Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Edinburgh - Lisbon (Winter) Possible?

« on: November 06, 2011, 06:03:35 pm »

...re’ Scotland/Northern-England; the right bike (the right tires & lights), the right clothing, the right mind-set, an accommodating credit-card: ...what a fabulous proposition. From Ed’; stick to the coast (less snow/ice issues), assume the weather’ll be really-really-really shite (wet/freezing) & so, so very grey & depressing, half your summer daily-millage etc, but: ...sunny days in winter are the finest days of the year (you’ll get one or two) / adventurers are enthusiastically welcomed / anywhere out-of-season can be perversely fun (& is cheaper re’ accommodation etc). I’m assuming that camping isn’t being considered. As for ‘I can't think of a worse idea than riding in GB in winter’; I’d suggest riding in Florida in winter: ...pleasant but so very dull. Happy to help re’ route details (including Iberia) / digs available in Westmorland, Chin-chin, J’.

2

South Atlantic / Re: Florida Base?

« on: March 20, 2010, 03:39:12 pm »

Hi Tony,
Cheers for you comments. We did dip into Florida for two weeks in Dec’; a fabulous time was had. We stayed just up the road from Celebration (a pretty soulless hotel, but the deal was good). I bought a single-speed road-bike, heading mainly north/west, & riding at weekends with The Windermere Roadies; a very welcoming group. The traffic was often a little too constant, but I eventually found quieter roads & the West Orange Trail. I nailed a hundred on my last day, which I was chuffed about.
Talk is now of wintering there for three months. Small towns appeal (Winter Garden was very nice), state-parks, bike-trails, club-rides, farm-shops etc. I’m checking out Celebration, but are you familiar with the town of Inverness (100 miles NW of you in Citrus County)? Or would you throw anywhere else into the mulling-pot?
Thanks again, J’.

3

South Atlantic / Florida Base?

« on: November 22, 2009, 07:19:50 pm »

During Dec’/Jan’ cheap-ish package-holidays are available from the UK to Florida (feeding your Disney attractions etc), which I presume would be a good (& warm) destination for a fortnight’s winter-training. Please excuse my ignorance, but where’s a pleasant area/town to aim for, with safe, quality roads, & a varied terrain. I’m hoping to nail 750 miles, so I’d need a base with a good variety of routes, with perhaps an audax or sportive event as a finale. My non-cycling wife would be accompanying, who’s happy reading by the pool all day, but would like to be near a pedestrian-friendly (historic) community. All advice/pointers would be very welcome. Regards, J’.

4

General Discussion / Re: ‘Camping’: Is it really necessary?

« on: February 08, 2009, 02:52:41 pm »

Many thanks for all posts (esp’ the link): I should perhaps reconsider my prejudice against cycle-camping, [stemming from a middle-aged pining to be still racing thoroughbreds, rather than traipsing with a fully-laden packhorse, (I even resent donning mudguards in winter)]. Also; with riding all-year-round over the inclement lumps-&-bumps of Northern England, I often return home cold, wet & tired, & so-so glad of the sanctuary of ‘indoors’.
I’m firming-up my ideas: possibly-camping / probably-B-&-Bs/motels, (/ perhaps a little support from my wife in a RV), & maybe-maybe this May/June rather than next!
My temped route is the Northern Tier, as it links my acquaintances/family in the US. (Though a good friend raised in Iowa, is aghast with the soulless prospect of pedalling across some of the blandest county in the world!)
May I narrow my initial query, & request comments regarding ‘camping-avoidance’ through the western 1/2 of the Northern Tier? Or is it time to invest in canvass & a fat back-wheel?
Cheers, J’.

5

General Discussion / ‘Camping’: Is it really necessary?

« on: February 05, 2009, 10:35:09 am »

I’ve criss-crossed Europe by bike, but always with a credit-card rather than tent. I happily manage 100 miles/day on a light tourer, staying at whatever ‘indoor’ accommodation (bricks, mortar, shower, bar etc) is available. I’m beginning to scheme a coast-to-coast US tour for 2010, but I keep encountering references to ‘camping.’ I appreciate that the US has a few more empty spaces than Europe, but isn’t it possible to route a tour hotel-to-hotel, comfy-bed-to-comfy-bed, nice-warm-bath-to-nice-cold-beer etc, rather than being weighed down with tents etc? Any advice/pointers would be most welcome, J’.

6

Routes / Re: Europe North to South

« on: February 05, 2009, 10:14:58 am »

Taking 15 days in Sept’ ’07, I cycled Rotterdam to Venice (1,000+ miles). The route was c/o Bikeline’s Radtourenbuchers: ‘Rhein-Radweg 3’, ‘Main-Radweg’, ‘Romantische Strasse’, & ‘Via Claudia Augusta’, (Nederland, Deutschland, Osterreich, & Italia). These guides/maps (& way-markings) are excellent, though we were directed onto unsurfaced trails a little too often for my road-tourer. As suggested by other contributors; there was more cycling joy the further south we got, (though this may have been due to the sunnier climes, rather than any struggling with heavy Northern traffic). Venice certainly made for a fitting goal, J’.