bucket list- Riding round the UK.. what to take?

brightonman123

One of my life dreams is to cycle round the coast of Great Britain. though how do you plan this sort of thing?


Food? clothes? where to sleep? money? safety? fitness training??


Has anyone done a long ride, like this before?

mandragora_2

Ask here:
http://www.cyclechat.net/

or here:
http://road.cc/forum

theEnd

Probably not that long, but I've done many long rides.

Only question that matters right now is training. This depends on how long you want to take. I think it's around 8000km.

If you're taking 5 months, you don't need to worry too much as long as you can ride 50km. You'll ride yourself into shape fairly soon.

If you're taking 2 months or less, you really need to train a lot. You need to be comfortable riding 150-250km a day. Day after day. Fully loaded. Probably bad weather.

Do you have a bike? Panniers? A few sets of good cycling clothes?

The rest of your questions are simple.

Cash-Cows

Your options are almost limitless. If you can persuade someone to drive a support vehicle that would be good allowing you to concentrate on just getting yourself from point to point. Going self-supported would be a natural way and would be more of an achievement but this comes with having to carry your own kit which makes the ride harder and likely reducing your daily mileage.

If you've got piles of cash then b and bs would be quite comfortable and kit can be reduced especially if your land ladies wash your kit for you.

A hybrid option if you like is youth hostels. Camping would involve carrying a lot of kit and the need to probably have a specialist touring bike.

Ultimately your choices boil down to cash and what you want to achieve.

Good luck wish I had time to do it.

brightonman123

thanks for feedback- just cash and time are against me, at present.. :-)

agrinnall

theEnd wrote: »

I think it's around 8000km.

I think you are thinking of a straightforward Lands End to John O'Groats, although even that is 874 miles / 1407 km. The coastline of Great Britain is 17,820 km, a somewhat more challenging ride!

http://mapzone.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/mapzone/didyouknow/whatis/q_12_69.html

Edit: I've just realised (despite quoting it) that theEnd's post actually says 8000km, whereas I misread it as 800km, hence my comment about LE-JO'G. I suspect that by road rather than high water mark that 8000km is probably not far off. Apologies for causing confusion.

Elfbert

My friend is currently cycling unsupported around the world, with everything he needs strapped to his bike. He uses this site:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com

Happy travels.

LimeLight

https://www.couchsurfing.org

Try here for free nights stays

brightonman123

agrinnall wrote: »

I think you are thinking of a straightforward Lands End to John O'Groats, although even that is 874 miles / 1407 km. The coastline of Great Britain is 17,820 km, a somewhat more challenging ride!

http://mapzone.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/mapzone/didyouknow/whatis/q_12_69.html

yep, all the way around!

Seanymph

we met a young lady at a youth hostel in pembrokeshire once who was doing that - she was doing it for the woodlands trust.

My abiding memory of her was that she was very hungry - and joined us for dinner!

So, how about finding someone who has done it and ask them?

PintAndAPie

Try a mini tour first, maybe two or three days. The amount of kit you need for a few days is the same as you need for months on the road and you'll straight away get an idea if it's for you. B&B's are alright but camping, either wild or at a site allows you to be more flexible.