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How do I go about camping in France?

I am going touring in france next year and would like some advice please?

  • My boyfriend and i bought some bikes last year in an aim to get a bit fitter. Consequently, when the weather was good, we cycled in the evening and pretty much every weekend. We absolutely loved it and so decided next year, as our holiday, we'd like to get a ferry to France with my bicycles and cycle around France for a couple of weeks. It wasnt so much to save money, but rather gain a new experience. Saying that however, i am not particularly rich and therefore cannot just go out and buy what i want. Additionally, i have never been camping before and so have no idea if i'm actually going to like it! Therefore, whilst i want to make sure i have everything im going to need, im reluctant to go out and spend massive sums of money on the off-chance it is something we love and want to do every summer! We have bought a 3man Coleman tent. It was £200 down to £80 (half price on millets websites and then we found a 20% off voucher). Its designed for bikes and walkers and we are thrilled with it. We have bought two lightweight warm sleeping bags- £25 each down from £55. We decided to get things in the sale to get what we needed without having to pay an absolute fortune. However, there are a few things that we cant get in the sale and im not sure i can afford the full prices. I am going to need 4pannier bags (2 front, 2 back) and then one of the handle bars. Everywhere online says you need good quality bags and this is important as cheaper ones can break. Everyone estimated around £100 for ONE bag which to be honest, i cannot afford. Well, one bag yes, but thats over £400 just on bags! If i knew id love it, then thats different, and if we end up doing it every year, then ill happily get them. But is there a cheaper make we can get away with for now? Ones that wont break. Im not doing anything hardcore-2weeks cycling around France (7days actual cycling, 7days sitting around and enjoying the surroundings!) and the year after, we'd like to go to Holland. Can anyone also suggest cooking equipment? Is it better to spend a lot or is this unnecessary. Those small cooking heads which link directly onto the gas cannisters look good, but dont understand why one can be £15 and one is £30. They are different makes, but other than that, there is literally 20secs boil time difference, so why the huge price hike? Does one use less fuel or something? How on earth am i going to pack everything i need? This holiday started out as such a fun idea and i was so excited. But the more i think about and the more i read, the more complex and traumatic this has become. I literally have a sleeping bag, tent and bike at the moment. Any advice as to how you started and anything i definitely need to not cheapen out i. I will buy the best that i can, but £400 on bags is a little out of my price range, seeing as ive got so much else to pay for. I have a year so can spread out the cost, but any advice on how you started and the best way to approach this would be fab. Thanks in advance. x

  • Answer:

    There are some expensive cycle holiday companies but here are some great books and websites to help out : The first is a book which you will find at the bottom of this web page : http://www.bestfrenchcampsites.com/books/guidebooks/guidebooks.html The second is a website for the Loire Valley Cycle Routes which you will find a link to at : http://bestfrenchcampsites.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html The Loire valley one seems to organise, for example a cycle tour of vineyards for 200Euros. Sounds a great price and at first glance looks like it includes bike hire, but I am sure you can find out more. Have a great holiday !

Cheryl at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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First of all remember to cycle on the wrong side of the road. The right in France. Where bags are concerned I'm not sure where you're getting these figures from. You could also suss out second hand bags on ebay. Remember that the two bags at the front are smaller and will be cheaper. You also don't need the very, very best available as you are going to France in summer and you will have decent weather. The top end bags are for those cycling in the rain a lot. You also don't need to carry cooking gear as there will be places you can buy food and if you stay at youth hostels you will have cooking facilities. Also, you should be doing a few weekend trips closer to home until you gain experience.

dont no

Shivam Kumar

Panniers should not cost anywhere close to 400 lbs. There are plently of sites dedicated to touring on a bicycle. http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D550007011&field-keywords=panniers http://downtheroad.org/Equipment.htm http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/touring/campgear.htm

Bob A

Very long question ;), well i guess if you cut out on one of the bags and use a backpack instead.. but otherwise i advice ebay you can get good quality for a cheap price eventho you have to know that you will have to spend some money otherwise your holiday won't be fun if you take just take teh cheapest option of everything.. but yeah try ebay ! Yeah ice bean camping before and the cooking equipment doesnt have to be amazing i mean as long as it heats up your food and your food tastes nice.. who cares.. I hope your holidays goes well :)

Yo

It seems to me you want to take far too much stuff. In order to prepare, you should try a couple of overnights close to home to figure out exactly what you need. Gear for cycle camping has to be extremely lightweight, a 3 man tent is probably overkill unless it is an ultra lightweight one. Have you installed racks on your bike yet? You will need them to hang the pannier bags. If you haven't, is it even possible to install them on your bike? You may not need 4 bags for only 2 weeks of touring, there is always the temptation to fill up the available space with things you don't absolutely need. What kind of sleeping bags do you have? Check to see if they are too warm for summer camping. If you have a tent, you may need lighter weight bedding for summer nights. Be sure that carrying cooking equipment is worthwhile, you will need very lightweight equipment designed for backpacking to keep the weight down, and lightweight stuff is much more expensive. Above all, weight is your enemy, even more than on a pure race bike. Everything you carry adds to the effort required to move yourself from place to place

Mtrlpqbiker

cheryl Check the prices on Ebay for your panniers and camping equipment. Check local classifieds and clubs for any used equipment sales. Read up on camping equipment in backpacking / hiking magazines. Lastly, you need to go out and experience the camping before you get too deep into the effort. Riding and camping are very different experiences. Having done both, the camping portion is all about planning. It is easy to go overboard, but will make it impossible to carry! You need a light weight back packing stove. Basic back pack cooking gear. A tarp, water container, cooking and eating utensils, and some small lighting systems. Dish soaps and towels, and you need your personal wear and toiletries. If I were to 'tour' again on a bike, I would probably choose a trailer instead of the panniers. It is cheaper, and will carry more. I have a hunch that one trailer will carry the supplies for the both of you. So one trailer, and one with panniers? This especially because panniers need to be packed and balanced for weight... you can't just blindly stuff them. Food is the easy part. You can buy your food as you go along. Lunch you pick up at the local store. Dinner is the only meal that I would necessarily always prepare. Mapping out your rides so that you can clean your clothes, bathroom and showers, at camp grounds is a project in itself. Get some camping trips in before the weather turns on you. You can borrow or rent much of the equipment. Get the experience to make your shopping much more meaningful,,,, and cheaper! Soccerref

SoccerRefToo

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