Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cycling!

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
whoof
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by whoof »

I can recommend the Devon Coast to Coast much of it traffic free the rest quiet lanes.
We did it starting in Barnstaple which made it about 80 miles so 3-4 days at 20-30miles/day.
You can get the train to Barnstaple then stay overnight (we got a deal at the Royal and Fortesque) and then return from Plymouth.
There is a back-packers hostel (can't remember name) after about 20- 30 miles right on the route and a YHA in Okehampton.
Plenty to see in terms of differing country side. Starts with Estuary, then wooded valleys, skirts past Dartmoor over some viaducts finally through a country park and a quiet industrial docks part of Plymouth and onto the Hoe. Also plenty of pubs along the way.
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map/rout ... t-to-coast
whoof
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by whoof »

Just found this which might be helpful
http://www.bedsforcyclists.co.uk/search ... t+to+Coast
hamster
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by hamster »

From Norfolk I would do a loop of combinations of Kings Lynn, Wisbech, Ely, Cambridge.
Don;t cycle camp for a first tour, enjoy the cycling and a comfortable B&B if possible.
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mjr
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by mjr »

hamster wrote:From Norfolk I would do a loop of combinations of Kings Lynn, Wisbech, Ely, Cambridge.
Don;t cycle camp for a first tour, enjoy the cycling and a comfortable B&B if possible.

Much as I love our area, I wouldn't recommend combining Wisbech and Ely to try to encourage a new rider. The Welney-Pymoor section is a mix of sometimes-busy roads and bad surfaces at the moment, whereas avoiding them turns a 26 mile ride into a 37 - the centre of March can be lovely, though.
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Merry_Wanderer
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by Merry_Wanderer »

When I was trying to win over my wife to touring, I started with short rides at her pace and I involved her in all of the planning, including where to stay. Our first tour was a local one, through Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire for 3 days, between 30 and 40 miles per day and staying in B&B's. We both loved seeing our local area from a different viewpoint. I would suggest going touring in your own area. Norfolk and Suffolk are beautiful counties, have plenty of variety and some fabulous quiet lanes, off-road traffic free parts and the sea! Also, no significant hills and a very nice selection of cafes
thirdcrank
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by thirdcrank »

Norfolk is a network of traffic-free rural lanes with generally gentle gradients and loads to see. It's one of my regular recommendations on here so IMO there's no need for you to look further afield.

You know your partner better than we do but if he is OK about your being away for three months cycle touring, he may not be easy to convert to cycling. Not all grass widows are keen to take up golf.
LeBrignall
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by LeBrignall »

I would try France - warm weather really helps - although you will have to travel south. Quiet roads, cheap accom and good food/wine - travel on bikes, rather than a big tour. My wife and I did Bordeaux/Barcelona - as our first trip, and it was wonderful. There are plenty of flatter options, that might be a better start.
But for me nothing beats the feeling of achievement of getting across some big mountains...
Vorpal
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by Vorpal »

mjr wrote:
hamster wrote:From Norfolk I would do a loop of combinations of Kings Lynn, Wisbech, Ely, Cambridge.
Don;t cycle camp for a first tour, enjoy the cycling and a comfortable B&B if possible.

Much as I love our area, I wouldn't recommend combining Wisbech and Ely to try to encourage a new rider. The Welney-Pymoor section is a mix of sometimes-busy roads and bad surfaces at the moment, whereas avoiding them turns a 26 mile ride into a 37 - the centre of March can be lovely, though.

What about NCN 11 and 51? Certainly the bit from Ely to Wicken is nice. And I haven't done the whole route to Cambridge, but there are some lovely lanes in that area.
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Paulatic
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by Paulatic »

If you are on Twitter then very relevant to this thread you could follow @backonmybike she has just done a tour with her partner and 2 yo in a trailer. You'll see she's blogged it too. Image
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mjr
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by mjr »

Vorpal wrote:What about NCN 11 and 51? Certainly the bit from Ely to Wicken is nice. And I haven't done the whole route to Cambridge, but there are some lovely lanes in that area.

I did it all from Cambridge to Ely (and then back home) last Bank Holiday and it's pretty good as long as you don't mind the odd gravel section. Switch between the two at Burwell because there's a missing bridge before you get to the Upware-Reach road.
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tanglewood
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by tanglewood »

A tandem might be a good long term investment. Great way to even out the fitness / stamina / skill levels in a partnership. Hire one first.

And try a week long camping tour of the Green Heart in the Netherlands. Cycling heaven.
RobinS
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by RobinS »

By combining the NCN 1, and various other cycle routes (30, 31, 42 etc) we just did a really nice 4 day tour around Norfolk and Suffolk, very largely on extremely quiet country lanes. We did about 135 miles in total, camping, as a warm up for a Brittany tour next month. As we have only toured using hostels before it was a good exercise with camping gear. As we live in Norwich we started and finished from our house, and it was all really nice cycling, so for a trial run there really is no need to go any further afield.
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syklist
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by syklist »

Tangled Metal wrote:Well this is an interesting thread with ideas for routes. 30 miles a day is what my partner is considering for our first tour. I am a keen cyclist and fitter than she is but never toured. She is a slower cyclist but has done a lot of touring in out of the way places that don't get many Western Europeans cycling through. The limit of about 30 miles a day is based on the fact we have a 2 year old child and he is unlikely to go much longer than 1-2 hours in one sitting even in the trailer when asleep. That means a cycle then a walk then a cycle then a walk throughout the day. Plus add in the sometimes 8mph average speed we do we do not get far. This is why I too am looking for something similar to the OP only not in the same area. I've posted for ideas but got none just general advise so I will listen to advise on here.

Occasionally, when I read a post like this, I wonder if our plan to cycle from Gol to Trondheim (and then some more) this summer, toddler in tow in a trailer, is a tadge ambitious. So I go through the proposed route in my head once again and wonder, briefly, if gravel tracks, 800m climbs and 50km days really are that much worse with a trailer behind your bike than on a solo bike.

It is probably best to not think about it until we get there :D
So long and thanks for all the fish...
Tangled Metal
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by Tangled Metal »

We do a little bit then stop somewhere so he can walk and run around. Then when he is looking tired we ride until he falls asleep then keep riding as long and far as we can until he wakes. Then we stop, once he has come round completely, so he can run around. That way we get a longer spell of riding when he is asleep.

As far as terrain goes we have only really done towpaths, roads, tarmac surfaced cycle paths, gravel cycle paths and hard packed cycle paths. We have done one off road trail in the Lakes with the trailer and he got bounced around a bit. Plus going up 180m of straight up hill pushing a bike with a trailer over rocks and drainage channels was a really hard thing to do. Cycling up was impossible. I do think if we do anything on rougher terrain we will end up doing shorter spells of riding on it. It must be a bit much for a kid getting bounced around even in the better trailers out there. We use a Burley trailer which is good and has rubber extrusion for the suspension. Later models that came out 6 months after we got ours had better suspension.

In our case we got the child seat (cheap hand on from family that was bought in halfords) then we got a trailer but he never took to it and complained when we put him in. So we got a better Hamax seat and he loved that for a while. Recently we have been giving him the choice of seat or trailer and in a change he is now always asking for the trailer. We tend to take the seat too as we think it makes a change in the ride to go on there. My choice which means I'm the one carrying it but that works well because switching to the seat is a change when he is grumbling about going back in the trailer. Nothing worse than a tantrumy kid when strapping into a trailer.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Short cycle tour to get my reluctant partner into cyclin

Post by Tangled Metal »

In some ways touring with a kid could be similar to touring with a non-cyclist to get them into it. You have to stop and add interest on the way like a walk round a castle or town on the way. The tantrum bit is not the same...unless things are really going badly.
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