2 day cycling and camping trip in SE - Suggestions please

El Badgerino

Hi all,

My littlest is now big enough that I'm wanting to do a bit of a bike tour with family. My basic idea is to drive to somewhere, park up, jump on the bikes (my wife and I jump on the bikes, little one + tent in the chariot), have a leisurely cycle somewhere, camp overnight then cycle back to the car. This would be the first time we've done anything like this, so I'm keen to do it well (So I can do it again next year!)

The main question is where? We live on the Kent borders, so Kent seems like a good start, but would be happy with Sussex, or even Essex, I'm not hugely fussy. The main constraints is the fitness of me and my wife. I'll be lugging a 2.5 year old + a big tent and my wife will be 7 months pregnant by the time I'm hoping to go, so I'm all for nice flat locations! The other main thing would be for some nice locations to stop and take the in the view etc. Finally I do like circular routes (rather than the same way their and back), but this is probably the least important bit...

Has anyone any thoughts for some locations / routes that might be suitable? Lovely campsites that might be a good place to aim for?

Thanks for any hints and tips.

Luke

sheffsimon

El Badgerino wrote:

Hi all,

My littlest is now big enough that I'm wanting to do a bit of a bike tour with family. My basic idea is to drive to somewhere, park up, jump on the bikes (my wife and I jump on the bikes, little one + tent in the chariot), have a leisurely cycle somewhere, camp overnight then cycle back to the car. This would be the first time we've done anything like this, so I'm keen to do it well (So I can do it again next year!)

The main question is where? We live on the Kent borders, so Kent seems like a good start, but would be happy with Sussex, or even Essex, I'm not hugely fussy. The main constraints is the fitness of me and my wife. I'll be lugging a 2.5 year old + a big tent and my wife will be 7 months pregnant by the time I'm hoping to go, so I'm all for nice flat locations! The other main thing would be for some nice locations to stop and take the in the view etc. Finally I do like circular routes (rather than the same way their and back), but this is probably the least important bit...

Has anyone any thoughts for some locations / routes that might be suitable? Lovely campsites that might be a good place to aim for?

Thanks for any hints and tips.

Luke

Cant she pull the trailer as well?

Not sure I would have got the missus on a bike at 7 months TBH, but good luck to yer.

As for locations, the only time I have holidayed in Kent, was in a house on the coast at Romney Marsh, really nice and flat and quiet but no idea about campsites etc.

El Badgerino

SheffSimon wrote:

Not sure I would have got the missus on a bike at 7 months TBH, but good luck to yer.

As for locations, the only time I have holidayed in Kent, was in a house on the coast at Romney Marsh, really nice and flat and quiet but no idea about campsites etc.

It was only as I wrote the post yesterday that I started to question the wisdom of this plan. It might be more sensible to drive to the campsite and go out for a long ride during the day... At the very least, less luggage to lug.

Romney Marshes were my first thought as its not too far and I'd assumed it was reasonable flat.

diogenes_3

Luke: Can you do such a spontaneous trip with a 2.5 yr old and a pregnant wife? Absolutely. If she's into it and feels like it, I don't see what should stop you.

Can you do less? Well, if you really haven't even done daytrips before, you obviously might want to start on those. Or the camping/cycle/car combination you mentioned yourself.

Can you do more? Hell, yes! OK, not right now, not this season, with the dear lady around delivery, you don't want to cycle up a hospital door asking for the maternity ward, quickly please. But with 2 small children, a chariot, a (light-weight) tent, now is the time for phantastic trips. Now they don't mind hanging in the rear for a couple of hours, they'll mostly sleep. Your next show-stoppers will be when one of them is getting too big for the trailer but can't ride her own bike over a longer distance. We did 3-week-trips to the Netherlands with two-and-three year olds and Switzerland with three-and-four. After that the big girl wouldn't enjoy sitting there for longer than an hour or two.

SheffSimon asked, can't she pull the trailer as well, and frankly, I hardly see the joke in it. Of course she can! Once the chariot rolls, it rolls easily. We have couplings on both bikes, so we can hotswap whenever either of us feels like it. You'll want to invest, if you haven't already, in good panniers and some lightweight gear, the aforementioned tent for the 4 of us weighs less than 6 kgs and cost less than 200EUR, and is a happy companion for many years to come. The good trailer you already have. If you want to bring along the newborn - he really won't mind! - you'll need something like the Weber "banana-shaped" baby seat (couldn't find a link to it in English). Go ahead and enjoy!

planetc

Romney Marsh is the place to be if you want flat! There is camping at Camber where there is a really nice beach. Not sure on camping there but Dymchurch also has a great beach and there are various campsites along that section of coast. Cycling Active magazine had a circular route in the July issue that covered part of this coast and a loop inland, May be of use, but I'm sure there are plenty online.
Regards
Paul

kieranb

We did a cycling and camping weekend around there, but were plagued by tiny flies coming off the ditches by the road sides in the morning. They crawled all over you, in your hair etc and stuck to the sun cream, the children hated it, lucky we had a wash off in the sea and the flies had gone by afternoon when cycling back to the campsite.

Just finished a cycle camp in the New Foest, very nice, apart from getting 7 bikes on the trains to and from London!

El Badgerino

The new forest is a good idea, I've driven round parts of it, but hadn't really thought of it for this trip...

Something to add to the mix.

I've struggled to identify decent campsites for tents (they all cater for caravans) in the romney marsh area. I could only find a couple and there were precious little details about them.

planetc

Park resorts in Camber do tents, there is a pub in Rye Foreign that the name of escapes me (poss fox and hounds) and another in Newenden and one in Peasemarsh (The Cockeral I think?). I am certain there is a tent friendly site on Romney Road Lydd too, I'll keep my eyes open for more when I get over that way next. Sorry I don't do pubs so never remember the names of them.

evilmonkey

Thanks for the suggestions, it's looking like the new forest might be a good location, might head to the kent coast and just enjoy the beaches without the bikes!