Touring Destination Trivia

[ernycb]

Looking for a destination :

In September
Temp 25c+
An Island or close to sea/beaches
Not too hilly/mountaneous
Daily rides of up to 50km climbs up to 500m cumm
7 days or so

Suggestions for this type of light credit card tour ?

[Miles_Back]

My suggestion would be Puglia in the heel of Italy. The food there is excellent (well it is hard to go wrong in Italy). The regional capital Lecce is a delight to visit. The terrain is reasonably flat and in September it will be very quiet, but still hot. This may mean some of the "seaside" type hotels will be shut but we found accommodation easier to find in the larger towns. The road down to one of the most southerly points in Italy, Santa Maria de Leuca, was a delight and practically deserted.

Puglia is famous for its "Trulli", which as are charming conical building unique to the area. The town Alberobello is an epicentre of Trulli madness - however it rather spoilt by over commercialisation. You will find Trulli through the region so you will not miss out if you give Alberobello a miss.

Happy to provide more information if this sounds interesting to you.

[simonhill]

Taiwan

Although 7 days is a bit short for a long haul destination.

It is one of the most cycle friendly places I have been. For example all police stations have bike repair kits, water, toilets, etc.

Loads of cycle paths and the east coast has some of the most spectacular coastal scenery I have seen.

Lots of hotels for about £15 a night. Good local food, plus Mc D and Subway, etc.

Emirates fly from a number of UK airports and give 30kgs luggage and happy to take boxed bike.

I loved it, but I was there for 6 weeks!

[iviehoff]

What you specify in terms of weather would apply to much of the Med, but much of the Med is rather hillier than your spec.

Mallorca is the most obvious place to meet your criteria, with an extensive plain and a small mountain range.

Tunisia would fit. There are some mountains, mostly in the north, but there's more than enough for a week keeping away from those. Elsewhere low hills and plains. Probably better later in the month if you don't want too many days in the high 30s.

Maybe the south of Portugal would do you - there is a range of hills inland of the Algarve coast but it isn't large, then north of that there is an extensive plain with nice if rather wild beaches on the west coast.

Further afield, the southern states of the USA, Cuba and the Yucatán in Mexico would fit your criteria, but Sept is close to the height of the hurricane season in central America and the Caribbean - (and the even stronger typhoon season in Taiwan), so maybe best avoided at just that time of year. Kerala in India might be a better choice than Cuba at that time of year. Although not the best time of year to go there, which would be Dec-Feb, that far south, you should be well past the worst of the monsoon season by then. Bali would be another option.

[foxyrider]

German Ostseekuste - fly in and out of Hamburg, plenty of accomodation and stuff to see, can be busyish but not excessively so! If its an island you want head over to Rugen - you can get the train or you could use that as the coast ride destination.

[jamesgilbert]

German Ostseekuste

+25°C in September?

[foxyrider]

Had mid 30's in late August and low 20's in October so don't see why not!

[Dudley Manlove]

+1 for Puglia - it's cheap (was paying 4euro for a litre of good red with our meals), food is great, and flat if you choose, but there's some hills to seek out.

[iviehoff]

Had mid 30's in late August and low 20's in October so don't see why not!

The record September high in Stockholm is 28C, and in Helsinki is 26C, so maybe OP could consider Sweden and Finland too, as they are fairly flat, have lots of interesting coast and islands, and on rare occasion the temperature exceeds 25C in September.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki

The average max in Hamburg is 18C in September, which is 2 degrees cooler than London. If you think that OP will be content with going somewhere colder than home, then you read his requirements very differently from me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London

[foxyrider]

Hamburg is not on the Ostsee - the baltic coast area has its own micro climate, tides rarely exceed a few inches for example and whilst there can be some strong winds its rare to have extremes of weather. Been several times at different times of year - i'll be there this coming October again and expect to have a paddle!

[Sweep]

Fly into Cagliari sardinia.

The campidano plain is virtually flat and if you head that way I can recommend a nice bar with a limping dog.

Also some nice up and downs towards Villasimius.

Trains available towards Iglesias where there are some nice rides - if you head that way i can tell you a nice wondrous tree picnic spot. But by PM only - don't want to make it too public.

You can also take bikes on the small "complementary" railway - heading towards Mandas of DH Lawrence fame/infamy.

[ernycb]

Puglia & Sardinia so far seem the most adequate suggestions so far.
Thanks for everyones suggestions.

[edwin]

German Ostseekuste

+25°C in September?

I was a couple of times in September for "beach holiday" in the area (Darss / Usedom). I would expect 25° in the first half of September. Anyway, if you are not lucky, you can have a week of rain with 18°.

[foxyrider]

German Ostseekuste

+25°C in September?

I was a couple of times in September for "beach holiday" in the area (Darss / Usedom). I would expect 25° in the first half of September. Anyway, if you are not lucky, you can have a week of rain with 18°.

Thanks for confirming that Edwin!