst it lasted, and I'm sure if we'd mooched around our camp for another day and grabbed a good night's sleep, we'd have been raring to go for another day or two. We were tired and over 100 miles from home!
Mick F. Cornwall
wallyone wrote:I had a 4 speed Elswick with army knapsacks as panniers, Optimus petrol stove and a hideously heavy sleeping bag. In 1977 I cycled to Stonehenge festival then carried on to tour around Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset sleeping in a variety of fields, beaches and woods.
I've cycled all over Europe and the UK and that trip in 1977 was one of the best adventures I've had so far. That's the magic of the first tour and it doesn't matter where you go.
I've still got the stove but I'm too scared to fire it up.
Have fun.
Sounds great that one, would love to have been cycling around in those days.
My first one was last year, with the CTC on the camping trip to Holland. Was great fun, friendly group, very well led (Mark Waters) in a relaxing fashion. People could go off in groups in the day, or on their own and meet up at the campsite at night. Great array of bikes from my predictable Galaxy, through recumbents and bikes with shopping baskets on the front containing sleeping bags.
Great routes as you'd expect from Holland and out of the way campsites to have a few beers and eat round the tables.
Would recommend to all, great feelingriding off the ferry down the slope at the Hook
Unless you include a couple of weekend charity rides with the Boy Scouts, I suppose that my first tour was as a teenager from my then home in South Wales up to and around Malvern and the West Midlands. I was 14 or 15 at the time and I had a ten-speed BSO. Luggage was packed in two panniers and a saddlebag with various bits and pieces strapped on top of those.
The first day was up the Neath valley, along the Heads of the Valley road, to a youth hostel near Abergavenny. It poured that day and I spent most of it wearing a traditional, oilskin cycle cape. By the time I got to Abergavenny, everything was soaked, and I had a fairly miserable time for the next couple of days trying to dry stuff out at each stop. So the most important lesson I learned that trip was to pack in poly bags anything (like my sleeping bag liner and spare clothes) that absolutely had to stay dry!
Geoff
The first day was up the Neath valley, along the Heads of the Valley road, to a youth hostel near Abergavenny. It poured that day and I spent most of it wearing a traditional, oilskin cycle cape. By the time I got to Abergavenny, everything was soaked, and I had a fairly miserable time for the next couple of days trying to dry stuff out at each stop. So the most important lesson I learned that trip was to pack in poly bags anything (like my sleeping bag liner and spare clothes) that absolutely had to stay dry!
Geoff
I always wanted to tour. Big dreams. But the years went by and life and work got in the way, excuses I know
A few years ago I was left a small amount of money and deposited it in a savings account looking for that special something that I could spend it on as a memory of my parents.
Then this year I spent it. I bought a Dawes Super Galaxy and at the age of 49 did my very first tour. I cycled the Lon Las Cymru. I suffered on the hills, learned that you dont HAVE to have a small folding aluminium table amongst other unused items of kit!!
But I finished it in 5 days. Have some great memories of "Challenging the Dragon" as the guide book puts it and my appetite is whetted for more.
I've joined my local CTC, been out riding with them, and will do more tours which I know I will enjoy as much if not more with the extra knowledge and fitness I'll gain.
So the one thing I'd recommend if you have not done so already is to find your local CTC group and go and ride, enjoy the company and learn from them.
I spend ages at the back watching how and when they change gear. Well thats my excuse, nothing to do with being a fat git and struggling to keep up you understand
A few years ago I was left a small amount of money and deposited it in a savings account looking for that special something that I could spend it on as a memory of my parents.
Then this year I spent it. I bought a Dawes Super Galaxy and at the age of 49 did my very first tour. I cycled the Lon Las Cymru. I suffered on the hills, learned that you dont HAVE to have a small folding aluminium table amongst other unused items of kit!!
But I finished it in 5 days. Have some great memories of "Challenging the Dragon" as the guide book puts it and my appetite is whetted for more.
I've joined my local CTC, been out riding with them, and will do more tours which I know I will enjoy as much if not more with the extra knowledge and fitness I'll gain.
So the one thing I'd recommend if you have not done so already is to find your local CTC group and go and ride, enjoy the company and learn from them.
I spend ages at the back watching how and when they change gear. Well thats my excuse, nothing to do with being a fat git and struggling to keep up you understand
