Shetland to Worthing

[Templogin]

After suggesting that I maybe touring one route or another and them failing due to one thing or another, I have finally booked the ferry tickets and will be riding the eXp from Shetland to Worthing.  The first bit is dead easy-ish, 17 miles from Voe to Lerwick for the ferry down to Aberdeen.  I will then ride through Scotland over to the west-ish side of England, dropping  in on the rellies in Telford, then down to Horsham to see my family, then onto Worthing.  After about 12 days pottering around I will ride back mostly up the east side of England and then into Scotland.

I have been spending a fortune on kit, including an MSR Hubba Hubba tent, MSR Whisperlite, Thermarest z-lite pad, down bag, Heibe Chainglider, Rohloff oil change kit, etc. etc.

My greatest worry is finding campsites that accept tents on the way down.  After the amount that has gone on kit I would really like to use it.  I am staying in a Travelodge whilst I am in Sussex to make it easy on myself.  I have set a relatively easy target of 50 miles a day, but I hope to be doing much higher distances after the first few days.  I am well overweight so hope to drop a few pounds as well as gain some strength, if only for the sake of the spokes.  I fear that the bike is going to be heavily loaded, even without me!

I set off on a Saturday late in June.  Arriving to Aberdeen traffic is much better early on Sunday morning.  The distance is roughly 650 miles each way so I should be in Sussex for the 4th of July.

[Danneaux]

What a wonderful trip ahead for you!

All best wishes for a safe and enjoyable time. Will look forward After to hearing how the new equipment worked for you.

Dan.

[Matt2matt2002]

Best wishes for your trip.
I think i met you last year? I had a weekend on Shetland before I did my 4 corners of Scotland trip in July.
Unfortunately I am away during June & July.
But let me know if I can be of any assistance in any way.

Matt

Shetland was only just beaten to my top favourite island by Eigg.

[Templogin]

Thanks a lot guys.

Yes it was me Matt, along with Monica.

[strictnaturist]

It is my experience that a lone cyclist arriving at any campsite, will be given a bed ( bit of grass) for a night. Otherwise, you might have a mid campsite night at the side of a field / loch / hill etc.
All a great part of the story on your return.

sounds like heaven . Enjoy the trip
Eddie

[John Saxby]

Sounds like a great trip -- enjoy!  You've (I've) spent a bit on gear, to be sure, but in my experience, cheap/crappy stuff is a false economy, and if unreliable can be dangerous.  Putting it a bit differently: buy quality or repent at leisure.  The quality gear you've got should serve you well and last a long long time. (F'rinstance, my daughter is still using the down bag I bought in 1998, a nice 3-season (-7C) item bought from MEC in the latter years of the last century.)  Gear that works well, and feels good, is a joy to use.  Your tent, bag and stove should keep you warm & dry in "what the English sportingly call summer."  (The words of Colin Fletcher, walker extraordinaire, so they must be true.)   Look forward to stories & photos.  :-)

[Donerol]

Campsites generally accept tents, and even if they are 'full' they will usually squeeze a lone cycle camper in. Caravan-only sites tend not to, as they often do not have toilet facilities. The Camping and Caravan Club will take cyclists at backpacker rates - you do not have to be a member. CycleCamp is quite useful though it doesn't list many Scottish sites.

it sounds a great trip - have fun, and let us know how it goes!

[StuntPilot]

Sound like a great trip!

When I completed the North Sea Cycle Route in 2013 I cycled up National Cycle Route 1 from Dover to the Scottish Borders. Camp sites became easier to find after leaving the south of England. Many camp sites in the southern half of England are registered as Caravan Parks but are only allowed to take five caravans and tents are not allowed. These are usually registered as members of the Caravan Club not the Camping and Caravan Club. Try and find the latter or independent camp sites.

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk

Also, if you are using a GPS you can freely download Archies Camp Site Points of Interest file. It will show nearby camp sites and has telephone numbers so you can call ahead and check they will accept tents/have a space/are open/etc.

http://www.archiescampings.eu

Have a great trip!

[Matt2matt2002]

Andy.
I am back in Aberdeen on 26th July so if your trip takes longer than planned I insist you call in for the night and we catch up.
I'll always remember your kind hospitality when I was in Lerwick.
I live 18 miles from the Aberdeen ferry.
Matt

[DAntrim]

Finding a campsite with space should not be a problem, as I've found they can always 'squeeze' a lone cyclist / walker in, and as this is outside the main holiday season makes it even more likely.

Carlos

[farmer palmer]

I love Voe and I've stayed there many times but its not the same without the floating boathouse and with Guido the eccentric Belgian..........Nice folk there though especially all the regulars in the Pier Head!

Sounds like a nice trip and if you're on the 76 near Dunbar(East Lothian) you'll cycle right through our farm............Give me a shout for a coffee(I'm a member of the ZMCC)

FP.

[cycladelic]

My greatest worry is finding campsites that accept tents on the way down.

With it being mid-summer, it'll be quite light till gone 10pm, so that gives you lots of time to find a spot. I have found camp sites overpriced. You will likely pay about a tenner - that's my guess.

The couple of times I've been in the UK cycle-camping, I've just left it late (found a village pub!) and then looked around for a quite place to pitch the tent, out of sight and where I'd not get disturbed.

Best of luck.

[Templogin]

Hi Folks

Thanks a lot for the advice and wishes.

@Matt - I will try to catch up with you this time on the way back.  You must just about be going off on your big trip now.  I think that it is this week, but memory rarely serves me well these days.

The buying has continued with some charging stuff from PowerTraveller, but it may be polite to mention it elsewhere in the forum, under a more specific heading.

I will add the links to my list of Trip Information, which I have set up in Omnifocus on my iPad.

Training has not got off to a good start.  I have only done 4 training runs since the beginning of the year, and none of them have been over 9 miles.  One was only 1.5 miles when I realised that my stomach wasn't fit for the task that evening.  Never mind, today has brightened up, so I should be out this evening, hopefully for a longer ride.

I don't seem to be getting replies to the thread, so I will have to go and see what is going on.  Perhaps GMail is marking the emails from this forum as trash!

[Matt2matt2002]

Hi there.
I set off on May 23rd.
Let me know if you are passing back through Aberdeen before then
Matt

[Templogin]

I love Voe and I've stayed there many times but its not the same without the floating boathouse and with Guido the eccentric Belgian..........Nice folk there though especially all the regulars in the Pier Head!

Sounds like a nice trip and if you're on the 76 near Dunbar(East Lothian) you'll cycle right through our farm............Give me a shout for a coffee(I'm a member of the ZMCC)

FP.

I think that I will be heading straight down from Edinburgh to Carlisle, but I may be coming back that way.  I will let you know nearer the time.