Cycle Touring

What is Cycle Touring?

Cycle touring means many different things to different people. It can vary from short, enjoyable trips from home to the extreme of world-wide expeditions & adventures , with many variations in between. Cycle trips can range from single day trips, to multi-day tours to tours lasting weeks, months or even years. Cycle touring is a great way to see different parts of the country, or even the world!

I am in the category where I consider cycle touring to be the taking of cycle trips for pleasure or adventure, rather than just for sport, exercise or commuting. Consequently I take short, enjoyable trips from home. I take day trips two or three times a month plus I go on week long tours two or three times a year. 

Benefits of Cycle Touring

Among the many benefits of cycle touring are the following :

  • It gets you out of the house and into the fresh, open air
  • You get good non-impact exercise (even on an e-bike!)
  • You can cycle at your own pace
  • It’s a healthy and environmentally friendly way to travel
  • It’s a relaxing way to see the countryside and any villages & towns that you pass through
  • You can see and experience more of the countryside from a bike than from a car
  • There is more chance to explore by taking quieter unclassified farm roads, back roads or cycle paths

Day Trips

Day trip routes can be selected to suit individual needs and abilities.

You can either start cycling from home, or you can take your bike in the car or on the train to the start point of a route. Then when you start cycling you are travelling at a good speed both to cover a reasonable distance but crucially also to to enjoy the countryside and the villages you pass through.

For example, for those who want gentle cycling day trips there are many flat, off-road routes on the National Cycle Network in the UK that is built and maintained by the charity Sustrans. (Click here to go to their website.)

Others may be comfortable cycling on quiet country roads or on less busy main roads. There are many routes like this in Scotland. For those who are younger and/or fitter and prefer a challenge there are longer routes and routes with challenging hill climbs.

I have listed some of my day trips on my page Cycle Routes in Scotland.

Tours

As stated above, cycle tours can range from multi-day tours to week long tours to weeks or months or even years on the road!

Many cycle tourists pack a tent and camping equipment on their bikes and camp anywhere off road they can find a camp spot. Others camp in regulated camp sites. Some stay in hostels overnight. At the other end of the spectrum are people, like me, who like their comforts and have overnight stays in B & B’s or hotels.

Some people who go cycle touring just use the bike they have. Others prefer to purchase a bike that is specifically built for cycle touring. I have always used a fairly solid hybrid bike for all my cycling.

The traditional set-up for luggage on a bike is to have racks called panniers fitted to the bike. These can be fitted both over the rear wheels and over the front wheels. Bags are then attached to the racks. Some people also have a handlebar bag. Recently bike packing has become popular. This is where no luggage racks are used, but bags are attached to the bike frame, handlebars and saddle. When I go cycle touring I only have rear panniers and a saddlebag. This is because I have overnight stays in B & B’s and hotels so I don’t need to carry camping gear, etc.

Before embarking on a cycle tour it’s obviously necessary to do at least some preparation. Questions that need to be addressed include – which bike is best ?, how do I plan a trip ?, what do I pack ?, where do I sleep ?, etc., etc.

There are many websites out there that answer these questions in great detail. For example www.tomsbiketrips.com has an unbelievable amount of information ranging from cycle touring for beginners all the way through to expeditions, as well as bike and gear reviews. Similarly www.cycletourers.co.uk has a a wealth of information about cycle touring, touring gear & tips, FAQ’s, etc.