What big trip for 2013?

[Ray Young]

I like to try and do a 5-7 day trip each year, I would do more for longer but have the missus to consider. Next year I am thinking of doing the North Yorkshire Moors, a trip I planned many years ago but things just seem to get in the way so it never got done. Just wondering what other folk have got planned?

[Cheeky Monkey]

I'd like to do the West Coast to East through the lakes / off road.

Challenges before the ride would be; it's supposed to be a bit of a killer ride through the Lakes, low fitness, llack of time, wife, two kids. OH, and I don't really know the route apart from start in St Bees and ride to Robin Hoods Bay (even that might be "wrong") :?

Still, if it were straightforward it'd be no fun ;-)

[pedalhead]

I researched that coast to coast route last year & have a GPX if you ever decide to go ahead with it

Not really a "big" trip, but I've signed up for the Highland Trail in May.

[Ray Young]

[quote="Cheeky Monkey"]I'd like to do the West Coast to East through the lakes / off road.

Challenges before the ride would be; it's supposed to be a bit of a killer ride through the Lakes, low fitness, llack of time, wife, two kids. OH, and I don't really know the route apart from start in St Bees and ride to Robin Hoods Bay (even that might be "wrong") :?

Still, if it were straightforward it'd be no fun ;-)[/quote
The offroad c2c is supposed to be pretty good or so I have heard and there is a guide book for cycling it.

[Cheeky Monkey]

There is so little planning so far it's untrue. I thought I'd heard the C2C route was a bit carp?

[pedalhead]

I heard the same thing from a mate who rode it a few years ago, which is one of the reasons I opted to do the Highlands c2c instead this year!

[Blackhound]

Also entered for the Highland Trail race in Scotlandshire but may stay a bit longer and ride the Hebrides and/or the the Cairngorm loop afterwards.

[Ray Young]

We talking about the same c2c? Whitehaven to Newcastle/Sunderland is crap but I thought the St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay was supposed to be OK?

[Bearbonesnorm]

Also entered for the Highland Trail race in Scotlandshire

I so much wanted to do this but it falls on the same weekend as the WRT

[pedalhead]

Also entered for the Highland Trail race in Scotlandshire

I so much wanted to do this but it falls on the same weekend as the WRT

Yeah I'm gutted I'll be missing the WRT

We talking about the same c2c? Whitehaven to Newcastle/Sunderland is crap but I thought the St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay was supposed to be OK?

St Bees to Robin Hood Bay is the one my mate rode. His exact words to me were.."Tim Woodcock is a c***".

Also entered for the Highland Trail race in Scotlandshire but may stay a bit longer and ride the Hebrides and/or the the Cairngorm loop afterwards.

Any idea what the riding is like in the Hebrides, Kevin?

[Bearbonesnorm]

St Bees to Robin Hood Bay is the one my mate rode. His exact words to me were.."Tim Woodcock is a c***".

I said exactly the same thing about Tom Hutton after riding the track which runs down the side of Llyn Cowlyd ... 'kilometers of serpentine singletrack' MY ARSE!

[gairym]

At the moment I've got two 'big trips' in the pipeline for 2013:

1. In March I'm looking to do something for a couple of weeks and, right now, I'm getting very excited by the idea of bikepacking in the Atlas mountains in Morocco (but I suspect that the more I look into it the less practical the logistics will become).

2. There are plans afoot for a Trans-Pyrenees trip in early May. See this thread for more info (if you think you might be interested in coming along).

Other than that I've got plans to enter a few more events/races next year.

There's the Adechoise road race in early June which is anywhere from 70-160 miles (depending on the course chosen) of mountainous skinny-tyred fun. If you're interested in learning more about one of France's toughest road races then click here.

Next up is the Raid VTT des Monts d'Ardeche which is a 3 day/4 stage mountain bike race which I entered for the first time this year - it's an absolute stunner of an event and takes in some amazing trails in the area!

(If anyone fancies either of the above then you're more than welcome to crash at ours and use here as a base.)

Finally, I WILL be making it to the BB200 next year (after this years no-show nonsense) - I'm already excited/worried about it.

If everything goes to plan 2013 should be a humdinger!

[Blackhound]

Another one here disappointed to be missing WRT in 2013 (and SSUK) but quite fancy the HRT.

Mark, I know a few short sections and mostly quite nice. After Dornie it will be a bit of a push towards the bothy & SYHA but will be lovely through Glen Affric in nice weather. Great Glen way is a good surface but I recall a few short, steep ups. Mostly new to me though. Quite excited about it.

[slugwash]

Currently working on Bergen to Oslo with as much off road as possible. I've got family in Oslo and another local bikepacker's got a sister in Bergen so it's not necessarily an expensive trip. My ideal time would be late May/early June but we've got a family hoilday booked around then (attending WRT might be a close call) and it has to be during term time so currently looking at mid July or early September.

If the Bergen connection can't make it then we'll start and finish in Oslo which'll make flight/bike bag management easier. I've only been there in winter before so it'll be good to check out the trails I've only done on skis up til now

BTW, my brother and me planned to see the millenium in by digging a snow cave in the mountains and having a NYE party there but our slightly more sensible partners made us and the kids stay in Oslo and watch the fireworks instead (and I missed getting to the Vinomonopolet which closed at lunchtime that day so had a dry end of C20th :( Nordic b**tards!)

[Mike]

A whole month booked off in april/may to do the outer hebs going to start at Oban head accross to the isles then onto northwest corner accross the top and over to Orkney-Shetland then back down towards the start, this route im not yet decided on? So any ideas would be great :0)

[FLV]

Thought i'd throw my own plans in the mix here.

I was origonally planning to go to colorado for the ctr but might not make it this year due to various reasons.

Definately planning on the Highland Train 400 though. Also, will be trying to get off to somewhere sunny for a week or so in late feb if possible. I have a pal touring out near turkey so wuold be good to join him for a bit.

Thats it really, dosnt sound much when written down.

[restlessshawn]

Since I realised last week that the North Sea Cycle Route almost passes my house I quite fancy doing a section of that from further North in Scotland down to mine. Seems mostly quiet roads so I quite like the idea of taking the Pompino. Need to talk the Mrs into dropping me off up North.

Would like to do the West Highland Way with the Mrs at a relaxed pace.

And the WRT is pencilled in obviously.

[Pyro]

Any idea what the riding is like in the Hebrides, Kevin?

Same as anywhere, there's some lovely stuff and some mank!

I've been up there for the Hebridean Challenge adventure race a whole bunch of times, there's some beautiful stuff like riding up the machair on the Uists, the Tarbert-Rhenigidale loop and some other beautiful bits around Harris and Lewis, but there's a lot of dead-end trails and a lot of 'heritage trails' which vary from vaguely exciting singletrack to boggy, badly defined push-fests. My Dad and I are still intending to go up with road/touring bikes and do a gentle, touristy end-to-end, though, as it's a lovely place to be. We may end up doing MTB's with semi-slicks and get in the Bonar Bridge-Ullapool C2C, on the way up, since we could do that as a circuit by train rather than having to shuttle a car from Ullapool

[Blackhound]

FLV - have you entered HRT? Only 2 spaces remaining according to an email I got earlier.

[FLV]

Blackhound. Yep entry in cheers. quite late to the party but in none the less