Tour de Kent and Sussex

xerxes

Old School Grand Master
Feedback
View
At the ripe old age of 50, I've just done my first cycle tour. I say tour, a friend and I strapped some stuff to our bikes, rode from Folkestone to Rye, found a campsite, pitched a tent, went to the pub for the evening and rode home the next day.

We were a bit unlucky with the wind, we rode into a headwind all the way there, the next day, the wind had moved around and we had a head wind all the way home, fun all the same and it was lovely and sunny - I now have a bright red face!

I will definately be doing it again, but I will make a few equipment changes. I definately want a sleeping mat and a warmer sleeping bag, it got cold in the night and crappy sleeping bag wasn't up to the job and to save space I didn't take a mat making for a lumpy night. It would be nice to have a frame bag or something so I don't have to wear a rucksack too.


Refreshment stop:

Rye01.jpg


Rye02.jpg
 
Good job...sounds like proper touring to me!
A decent mat often provides enough insulation that you don't need a thicker bag. The £15 Hi-Gear ones from Cotswold have lasted us well for the past three years. A 3/4 length one is all that's necessary.
 
Re:

The sleeping bag I took was one of those really basic square ones. I have a good 3 season bag, which is very warm, but quite bulky, so to save space and weight, I took the basic one. I'll get hold of a 2 season bag; should be warm enough without being too heavy or bulky.

I have a mat too, but it's one of those foam things, it weighs nothing, but when rolled up it's about two feet long and eight inches in diameter. I borrowed a Thermarest mat once and it was very good, so I'll get something along those lines, but possibly one of the cheaper brands.
 
Agreed on the foam mats - effective but bulky. The self-inflating ones are really cheap now - the HiGear ones I referred to were the self inflating type. Obviously they fit the usual light/strong/cheap-pick-two tradeoff.

I bought one of the Lidl one season bags the other week - I've used it once, seems OK and kept me warm if awfully thin. Probably with a shirt and full leg cover it would be fully adequate in the summer.

SJS Cycles are doing asome very cheap panniers at present - someone on the CTC Foum just did a LeJOG with them, so they can't be too flimsy.
 
Nice little trip , last year i bike packed the coast from Herne bay to Rye ..
im 47 so its a nice achievement, i slept on the beaches ,and country parks
i took Alpkit self inflating mat ,hunker bivi bag , cheap karrimor sleeping bag.
the Alpkit mats are cheap as chips and i had no airleaks .
lucky for me i just picked up a exped down mat at local car boot sale for 3pound
which is nice as its a hundred pound new...
 
If your in Kent ,the River Medway is a nice ride , i start in Rochester and end up down Tonbridge way ,loads of places for sneaky wild camps...
Sustrans 21 from Greenwich to Eastbourne is a nice get away too.
And Downs link way from Guildford to Shoreham on sea is another favorite..

Thinking of the South Downs way this week looks to be descent Weather too.
 
Re:

loads of places for sneaky wild camps...

Prior to departing I googled "Pubs with campsites near Rye", after a hard day in the saddle I like a few barley and hop based recovery drinks. :p
 
Lovely part of the world for a cycle tour. Can’t help you with the gear. While I’ve done a bit of ‘guerilla camping’ in my youth, mostly in pub gardens, that was largely to do with the beer consumed. No need for a mat in those circs. Have woken up bloody cold though!
 
a bivvy sack is also a great investment/piece of gear, imo ... as weights little, takes small space, and will add a season's rating to your comfort factor overnight, should the weather take a turn for the worse (also keeps the bugs out)
 
Back
Top