http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/touring/make-your-bike-touring-escape/ Happily cycling in London Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:39:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/touring/make-your-bike-touring-escape/comment-page-1/#comment-5413 Cafewanda Sat, 24 Apr 2010 08:51:11 +0000 http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/touring/make-your-bike-touring-escape/#comment-5413 Thanks for the tips Knit. I'm very new to cycling but already know I want to do a cycling holiday in the next year or two. This is exciting! Thanks for the tips Knit. I’m very new to cycling but already know I want to do a cycling holiday in the next year or two. This is exciting!

]]> http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/touring/make-your-bike-touring-escape/comment-page-1/#comment-2991 Knit Nurse Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:41:26 +0000 http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/touring/make-your-bike-touring-escape/#comment-2991 Having been bike touring for 25 years on and off I would clearly recommend it as a great holiday, but offer one or two bits of advice to beginners. Think carefully before you decide to camp, especially on longer trips, and perhaps set aside some of your budget for a night or two in a hostel or hotel along the way. I have camped and toured a couple of times and found that after a long day's bike ride, the last thing I wanted to do was sleep on the floor, no matter how good my Thermarest. Even if you travel very light, a small tent can still add a lot of weight to your panniers, once you have added sleeping bag, mat, cooking equipment and so on. The time taken to set up and strike camp can become a chore over a longer trip, and I also found it difficult to secure my bike properly on many campsites. Having said that it's often not as simple as you would expect to secure your bike at hotels or B&Bs - mine has had such diverse overnight stops as posh function rooms and being locked to a picnic table in the pub garden! If you are thwarted by the need to find a partner, don't give up on the idea of travelling solo - most of my touring has been solo and I've thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It does mean that sometimes you have to reach inside yourself for that extra bit of motivation when the going gets tough or it's raining and you get a puncture, but on the other hand you don't have to endure the resentment when your partner wants to have a late start on a beautiful morning, or refuses to take the scenic/hilly/easy route that you are so keen on. Finally, leave some flexibility in your route (this is much easier if you decide to camp as you aren't so restricted by accommodation). For trips in the UK I usually decide on a starting point and a finishing point, usually railway stations that I book my tickets in advance, to and from on certain days. I usually book the first night's accommodation but that's all (and travel outside school holidays to avoid the peak times). The freedom that this gives me is very liberating, and lends the trip a slight whiff of adventure, but not so much that it is too scarey! Having been bike touring for 25 years on and off I would clearly recommend it as a great holiday, but offer one or two bits of advice to beginners.
Think carefully before you decide to camp, especially on longer trips, and perhaps set aside some of your budget for a night or two in a hostel or hotel along the way. I have camped and toured a couple of times and found that after a long day’s bike ride, the last thing I wanted to do was sleep on the floor, no matter how good my Thermarest. Even if you travel very light, a small tent can still add a lot of weight to your panniers, once you have added sleeping bag, mat, cooking equipment and so on. The time taken to set up and strike camp can become a chore over a longer trip, and I also found it difficult to secure my bike properly on many campsites. Having said that it’s often not as simple as you would expect to secure your bike at hotels or B&Bs – mine has had such diverse overnight stops as posh function rooms and being locked to a picnic table in the pub garden!
If you are thwarted by the need to find a partner, don’t give up on the idea of travelling solo – most of my touring has been solo and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It does mean that sometimes you have to reach inside yourself for that extra bit of motivation when the going gets tough or it’s raining and you get a puncture, but on the other hand you don’t have to endure the resentment when your partner wants to have a late start on a beautiful morning, or refuses to take the scenic/hilly/easy route that you are so keen on.
Finally, leave some flexibility in your route (this is much easier if you decide to camp as you aren’t so restricted by accommodation). For trips in the UK I usually decide on a starting point and a finishing point, usually railway stations that I book my tickets in advance, to and from on certain days. I usually book the first night’s accommodation but that’s all (and travel outside school holidays to avoid the peak times). The freedom that this gives me is very liberating, and lends the trip a slight whiff of adventure, but not so much that it is too scarey!

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