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Have got a week off in July without the kids so was planning on heading off somewhere .
Initially thought Scotland but I'm concerned about the weather/midges and driving to Scotland from the South East is pretty much as far as driving to the Alps.
Concern with the Alps is that I only have a 650b rigid Stooge as my mtb and it may leave me battered/under biked. It's the mk2 with straight steerer so fork availability is pretty slim.
Also have an inflatable kayak so some easy lake paddling would be nice.
Have a van so will be sleeping in that to keep costs down.
Any suggestions?
Swindon
The northern Vosges is only 5-6hrs drive from Calais, Dunkirk, Zeebrugge. I'd go down there and do some riding and walking..oh and eat lots of cheese and drink Alsace wine. Explore Jura too, both are wonderful places to visit.
Keswick. And buy some suspension
Scotland. Did 10 days islands and highlands bikepacking fast touring last July with zero midges. A couple of wet days but all part of the fun. Get some gear, wild camp, do bothies, there's loads of riding ideal for a rigid bike.
Thanks for the replies. As appealing as Swindon is, I don't think I have the skills or fitness for the trail behind the Natonwide.....
I'm in Keswick in June for the mountain festival so will get my fill then.
Vosges is appealing and a good shout that I hadn't thought of. Seems to tick a lot of boxes.
@richardthird - have got a couple of bikepacking/touring trips lines up already so this will be a van based trip. Not ruling Scotland out though.
Scotland in July??? Don't do it. Everyone knows that it's not safe to go outside at that time. The national Vitamin D deficiency is nothing to do with the lack.of sun in winter, it's because no one in Scotland goes outside in summer.
Be aware Scotland is nearly booked for the summer.
We just managed a cancellation booking, but it has to be said the self catering we were looking at (pretty much anywhere West Coast) was either the dross (garden shed in farmers field, £600 pw) or uber expensive or mega miles from anywhere, nearly a mile walk back to road and car stuff....
Really can't work out if you're being sarcastic or not Matt? 🙂 all of scotland is booked!?
Op, if not necessarily after tech mtb have you considering Northern France? ferry or train from dover and take a week to drive to the one of the other ports along the northern coastline. Loads of campsites and you could probably investigate cycing loops between now and then. iiwm I'd be after hills, what's northern france like for elevation?
It's true, all of Scotland gets booked way in advance. Don't think we saw a single 'Vacancies' sign on our travels.
Really can’t work out if you’re being sarcastic or not Matt? all of scotland is booked!?
I am being relatively serious - the popular places are 85-90% booked for the summer. Look on booking.com, I am assuming that it is a reasonable reflection of much of Scotland.
The family we know with 3 holiday cottages were 48 weeks booked by Christmas. So if you want a week in November or early December, they have some spaces...
I vote France. I would look at the Jura, Alps. I would go so far as to say you could justify* a hardtail/budget fulls susser with half decent forks on, if you managed to save the cash and camp cheaply in your van. You could also book yourself onto a guided & catered trip in the Alps.
*This is not really a well reasoned argument - I am only saying that as I have am trying to justify my own 'under the radar' purchase, which is as yet not really working.
I love Scotland, but personally I would avoid the midge season and head south for some fun and euro disco.
By the way, I was being sarcastic.
How about heading to mid and north Wales? Plenty of riding to suit your niche-wagon and it can be very lovely.
Right, i'm resurrecting this - I now have picked up a cheap full suss (Calibre Bossnut V2) which opens my riding options....
I've weighed up costs and think that that Alps will be too expensive and add £3-400 in tunnel/tolls etc so the UK is more likely.
As before, will be van based - not interested in bikepacking as i'm doing a bit of that at other times this year.
Hit me with some ideas. My 9 days has now shrunk to 7 too... 🙁
Welsh road trip would get my vote if you've crossed France off. A bit of uplift, a couple of trails centres and some natural riding. Its a good chance to get to some of the out the way bits without spending ages driving. Lots of wild and proper camping options, too.
There's loads of riding in South Wales and the Forest of Dean, great trail centres and plenty of fun natural routes. What sort of riding are you looking for?
The northern Vosges is only 5-6hrs drive from Calais, Dunkirk, Zeebrugge.
Been there. It's ace. It's a good shout and a lot less crowded than riding trail centres in Wales.
The Vosges and Alsace (never been to Lorraine on the eastern side) are wonderful. Food is good and hearty; if you like meat.
Bala?
I’ve weighed up costs and think that that Alps will be too expensive
Is that not due to you having bought a new bike on the basis of thinking your existing one was incompatible with the Alps?
Northern Ireland - plenty of biking, kayaking, walking etc no plague of insects either.
I have just spent a great week in the Lake District with a mountainbike and paddleboard based at Low Wray campsite. It's the fourth year I've done it because I like it so much. It's right on the lake with easy access for canoes. It is a National Trust site so is cheap and very pleasant. There are some great routes on your doorstep. Can't recoomend it highly enough.
@Jerm that sounds promising
@Bez - I got the new bike because i've just got back from Keswick and realised that the Stooge (as great a bike as it is) is limiting. I'm in Austria for a couple of weeks over the summer so felt a full suss would be better for that trip plus open up options for this one.
Two days N Wales (one day trail centre, one day 'natural), two days Dark Peak, three days Lakes
I've put some more thought into this and think Wales is probably the most time/cost effective answer. How's this for a plan?
Day 1- Bike Park Wales
Day 2 -Talybont-on-Usk - The Gap
Day 3 - Elan Valley?
Day 4 - Snowdon
Day 5 - Long Mynd
Day 6 - Forest of Dean
Feel free to offer any alternative ideas/rides/ditching of locations.
My plan is to take my full suss and Stooge to mix up the riding.
That sounds great. If your bpw day is a weekend day you're unlikely to get tix so swap that to the Monday and have a look online today. You're aware of the daytime voluntary ban on Snowdon? I'd probably swap Snowdon out for something else. Degla or Coedy Brenin or if you really want some altitude Cadair idris, which you can ride whenever you like.
That's a lot of driving.
I would rethink the order. Forest of Dean is only an hour from Tal y bont and Snowdon is a long drive from your other choices.
Your thread inspired me - I am off to bikepack the vosgese mountains on the 10th July
http://www.bikepacking.com/routes/bikepacking-france-traversee-du-massif-vosgien/
Your thread inspired me – I am off to bikepack the vosgese mountains on the 10th July
Ooooo Jaminb - let us know what its like, we were all set to do it last year with a mix of wild camping and credit card touring but a delay in our house sale ment we missed out and now a puppy means its off the card this year. But its still high on the list.
Time for an update!
Uplifts booked! So, a week on Monday (30/7), this is my trip. If anyone wants to meet for some riding, let me know:
Monday - Bike Park Wales
Tuesday -Talybont-on-Usk – The Gap
Wednesday - Black Mountains Cycle Centre
Thursday - Elan Valley - the black loop from the MB wales website
Friday- Long Mynd
Saturday - Forest of Dean
Can't wait!