SCR Mission Impossible

itboffin

Fellow cyclists I'm making plans right now to cycle from home in Jan. to the channel tunnel then straight down through France and perhaps even into Spain returning home in Feb. I would appreciate any advise, practical advise only please.

Oh yes and they'll be no hotels :shock:

redvee

Might be cheaper doing the ferry rather than the tunnel. Travel as a foot passenger and put your bike in the bottom of the hull and scrape the barnacles off your tyres when you get to France.

itboffin

redvee wrote:

Might be cheaper doing the ferry rather than the tunnel. Travel as a foot passenger and put your bike in the bottom of the hull and scrape the barnacles off your tyres when you get to France.

But the tunnel is £49 in the week and take 30 odd mins

gert_lush

wow, how cool sound like an excellent plan. My advise would be eat lots of banana's, although thats my advise for most things

Think how many scalps you could get on that journey, you should keep a tally!!!

tailwindhome

itboffin wrote:

Fellow cyclists I'm making plans right now to cycle from home in Jan. to the channel tunnel then straight down through France and perhaps even into Spain returning home in Feb. I would appreciate any advise, practical advise only please.

Oh yes and they'll be no hotels :shock:

Tell the missus you're just popping out for a pint of milk


You could try searching the Touring section of the Road forum as I'm sure these are popular destinations and have been done before.

tailwindhome

You do realise that your first task will be to buy/build a bike for this expedition .

itboffin

WheezyMcChubby wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Fellow cyclists I'm making plans right now to cycle from home in Jan. to the channel tunnel then straight down through France and perhaps even into Spain returning home in Feb. I would appreciate any advise, practical advise only please.

Oh yes and they'll be no hotels :shock:

Tell the missus you're just popping out for a pint of milk


You could try searching the Touring section of the Road forum as I'm sure these are popular destinations and have been done before.

lol she doesn't know yet.

I have the bike almost ready just need the wheel and hefty set of racks and panniers, oh and a map. I did this before in the car using only a gps, not a good idea :?

Why is it gps turn off just when you need them most.

Jen J

I have no advice to offer whatsoever, but I just wanted to say it sounds fantastic and I'm very jealous xx

cjcp

itboffin wrote:

Fellow cyclists I'm making plans right now to cycle from home in Jan. to the channel tunnel then straight down through France and perhaps even into Spain returning home in Feb. I would appreciate any advise, practical advise only please.

Oh yes and they'll be no hotels :shock:

You can get a train to the south coast, and then a connecting ferry straight to Spain.

A ferry from the south coast to, say, St Malo, might land you in a nicer part of France to start your journey than somewhere like Calais.

I'd pop over to Touring and Expedition; there's bound to be some knowledgeable folk over there.

Sounds great.

Are you going to count your scalps on the way?

itboffin

cjcp wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Fellow cyclists I'm making plans right now to cycle from home in Jan. to the channel tunnel then straight down through France and perhaps even into Spain returning home in Feb. I would appreciate any advise, practical advise only please.

Oh yes and they'll be no hotels :shock:

You can get a train to the south coast, and then a connecting ferry straight to Spain.

A ferry from the south coast to, say, St Malo, might land you in a nicer part of France to start your journey than somewhere like Calais.

I'd pop over to Touring and Expedition; there's bound to be some knowledgeable folk over there.

Sounds great.

Are you going to count your scalps on the way?

I've been doing some research for a couple of days now and all the feedback from people that have already done similar trips is positive, should I be worried by that? are they all just mental?

I was thinking along the lines of following the coast from Calais to Bordeaux, that way I have lots of options to get home via boat or train if needed.

What sort of FCN would a fully loaded tourer, double panniers, tent etc have?

linsen

FCN 162, I reckon.

Sounds lovely though.

Advice - definitely remember spare pants and a toothbrush

lost_in_thought

Wow, sounds like great fun! On t'interweb somewhere is a true story about 2 ladies riding down america in the '50s, one on a SS and one on a 3-speed... I read it and thought 'that looks like fun'!

I agree with CJ on heading somewhere other than Calais to start, there are other ferry route options out there and as for the cost you'll only do it once so do it properly! Le Havre, for example, although that's a hell of a ferry trip. Done it once - on the overnight ferry as a student.

From there you could scoot around the coast - it's lovely, I've only done it by plane but it was really nice. And you wouldn't be so tempted to cut out that sticky-outy bit. Where the autoroutes aren't is where the good stuff is!!

lost_in_thought

Oh and getting stuff dry is apparently one of the major battles. Consider that!

itboffin

lost_in_thought wrote:

Oh and getting stuff dry is apparently one of the major battles. Consider that!

Yes that does concern me especially as it will be cold and dark most of the time, what with being Jan and all, also finding a suitable method of charging my phone and gps, dynamo, solar?

Feltup

Down in Tarifa near Gibralta the couple camping next to us were German and had cycled the whole way down were staying a month and then cycling back. They used trailers on their bikes to carry their..............................wait for it..............................WINDSURF KIT!

We struggled getting all our kitesurf and windsurf equipment in the van!

No real advice then :oops: except trailers seem to work.

Have a great trip and take lots of photos/video.

lost_in_thought

itboffin wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Oh and getting stuff dry is apparently one of the major battles. Consider that!

Yes that does concern me especially as it will be cold and dark most of the time, what with being Jan and all, also finding a suitable method of charging my phone and gps, dynamo, solar?

If you go to campsites rather than just setting up wherever you stop, you'll find that a lot of them have power and some have drying rooms. Although in coastal areas it will require a bit of organisation and planning to get to ones that are open.

gtvlusso

itboffin wrote:

Fellow cyclists I'm making plans right now to cycle from home in Jan. to the channel tunnel then straight down through France and perhaps even into Spain returning home in Feb. I would appreciate any advise, practical advise only please.

Oh yes and they'll be no hotels :shock:

You are a brave fella and I wish you the best of luck!! Take a credit card/mobile/basic tools, tubes and tyres you can get on the way, and a spare rear mech hanger - I got stuck in France once with a bent mech hanger, could not get one anywhere for the frame and had to get the train home! Also took a route map and googled for local bike shops/pin pointed them - useful when you need a quick fix.

Go enjoy! I am sure you will have a great time!

Feltup

itboffin wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Oh and getting stuff dry is apparently one of the major battles. Consider that!

Yes that does concern me especially as it will be cold and dark most of the time, what with being Jan and all, also finding a suitable method of charging my phone and gps, dynamo, solar?

Solar chargers do work even on pretty dull days.

I presume you have all your camping kit already?

itboffin

Feltup wrote:

itboffin wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Oh and getting stuff dry is apparently one of the major battles. Consider that!

Yes that does concern me especially as it will be cold and dark most of the time, what with being Jan and all, also finding a suitable method of charging my phone and gps, dynamo, solar?

Solar chargers do work even on pretty dull days.

I presume you have all your camping kit already?

I do but I might need a warmer 4 season sleeping bag, it all depends on how much this lot will weigh.

I'm considering a quick recce trip to bag a couple of likely stop over locations, having the first few nights pre booked seems sensible and I'll be able to iron out any bike set up issues.

knight2k

Hi ITB,

Sounds like a great Idea, though I reckon it may be a bit cold for camping in France in the winter. Also I suspect there won't be that many campsites, except maybe the Municipal ones, open at this time of the year. So hotels or hostels may be your be option. Hotels in France are cheap 25-30 euros a night, not sure how it would sit with your budget with campsites (if available) ranging from a couple of euros a night upwards.

Last year I caught the ferry to Bilbao and cycled back home across the top of Spain and up the west coast of France. I took around 3 weeks to complete the trip coming in just shy of a 1,000miles. The 'crazyguyonabike' link in my signature will take you to where my online journals are kept for more info, plus you'll find the site a really useful research tool whilst planning. Especially a 'France: help, tips, advice and guidance' article By Leo Woodland.

Best of luck

Feltup

If you already have a sleeping bag think about getting a second summer bag and use both together. It does increase the volume a bit over a regular 4 season but it gives you more options. Store them in different areas incase one gets wet the other stands a chance of being dry. Check out Alpkit if you haven't already for good value bags and gear.

hisoka

Awesome idea. I was going to go through France down to Spain and into Portugal. But due to time constraints having to change it to Spain into Portugal myself.
T and E forums is great for advice I have found
Camping, the way to go I say!
And flying is scarily cheap in potential, I found the best ferry price I could get was £98 to North of Spain from Plymouth, and I am in Nottingham so getting to Plymouth is a fair wack on the train. BUT the flight from the East Midlands to the south of Spain is £125, which saves me time and also really money too!

itboffin

Hi knight2k I read your adventures in Ireland a while ago, very inspirational, originally I'd thought of doing something similar but I find myself unable to leave the pub when I in Ireland.

Jan in Ireland would be fantastically cold, windy and wet, that's one for the summer me thinks.

Jay dubbleU

Sounds great - seriously jealous - can I suggest you pack everything in waterproof bags - Exped or similar - backpacks/panniers are only dry until the seams start to leak and there is nothing worst than promising yourself a change into dry clothes to fine they have got damp in your bag.

Carry dried food - plenty of good varieties on the market now - saves on weight

Get a decent stove - preferably multifuel - MSR or similar - gas canisters are not always available

AA do good accurate touring maps for France and Spain

Always assume you'll have to camp for the night - that way you're prepared just in case nothing better turns up

Hope that helps

8)

Crapaud

Separate everything in your panniers with poly bags. That way, if water should get into the panniers, it'll keep the contents dry. Similarly, if anything in the panniers bursts (eg. energy drink powder) the contents won't spread and contaminate everything else, it also keeps wet and dry / clean and dirty clothes apart.

A couple of spare spokes of each length, taped to the down tube, and a power link for emergencies.

A handful of cable ties have all sorts of uses should things fall apart.

Take as many SD / flash cards for your camera as you can - it's not always easy to find somewhere to get your piccies copied onto disc.

And don't forget a tin opener - one with a bottle opener on the end of the handle, and a corkscrew, because you never know...

knight2k

itboffin wrote:

Hi knight2k I read your adventures in Ireland a while ago, very inspirational, originally I'd thought of doing something similar but I find myself unable to leave the pub when I in Ireland.

Jan in Ireland would be fantastically cold, windy and wet, that's one for the summer me thinks.

Oh yes we had a couple of nights like that. Especially when there was good live music being played - Doolin is the one night that springs to mind. However the first hour on the bike the next morning certainly blows the cobwebs away.

snooks

Have you seen a psychiatrist? You can fly to Spain for naff all nowadays

Anyway...for charging look at a Power Monkey Explorer

You might also find something of interest here
http://www.pedallingaround.com/
and
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/outdoors/pedalling_around/kit/

Enjoy and set up a blog/thread so we can track your progress

Good luck matie

il_principe

Why do this in the winter ITB? Sounds like the sort of thing that would be fun in the summer but potentially very miserable in the winter.

girv73

WheezyMcChubby wrote:

You do realise that your first task will be to buy/build a bike for this expedition .

That's what he's spending his tax rebate on, I'll wager.

itboffin

girv73 wrote:

WheezyMcChubby wrote:

You do realise that your first task will be to buy/build a bike for this expedition .

That's what he's spending his tax rebate on, I'll wager.

Looks like i'll never get to do this