Tag Archives: Camping

Berkshire to Southern Europe On A Ridgeback Panorama!

Posted on August 16, 2011 | 2 Comments
That sounds familiar doesn’t it? I have received this very nice email from Alf in Newbury. He sounds as though he may be one of the first customers for my new book (big news about that within the next 24 hours, hopefully) although if I knew how to do it, I would probably send him a free copy for the adulation he heaps upon me in the first paragraph. His comments are in blue, my responses in red…
Hi Andrew!
I happened to stumble across your blog which seems to be the most in-depth review of the Via Romea [Francigena] route or Eurovelo 5 I can actually find!  I think it is; someone pointed out recently that when it comes to the Eurovelo 5, all roads don’t lead to Rome, they lead to me! …It has given me inspiration to embark on my own journey. Glad to hear it. That’s one of the nicest things about having the website.
I recently purchased a Ridgeback Panorama (you can’t call him Reggie!) and have moved to Newbury (not too far from Reading!). A graduate (see Alf’s comments below) who has moved to Newbury; do you work for Vodafone? I have cycled along the canals and feel I can go a lot further afield (with a little bit more fitness training). That was really where I was in terms of my cycling experience prior to a couple of summers ago. And it was probably the very same canals that I frequented. So Based on the Eurovelo route, I plan to visit a friend in Athens and another in Sofia, obviously taking ferries from the end of the route at Bari to Athens and then from Athens to Thessalonica, cycling the rest of the way north to Sofia. And I would imagine that you will be following the Eurovelo 5 (although you could opt for the slightly less hilly east coast of Italy but it would be also less interesting).
The end journey is there as two of my best friends live in these cities and ever since I left uni 3-4 years ago I promised I would visit each summer, but something always gets in the way! Again, similar to me; I had friends to visit in Puglia, southern Italy and it makes for a much better trip if you know that there will be someone at the end of the road to help you celebrate your efforts.
I plan to take 6-8 weeks part unpaid leave for this next summer (or are you a teacher…?) , so I am essentially asking for any advice on the following:
- Money!! How much would I need to have in the bank before I set off? I need it to be as cheap as possible really… I tried to do it on the cheap but spent lots of money in the run-up to the trip on buying equipment (especially the bike). Once on the road, you can make it as cheap or expensive as you like I suppose. Stick resolutely to camping and it’s cheaper, use a few hotels and it becomes more expensive. Why not investigate the options made available for accommodation via the Couch Surfing and Warm Showers websites. That would be free. I stayed with a guy in Boulogne via Warm Showers and had a few other offers of accommodation via this website so why not start your own website! You’ll be amazed how quickly people start taking an interest in what you are doing and they might help you out with a bed for the night if they happen to live en route.
- Camping? I read that you camped in several places for relatively low prices, but over 30 odd days it adds up! How did you keep costs down? Go for the cheap camp-sites. Most places in France have a municipal site where the costs for staying overnight are very low – I paid only 6 euros at the council-run site in Metz.
- Food? Eating out all the time must all add up too. Buy stuff from the supermarket and eat al fresco in front of the tent. I didn’t eat formally in restaurants very often.
- Would you recommend stealth camping? Do you mean wild camping? I never had to do any and that was because I always managed to find an alternative. The problem with wild camping is that, compared to some places on earth, Europe isn’t very wild…
- Would you recommend taking a laptop with you? I was considering just taking my Android mobile phone so I can connect to WiFi hotspots in various cities. Should I invest in a tiny notebook or iPad type computer to keep weight down? I typed out all 35,000 words to send to this website on my iPhone! The iPhone was great as it was compact, connected to WiFi networks when they were available and of course, connected to the phone network when they weren’t. Before I left the UK, I bought a 2MB data allowance from Orange which served me pretty well. I could send large amounts of text and a small picture quite a few times each day and still not go over the 2MB limit. When I came back to the UK, I had a phone bill of about £80 to pay which I thought was quite reasonable. If you do work for Vodaphone, you probably know more about all this that me! If I were to do the same thing in the future, I might look into using a cheap Notebook computer so I could write a bit more (and have a book waiting to be published when I returned home rather than having to write it from scratch!)
- Would you recommend a cycling partner? Or did you prefer it when cycling solo? I had arranged to meet people in London, Kent, Boulogne, Strasbourg, Pavia, Rome, Benevento and then Puglia. I met countless others as I was cycling. I am glad I didn’t make real efforts to find a cyclist to cycle with; I loved having the freedom to make my own decisions and suffer the consequences without falling out with anyone when things went wrong.
And just anything I can do to prepare over the next year, words of encouragement, begging me not to do it… etc… Do it, do it, do it! Don’t let others put you off! It would be much appreciated! I understand you probably get a million emails like this every day, I get about one every few weeks… I’m not quite up there with Bill Bryson just yet! …so I won’t be offended if I don’t receive a response don’t worry :) I wouldn’t think of not replying, especially when you have taken the time to write to me. Thank-you!
All the best on your current adventures! And the same to you!
Alf

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The Alps, Security, Water & The Ciclopista Del Sole

Posted on May 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

Sounds like a new surrealist film? No, just a round-up of the topics that have fallen into my inbox this week. Read on to find out more…

I was wondering what crossing the alps was like? writes Henry Ulmann… Excellent! If you follow the Eurovelo 5 / Swiss National Route 3, you will cycle around Lake Lucerne and, up to Andermatt and then over the Gotthard Pass itself. The hardest bit is getting to Andermatt with some tortuous switch back roads. You can camp in Andermatt (head for the cable car entrance and the campsite is there on the other side of town). Andermatt to the pass is, by comparison an easy ride and will only take you an hour and a half. Coming down the other side, you have a choice between the old cobbled road and the new one. I took the old route and broke a spoke which was annoying so if you do the same check your bike before you set off!

Tom Whitlam writes; I emailed you earlier in the year in regard to the route. I have booked the flight now but am thinking of doing it backwards. I just had few questions about the trip itself: I’m planning to do the trip independently and wondered if you  ever wild camped? I didn’t wild camp; Western Europe is not that wild and I think you will find that most places you visit have a campsite, hostel or (perhaps at the last resort) a cheap hotel. If so, do you have any tips ( best places, where it is legal, did you put bike in tent, how to keep it secure) if not other options? Initially I was a little bit worried about the security of the bike but after a while became a lot more relaxed about the whole thing. I took a cable type lock with me (in addition to a D-lock) that I wrapped around the bike at night and also around the pole of my tent. If someone were to interfere with the bike, the tent would have been shaken. It never happened although if it had, I’m not quite sure what I would have done… When going through Italy did you encounter any toll roads? How did you face these? Do you pay the normal fee? I never came across any. I think you will find most toll roads in Europe (not sure where you are now) are only motorways so you can’t go on those anyway. In regards to getting a hold of water and food – I’m doing the trip in July, so it is going to be extremely hot, hence I will probably be drinking 4-6 litres day if not more. Is it quite easy to get water, did you just buy it from a shop etc? Good question! The best place to fill up (for free) is at a cemetery and you will pass lots of these en route. Never miss the opportunity to fill up your bottle at their tap which is usually at the gates to the graveyard. Please excuse any silly questions; I’m quite new to the whole idea of touring but can’t wait to get out there. They aren’t silly questions; they are the kind of questions I was asking before I cycled the route. And for the record, I still see myself as a newcomer to the whole touring business. Good luck!

Anne Prieels (from Belgium?) writes; I just found your web page and the soon to be road book for EV5! We are leaving Brussels by train on 27th August down to Italy (either Venise or Milano) with our bikes – yes it is possible! We are 6 (2 adults and 4 kids 7-10-12-14) and we plan to go down to Sicily, then continue to Africa.  We estimate it to 2 months (average with kids 30Km/day) We are trying to find out the nicest way (knowing we travel with kids) to go through Italy.  When I mentioned the EV5/7 or alternatives, a friend of mine, leaving in Rome told me the old pilgrim route was not usable by cyclist (small paths), but told me about the Ciclopista del Sole. I still can not find out if there is one map/guide detailing this route till the end. I see you have been digging into this to produce a book, do you think it could be ready by our departure?  How far are your with your chapters regarding Italy?  Do you go up to Napoli? could we get a draft version? Thanks a lot for your feed back.

Thanks for getting in touch Anne. You will find precious little information available about the cycle routes in Italy. The Via Francigena – the pilgrimage walking route – is, I imagine, not suitable for bikes (although it has been cycled – see this book by Paul Chinn). The routes on the Bicitalia map (click here to see it) are very aspirational. I did not find any route map or indeed any signs. I picked my way from town to town as I travelled south making the route up as I cycled. Which was no bad thing. The roads, especially in the south of Italy tended to be quiet and very nice for cycling. As far as my own book goes, I have just arrived in  northern Italy and am currently writing about my brief visit to Milan before I cycled along the canal to Pavia to stay with online contact Simone. Once I have finished the Italian part of the journey I am more than happy to email you what I have written but please bear in mind that my book is a personal story about my own trip with whimsical tales & sarcastic asides. It isn’t a ‘turn left, turn right’ kind of book. Read the sample chapters that I have so far put online to get a taste of things to come. And good luck with planning and then cycling your own route south. Where I stopped, you will continue… Bon voyage!

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Travelling Two: Tips For Winter Bicycle Touring

Posted on October 30, 2010 | 2 Comments

This article on the Travelling Two blog makes me wonder; should I plan something for the February half-term holiday? The picture here (from the article) is beautiful but I’m sure if I were to wake up in one of those tents at 3am and start shivering violently, I may have a different opinion at the time. That said, the temptation remains…. I did invest in some warm gloves and socks from Decathlon yesterday (finally used by £10 voucher!) for my daily commute (back next Monday). Only a Thermos flask to go….

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Three Important Months

Posted on March 28, 2010 | 1 Comment

On the 18th March I blogged about it being four months exactly until the day that I set off on my little cycling adventure. Actually, although I was correct, the most important period of time in terms of preparation is going to be from the 1st April to the 30th June. We’ve been stuck in what has felt like a longer and colder winter than usual but in recent weeks there have been real signs of things turning for the better and so the arrival of my seventeen-day Easter holiday which sits nicely this year at the start of April – from the 2nd to the 18th of the month – is perfectly timed to allow me to devote the time and energy I need to kick-start my training and preparation. If I don’t have my plans and fitness in place by the end of June, I will have serious issues catching up, so you can see how the months April, May and June have an elevated place of importance in the run up to the 18th July.

So, with all this in mind, it’s worth taking a few moments to consider what actually needs to be done. I think it boils down to three things;

The detailed itinerary: this needs to be finalised. Although I took a massive step forward by breaking down the route into a semblance of stages (you can see the details in the Route section of the website), it was a fairly ad-hoc thing and it needs to be revisited and analysed with a bit more rigour. To make the accommodation situation slightly easier, I would like, if at all possible, to be able to say where I plan to be on each night between the 18th July and the end of the trip. If I do this, I can at least reasearch places to stay – campsites in the main but perhaps hostels as well – in advance of setting off. There is nothing worse than spending a day travelling and worrying about where you plan to be sleeping at the end of it. If you are in the wilds of Canada or the Australian outback then fine, you just pitch the tent, but I am travelling through Western Europe which is a little more crowded! This must be a priority to get done by the end of the Easter holidays and certainly by the end of April.

Physical preparation: I consider myself to be a fit person (I am, after all, one of the minority in society who really does get his government-recommended five periods of exercise per week through my daily commute), but I need to move to the next level. I see this being primarily in two areas; losing some weight (each kilogram shed is one less kilogram to haul up those Alpine climbs) and increasing my stamina. I’m quite looking forward to doing both and will re-join the university gym at the end of this week, followed up by some intensive use of its facilities over the Easter holidays. I may also, once the holidays are finished, consider riding a significantly longer route to commute home, perhaps a route that will take me anything up to an hour and a half to complete. The lighter evenings (we changed the clocks last night!) make this a real possibility and it is such an effective use of time. Cleary this preparation has no deadline but I do need to commit myself to a rigorous programme throughout the three important months.

Equipment research: not buying! I have much that I already need including, most importantly, the bike itself, although there are some items of kit that I will need. I do not, however, want or even need to rush into spending money before absolutely needed. I see the following as things as necessities; a tent (probably a Terra Nova Laser Competition), panniers, basic camping equipment, some clothing suitable for hot weather cycling and, of course, a pair of cycling shoes. None of these however need purchasing before at least June if not the start of July itself apart from, that is, the shoes as I need to master the art of cleating and uncleating myself from the bike. If I look at the various kit lists that I have come across over the past few months (see the Equipment section of the site), many of the smaller items I already have and again, I’m travelling through Europe not Siberia so will have plenty of opportunities to pick up things en route if needed.

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Hostelling International

Posted on March 20, 2010 | 2 Comments

In the great camping v hostel debate that will no doubt kick in at some point on this website over the next few months (as it did last year when the hostel option won), this site – Hostelling International – may be useful. It has a very good search feature and at first glance, apart from in southern Italy, there are hostels in abundance along my route….

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Advice on…almost everything

Posted on February 1, 2010 | Leave a comment

Iain Harper has contacted me via the Bike Radar forum I mentioned yesterday. There is some really useful practical advice in his email and it is worth the read. As the list of “tags” at the end shows, he manages to pack in a whole host of different topics;

I’ve just had a quick look round you blog following your bike radar post.
I’m planning Rome to UK via Aosta and the round the Rhine cycle route into Germany and then crossing over to France for a week or maybe bit less.  I have a mate in Rome to get started, another in Aosta (waiting for tips on crossing the Alps there), another in the Rheinfelden and then on my own until Calais.  Probably camping most of the way with as minimal kit as possible (no cooking just eat out of eat cold stuff from shops).  I’ve got a Vango Tempest 200 but half thinking of getting a lighter expedition tent (not sure depends how much I can get one for).  I’m also looking into bikes but don’t know what to do.  Need to see them in the flesh.  One complication is my Specialized Hybrid Sirrus.  I used it in the past for touring and the frame broke recently and I got a new frame (Expert frame with carbon stays and fork), moved running gear over got some new stuff (hand built wheels strong 36 spoke for touring, chain set, stem, bars, cassette…).  So now it is like a brand new bike but not sure if I’d rather sell it and get a tourer or try it for touring with a new rack?  I stuck a stem which is adjustable on it so can vary the riding position quite a bit.  Just don’t know.  Don’t want to get a 14Kg tourer to replace a 10kg absolutely fine bike which I can use for touring. Anyway that is my problem so I’ll follow your decision making process.
On your route I see you have a Google route.  Don’t know how accurate that is but I have a couple of basic thoughts and I’ll let you see what I plan as I do it (if you want).  I live in Deal so I’d recommend from Canterbury to travel straight to Dover, there is a cycle route which is hillier than the route from Canterbury via Sandwich and Deal but only small rolling hills.  It goes along the side of the A2 but far enough away you don’t see or hear it.  There are a few campsites but think they are all Camping Club ones (there is a cheap one at Sutton which isn’t far away from Dover or Deal and absolutely fine but you may prefer one on your route to Dover to save doubling back on yourself).  Calais to Lille is about 65 miles and I’m planning to do that when better weather and longer days come and get the TGV back to Calais to get home on ferry in the one day.  I’ll let you know the route if you want.  One tip take loads of care cycling around the ports – these sections of roads must be the most dangerous around!  No one looking where they are going other than directly to the ferry.
Anyway keep blogging as your planning and progress moves on, I’ll keep an eye out.  If you want any opinions or ideas about Kent or the first part around Calais let me know.
Iain
P.S. check this website out: www.tra-velo-gue.co.uk . His Italy routes may be of interest.  He was hit by a car there and told me in a e-mail the drivers in Italy are the worst he has ever come accross and you’ll see he has cycles quite a bit of it.  I have his routes in a MS map format if you want them.
The interactive map on this website is immense.  Great details about campsites etc.
And in planning my route I like to get a large map and break it down into days roughly by distance and expected terrain then work out sections in more detail.  Helps me visualise it better and is good for a first cut and planning other possible detours.

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Bikeradar.com

Posted on January 31, 2010 | Leave a comment

Just found a forum on this website discussing cycling from London to Rome, I’ll add my thoughts once I’ve registered with them. One guy seems to be very anti-camping which in my humble opinion is bizarre. I would have thought that anyone who relishes the freedom of cycling over that kind of distance would also relish the prospect of camping, especially when you are passing through some of the most camper-friendly countries in the World… Chacun à son goût (as I never say in my French lessons).

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Hey from Canada (but wanting to go to Italia)

Posted on January 17, 2010 | Leave a comment
If you have read the previous post, I was wondering who Michael was (he had left a brief message in the chat box). Now I know; he has sent an email. He writes in blue, I answer in red:
Hello Andrew,
Hello Michael – thanks for the email
I am new to your blog so I hope this question is not a repeat. Probably, but I don’t mind that at all! Have you seen the Eurovelo maps for EV5? That is, I’m afraid the most asked question that I get. The reason I get asked so often is that everyone else has done like me and tried to find one and ended up here. There is an overview map of the whole Eurovelo network and you can see the extract which shows the EV5 by clicking here. I am gradually piecing together more details from various sources as a detailed map of the whole EV5 doesn’t seem to exist. I have alot of detail for northern Europe but less for Italy. I’m gradually plotting the route on this Google Maps page. However, there is a glimmer of hope! I have found this map (also reproduced on the right) of the Italian Cycle Network. I am hoping that I can also find some detailed descriptions of the routes themselves. Route number 3 is the Via dei Pellegrini and, as the name suggests, it follows the route of the Via Francigena which is also the inspiration for the EV5. That said, a trip from north to south could also use route number 1, the Ciclopista del Sole. This route is more coastal but it is also probably better mapped and perhaps even signposted. It would, however, require a sharp left turn in Naples to head you in the direction of Brindisi.   I assume it covers the Pisa-Roma-Brindisi route see comments above / map (I am scheming a trip this year, my wife does not know yet). Is there good information regarding the grades and type of roads? This will hopefully be in the detailed descriptions themselves although I would imagine that the coastal route 1 will be constant ups and downs, the interior route 3 more undulating. Detailed routes may also be written in Italian, but I suspect that you speak Italian because of your connections in the country and also your webpage name: respirare. I am the opposite of a healthy athlete who has a good head of hair. Is there a photo you could post showing an example of the detail? See picture of the left (click it for more detail).
I have been pouring over the Internet for the past month and I am having difficulty finding good information to develop a route from Pisa to Brindisi. I have side trips off the route to visit relatives but that is another issue. The south east and Rome to Naples have been cycle journalled quite a bit to give me a good idea about those areas but the interior is a mystery to me. (Like water and food sources, is it permissible/safe to guerrilla camp, camp grounds, spiders and snakes? Not afraid of bears and wolfs.) Err… Southern Italy is still western Europe although I couldn’t give you a definitive answer on those points. Probably not than many bears though :) My plan is to stay in campsites – most towns will have one, quite often a council-run communal site is the best; cheap, cheerful and often very close to the centre.
Thanks and cool blog. Thanks; it is becoming, dare I say, the main source of information about the EV5. Perhaps I should start charging!! When do you go? Aim to set off on Sunday 18th July. I’m a teacher so that is fairly fixed (although does require me to persuade my boss, the headteacher, to give me a couple of days unpaid leave at the end of the school year – the kids don’t finish until the Wednesday of the following week).
Michael from Canada
Good luck with your own planning and keep in touch. I’ll be online to chat tonight at 8pm UK time.
You can find out about Michaels travels at:

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News from Stuttgart & Cumbria

Posted on January 3, 2010 | Leave a comment
I mentioned a few posts ago that I might contact a couple of people who I know who may be interested in meeting me en route to Puglia in the summer. One of those people was Claus, my friend in Stuttgart. I trained as a teacher with Claus in the UK nearly ten years ago but we’ve stayed in contact ever since and I’ve been over to Stuttgart a couple of times to pay him a visit. That’s him on the left. Despite being a languages teacher like me, he is also a talented muscian and you can listen to some of his music by clicking here. He often brings students over to the UK, to London and Brighton so I’ve also spent a few days with him and a bunch of German teenagers around the streets of London. He got married last summer and it’s a pity I wasn’t able to go back over for that. Anyway, I emailed him yesterday about my plans and he is up for meeting in Strasburg which is only about 100 kilometres from his home town. I’ve never been to Strasbourg and I want to make it one of my days off, perhaps even splashing out on a hotel for a couple of nights. Anyway, he comments that my “….plan to cycle all the way down to Italy sounds intriguing. Wish I could do something like that, but my wife doesn’t accept any accommodation with less than 4 stars:-)”. I’ll hopefully see him in May when he brings his students to London again.
Jim (see yesterday’s post) has also got back to me and he writes….
“Hope the training is coming on well and you are getting in some miles. Are you planning on camping and taking your kit? The last major tour I did was with 2 big panniers and a bar bag. Camping sux in bad weather but gives you a lot of scope to push the distance a bit as you are not as tied to stops. Keep it light. My biggest day ever with full kit was 125 miles and it hurt. 70 miles is a lot more comfortable and sustainable and should give you time to recover, eat and have the odd beer (most important for morale). The info on all the Eurovelo routes is sketchy at best on the web sites. Are the maps any better or are they hoping you make it up as you go along? Is it signed? Is the terrain mainly tarmac? If you ever get up to Cumbria, give us a bell. Some hilly rides might prepare you for the Alps.”
Thanks for that Jim – lots of questions! Here are the answers:
Camping & kit: yes and yes (but thanks for the advice). I’ve done a fair bit of camping in my time so I know what to expect. In addition, I just think it is a no brainer compared to being stuck in a hotel if the weather is half decent which it probably will be as I head south in July and August. Interspersed with the occasional night in a hotel it’s the best option.
Distances: I need to get 80 miles under my belt every day although that is an average and obviously there will be places where that distance will be tough, for example on the way up the Alps (but not on the way back down!).
Eurovelo, maps, signs & terrain: Yes, I have increasingly come to the conclusion that the Eurovelo routes are more aspirational that real and the chances of them being signed for more than just short parts of the trip is, I think, quite low. That said, following cycle routes too slavishly can hold you back and I quite like the flexibility of making up my own route while following the basic Eurovelo 5 route. As for the terrain, it will be mainly tarmac or well kept tracks. I hope!
Not sure whether I will be able to take him up on his offer of hospitality if I chose to use the Cumbrian Fells for Alpine training. I may have to do that on the relatively flat Chilterns and hope for the best when I get to Switzerland!

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