England to Italy

CyclingBantam

Hi All,

I am planning on riding from Bradford to Milan in late may next year for charity and was hoping to get some advice from people have done a lot more touring than I (Which is nil at present!).

In terms of fitness I am comfortable that I have enough time to get this up to scratch and there are plenty of threads pointing me in the right direction.

In terms of the trip its self what advice can people give? I will be looking to camp as I go and am under the impression that most french villages have sites so will finding a pitch be as straightforward as it seems?

How do people plan routes? I was going to plan something on somewhere like Bike Route Toaster and then highlight it on paper maps I can take with me? How do you know if there are area's to avoid (I.e. route a to b has much better scenary via c as opposed to d). What should I set up in advance? Anything or can I just book as I go and get up and just ride as far as I want each day?

I was planning on spending around £600 on a bike. Will this be sufficient to ensure the ride is not ruined by a heavy bike struggling to get over the hills etc. What should I look for in a bike.

I will also plan on travelling very light i.e. small tent, 2 changes of cycling gear and a couple of 'normal clothes'. Should I need to take a lot more than I would originally think?

What about fundraising? Does anyone have any pointers about raising a decent amount? I will ask friends and family but that will only get a modest amount. Is it worth writing to companies or phoning them or the local paper (I am fundraising for the Bradford Burns Unit in conjunction with Bradford City F.C so there is a lot of local publicity about it currently etc)

Apologies for the long post, anything at all would be of use. Thanks in advance.

Thanks

Ben

xilios

Never did any fundraising but there are some tips on our page, link below.
Hope it helps you out some, cheers

nicktheluddite

Wow - what a lot of quesions.....

Camping - We didn't find that most french villages have campsites, but the tourist info have lists of campsites within their department - so be sure to find the first tourist info when you get to a new department. I'd be surprised if you are ever more then 10km from a campsite in France. We only got told one campsite was full this summer - but then the boss fitted us in a corner anyway.

Maps - 1:200,000 michelin road atlas - just take the pages you need. If you are camping I'd be suprised if you need to book anywhere (except for real tourist hot spots in the height of summer).

Route-planning - I just use an atlas to get an idea of topography/interesting places then do detailed planning once on the road. Crossing the alps will be fun, and hard to avoid if you're going to Milan.



Kit - take less than you think. There are loads of shops in Europe, if you find you really need something you can just buy it there.

I can't offer any advice on buying a bike but £600 should get you a new Dawes Galaxy which is pretty much the benchmark for a tourer.

Have a little search through the older topics and I reckon you should find answers to most of your questions (such as this one below)
http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... ce+camping

jc4lab

Did simlar once..Route included Bruges & Ghent ,Belgium,Aredennes Mosel.Strasbourg Freiburg Black Forest ,Basel and Lietchenstein..Somethimes wonder if there such a thing as a bad route to be honest..I like all my runs....Slept taking whatever I found available on the way..First camped then started looking for hostels..Perhaps the shortest direct route is not always the best

andymiller

BenBlyth wrote:

In terms of the trip its self what advice can people give? I will be looking to camp as I go and am under the impression that most french villages have sites so will finding a pitch be as straightforward as it seems?

Google Maps are a pretty good tool for researching campsites. And every département (not to mention pretty much every commune) will have awebsite with a list of campsites. Alternatively you can buy books with lists of them.

How do people plan routes? I was going to plan something on somewhere like Bike Route Toaster and then highlight it on paper maps I can take with me? How do you know if there are area's to avoid (I.e. route a to b has much better scenary via c as opposed to d). What should I set up in advance? Anything or can I just book as I go and get up and just ride as far as I want each day?

if highlighting on paper maps works for you then go for it: it's simple and cheap. Alternatively you could download the route to a GPS - you can buy something like a Garmin Legend HCx for £130 and it comes with some pretty useful mapping. Runs on AA batteries so easy to recharge at campsites.

My experience in France is that I've never had problems finding a place at a campsite (outside of high season which is a different kettle of fish). In May you may have the opposite problem that campsites may not yet be open. It's probably a good idea to have some idea of where you're going rather than leave finding a campsite until the end of a long day when you're completely knackered.

And as for how to know which way to go: (to misquote the old joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall) research, research, research.

EDIT: Oh and one last point: stick to the D roads, if you can, and avoid the Routes Nationales.

dpiper

I've ridden form Uk to Italy in stages as part of a world tour so you might find some stuff of interest (routes, maps, pics etc) here:

www.tra-velo-gue.co.uk

CyclingBantam

Thanks a lot for all the info guy's. It has been really useful.

Ben

nasz

My wife and I rode to Italy and beyond from London, true we were heading for Australia. But our route took us along N. France, across Switzerland and into Italy.

We were fully self sufficient and glad to give you any help you need!