Will I end up sleeping on a bench ?
- Thread starter Alex C
- Start date
I have a simple and old philosophy………if holidays suck more than staying at home, then you can figure out the rest?! 
I bought a load of cheap camping gear and went camping up a mountain in Glen Coe.
I'm not even exaggerating when i say i thought i was going to die, i nearly got on the bike to ride to Kinghouse Hotel and beg for warmth!
After that trip i binned half my kit
lesson learned the hard way as usual.
FWIW
I’d ride until say 1400 ish then take a nice stop.
From that you can;
A. Stay put , find digs, and have an afternoon where you are.
B. Project how much further you want to go, book digs and ride there. Good weather and feeling great, another 100 miles, tired, another 20 ?
C. Crack on and see how far you get until you are close to wanting to stop; you may crack on through until last light or even a night arrival, then booking.com or similar, current location tonight. Boom.
Either way, don’t stress it, it’ll work
I’d ride until say 1400 ish then take a nice stop.
From that you can;
A. Stay put , find digs, and have an afternoon where you are.
B. Project how much further you want to go, book digs and ride there. Good weather and feeling great, another 100 miles, tired, another 20 ?
C. Crack on and see how far you get until you are close to wanting to stop; you may crack on through until last light or even a night arrival, then booking.com or similar, current location tonight. Boom.
Either way, don’t stress it, it’ll work
Well i was alone, so i took my clothes off to be at one with nature.Oh, that was you, was it?
Why didn`t you have any clothes on?
I sleep naked you see.
Suddenly this guy come flying into the the woods on a noisy motorbike, he looked a bit scared in the dark on his own, so i thought i would go and introduce myself and reassure him its ok.
I didn't get chance he packed up and flew off faster than he came in, before i got chance to say anything?
Apologies. i was wearing socks I'm not a total pervert!
PS. The condom was in case it rained.
Ha - you are not alone ,, my first experience of not having proper kit was a trip Scotland to the Lake DistrictI bought a load of cheap camping gear and went camping up a mountain in Glen Coe.
I'm not even exaggerating when i say i thought i was going to die, i nearly got on the bike to ride to Kinghouse Hotel and beg for warmth!
After that trip i binned half my kit
lesson learned the hard way as usual.
One was FROZEN .
I was going to put up a reply but there are 3 pages of good stuff .. they are all right ! You will be fine. There is always a space somewhere for you be it under canvas or a proper roof. Enjoy. 
Buy Michelin map ,, and try to plot your routes where the map has green shading along the road as this denotes a scenic route
But do look at the number of scenic villages dotted along the scenic route, which will sometimes reduce your scenic ride to a crawl. A crawl is fine, providing you are not in a reasonable hurry to get from A to B.
Also, don’t moan if the scenic route is full of bicyclists, motorhomes, camper vans and cars, all possibly dawdling along the scenic route, admiring the scenery. They all enjoy a scenic route and, not uniquely, have a Michelin map, too.
I have just come back from a month away, spread between, France, Belgium and Germany. A lot of the campsites were very busy. Very few Brits (other than near Calais) but plenty of locals. That’s not surprising as their holidays kick-off earlier than ours.
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Welcome Alex.
I like your Ready-Fire-Aim approach.... impromptu trips are often some of the best
I’m sorry, but wifey looks thoroughly pissed off?! lolI think camping adds an essential element to travelling on two wheels.
When you`re in a swanky hotel all freshened-up and tucking into a fancy meal you`re not on a motorcycle adventure any more - you`re just like any other tourist but just happened to arrive by motorcycle!
Apart from when it rains, then it sucks...
I`m only 61, i ain`t ready for hotels yet!
A couple of weeks ago we were in Dartmoor, we had intentions of wild camping.
I found what i thought was a nice spot but Mrs Hann got spooked by the local wildlife - she had an encounter with a herd of cows on a ramble recently who corned her between a hedge and a stream so was a bit reluctant to share space with this beast!
So we found a small, basic,cheap but decent campsite instead.
She may look a bit moody in the pic - she wasn`t, i think she was just in a thinking pose. I think...
I allowed her to pack an umbrella for some semblance of luxury - i`m not a complete b`stard!
Anyway, she wants to go away again soon for more nights under canvass - Lake District is planned.
That’s the look of a loyal and devoted wife that goes along with all your harebrained ideas??!!
I would need a signed sworn affidavit from her to convince me otherwise!!
I get what you’re saying, but the main show stopper for me is carrying all the crap!! Only to meet an @Udders type at the campsite who makes you feel like a fanny for forgetting vital stuff!!
The bike parking is an issue though
It’s only learning from my past camping mistakes and forgetting essential stuff that I’ve gotten quite proficient at it.I get what you’re saying, but the main show stopper for me is carrying all the crap!! Only to meet an @Udders type at the campsite who makes you feel like a fanny for forgetting vital stuff!!
The bike parking is an issue though
You soon learn to take stuff you use and not stuff you don’t.
Make a big long list of things / spreadsheet and check everything is there before you leave.
Make a list while you’re away of things you really need, then another of things you’d like if there was room.
I know it sounds daft but practice packing your gear in different ways. Take the poles out of the tent bag. It doesn’t matter if they get rained on. It makes the tent a lot smaller to pack.
I even got down to Val d’Isere once without my tent pegs. I’d taken them out to clean them and not put them back.
I bought some BBQ skewers from a shop and used them instead! 
If you have room at home stick your tent up in the garden with all your gear in that you think you need. See what you’ve forgotten before leaving.
Practice makes perfect.
When we were on our year long Africa trip we camped more than half the time, longest stretch was 42 nights on the trot. In some countries it was not really practical (Egypt) and in other places such as Malawi it was the only option in remoter areas. We were very well eqipped but much happier if we were staying put for a few days. Moving on every day camping becomes tedious.
These days we camp when it’s the best option - out in the wilds, might be a bit more inclined now that getting up and down on my knees is no longer painful.
These days we camp when it’s the best option - out in the wilds, might be a bit more inclined now that getting up and down on my knees is no longer painful.
I appreciate that camping is not for everyone but we camp because we enjoy it - but if it’s for financial reasons then it’s not just the price of the accommodation one needs to consider.
Hotels also mean restaurants. We take all our own cooking gear, herbs, spices etc. we enjoy shopping in the markets, cooking up outside and eating al fresco among the trees. If you consider a 3/4 week holiday (which is our norm) this represents a huge saving and means we can go for longer.
I’m already exhausted reading this thread! lol
Being a minimalist, less is more on the bike. I’m actually angry after a trip if I pack something I don’t use. Having a refreshing shower after a long ride and an ice cold beer in the bar downstairs is priceless for me. Dressing like a non biker civilian is okay too………it avoids all the annoying questions like how fast, how much etc as well.
The bike parking remains the biggest problem though.
PS. Still don’t know what all the butter chat is either
Being a minimalist, less is more on the bike. I’m actually angry after a trip if I pack something I don’t use. Having a refreshing shower after a long ride and an ice cold beer in the bar downstairs is priceless for me. Dressing like a non biker civilian is okay too………it avoids all the annoying questions like how fast, how much etc as well.
The bike parking remains the biggest problem though.
PS. Still don’t know what all the butter chat is either
Just keep a pound of butter in the fridge and you’ll never need to wonder again.
Don’t like butter and might need a diagram?! lol
It originates from a sarcastic remark someone left on a bike security thread some time back and its grown legs.....PS. Still don’t know what all the butter chat is either
Going off the fact you don't like butter, this means you may not have butter in your fridge!
Don leave your bike unattended in Glesga
Tbh, Glasgow isn’t as bad as you might think. Most people from Glasgow are decent, it’s the imports that are a bit dodgy. I’m actually from Edinburgh and the tea leafs are much more prevalent there
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