Way of the Roses coast to Coast

[Aladin1]

I am planning to do this ride next spring over 3 days using B&Bs. I have never done any multi day rides before which means that I don't really know what to take with me to wear apart from the obvious cycle gear. I don't want to carry anything that I won't use. Any advice?

[jawaka]

Pair of flip flops or plimsolls.
cycle shoes
2 prs cycle shorts and some camping wash liquid (or 3 pairs).
spare inner tube and puncture kit, pump
2 pairs of socks: one on bike, may get wet, dry one for evening.
2 Pairs of boxers one to wash one to wear
evening trousers , somrthing light like outdoor walking trousers
2 cycle tops, one to wear in evening, or one top and a t shirt
waterproof jacket.
washing kit
That's the minimum I'd take. You may get rain all day so you need dry stuff for evening, and hygiene down below prevents saddle soreness problems so I'd not wear shorts for more than 2 days.

Extras to consider
It's spring : gloves, waterproof overtrousers, jumper.

[Aladin1]

Thanks for your advice jawaka, I'll cross slippers, dressing gown and pyjamas off the list then! Seriously though your list is not far off what I had in mind, it's just that I was unsure about what I needed to take.

[Galloper]

I usually carry a set of thermals, long sleeve top and pants. These take up little space and don't weigh a lot. If the weather turns bad, as it can do in the hills, they are well worth while. They can also serve as pj's. I also take a micro fleece, this can be useful in the evenings if it's a bit chilly. My most essential item is my E-Reader - gotta have something to do in the evening. And speaking of which, buy a cheap notebook and keep a trip diary.

[Martyn B]

My wife and I did the Way of the Roses earlier this year (May), with a slightly different slant from the norm: we did it east to west, on Bromptons! This was our first cycling tour, although we have backpacked extensively around Europe and different parts of the World, and our principle was basically the same - if you think you MIGHT need it, don't take it! My main advice would be 'Don't travel east to west' because the prevailing wind can be quite strong at times - the reason we travelled east to west was because it suited us from the point of view of reaching the starting / finishing point by train, and we also fancied a couple of days at the start on the 'flat'(?) before hitting the hills of the Yorkshire Moors and the Dales. We took five days over the route, principally because a fully-loaded Brompton, even with six gears, can be damned hard work over that terrain, and we also went off route (deliberately) a couple of times, which increased the mileage. I'd love to do it again, as a sporting challenge, on my road-bike, without luggage and without the wind in my face, two days maximum! Did we enjoy it? Let's just say that a few weeks later we did a similar thing around Luxembourg and Belgium, also on the Bromptons,taking in the Vennbahn route (check it out on t'interweb!)............

I could bore you at length with the detail of our trip(s), but if there is anything specific you have a question about, I'll always post a reply, assuming that it falls within the boundaries of our experiences..... hope you enjoy it as much as we did!