Big flat route ideas?

[gairym]

Morning all,

I'm currently sat by a lake, part way through a thoroughly lovely bike ride and I've been thinking about my spine and this years bikepacking trips (as you do).

I recently rebuggered my back and it's currently ok and in recovery but.....long climby days in the saddle put a lot more strain on my L3 disc than long, gentle and essentially flat days in the saddle.

So with that in mind I'm wondering what you lot would consider to be the best options for a nice mediumly lengthed bikepacking route within my desired criteria.

Which are:

- 800-1200km (7-8 days of 100-150km per day)
- mostly flat or flatesque
- a nice mix of non-tech off-road and quiet road
- warm (if not hot)
- beautiful scenery and not too civilised
- no more than a cheap 2ish hour flight away
- the more exotic the better

In my mind I'm thinking coastal routes in Morocco, Greece, southern Spain/Portugal etc...

So.....any ideas?

Any/all thoughts and ideas appreciated.

Cheers, Gairy.

[jameso]

https://parischillracing.com/2017/07/no ... r-gravier/

https://issuu.com/pcrgravier/docs/nsngbookextraitissuu

Saw some big open plains and desert-like landscapes on this film / trip. No idea how much climbing there was, they started in the Pyrenees but a lot of what I saw of the middle/end of the ride appealed to me for that big sky country western feel. Did a 'road-trip' of sorts around Spain and Portugal a couple of years back and Mid Spain was fairly flat in places. some stunning cities like Salamanca to visit. Portugal was more rolling from what I saw/remember.

[Blackhound]

I recently cycled from Irun to Rochefort and then Caen on flattish routes much on cycleways. Maybe a bit close to home and so not exotic. Have a look at the Eurovelo routes such as EV6 from the Black Sea to Atlantic. EV1 (which I did in part) goes along the Portugal coast. Or EV8 in Spain.

For Morocco look at Meraid's blog as she has been there a few times:

http://www.eurovelo.com/en/eurovelos

http://www.farawayvisions.com/

[pistonbroke]

Ruta del Cid? https://www.wikiloc.com/mountain-biking ... cid-688032 I've got the guide book, the Spanish C2C uses about 250 miles of it and it ticks most of your boxes. Lots of history, castles, canyons, medieval villages, you get the picture.

[lune ranger]

It's not usually very hot but Iceland has a ring road of about 1000km that is pretty flat over about 3/4 of it's length.
The flight is 2 hours.
Camping is unrestricted.
It's exotic (in the same way that Mordor is exotic) and has trolls ...

[ootini]

Is there anything like this in't blighty ? Shorter of course, but still flatish?

[johnnystorm]

Is there anything like this in't blighty ? Shorter of course, but still flatish?

Welcome to East Anglia! I can't be on the WRT as I'm d of e assessing but it's glorious so I'm not too upset!

[gairym]

Cheers all, much to think about.....

Did a 'road-trip' of sorts around Spain and Portugal a couple of years back and Mid Spain was fairly flat in places. some stunning cities like Salamanca to visit. Portugal was more rolling from what I saw/remember.

James, thanks I'm looking into those links. Central Spain isn't a bad option, I'll do more research.

I recently cycled from Irun to Rochefort and then Caen on flattish routes much on cycleways. Maybe a bit close to home and so not exotic. Have a look at the Eurovelo routes such as EV6 from the Black Sea to Atlantic. EV1 (which I did in part) goes along the Portugal coast. Or EV8 in Spain.

Kevin, your trip looked great but not sure France ticks the exotic box sufficiently (though there's still so much of the country I've not explored).

I frequently look at the eurovelo website for ideas but from the few bits I've tried to date (and from looking on the route map) so much of it is not yet actually in existence. Great on paper but arguably more of an exercise in securing EU funding that hasn't yet lead to a great deal of difference on the ground. Still, even if it is just a lot of general cycle friendly roads to ride on, it's still of use when route planning.

Ruta del Cid? https://www.wikiloc.com/mountain-biking ... cid-688032 I've got the guide book, the Spanish C2C uses about 250 miles of it and it ticks most of your boxes. Lots of history, castles, canyons, medieval villages, you get the picture.

Thanks Duncan but from what I've seen it's holier (edit: 'hillier' ) than I'd be up for taking on at this point. One day though.....

It's not usually very hot but Iceland has a ring road of about 1000km that is pretty flat over about 3/4 of it's length.
The flight is 2 hours.
Camping is unrestricted.
It's exotic (in the same way that Mordor is exotic) and has trolls ...

Would totally be up for Iceland but I'm wary of anywhere snowy as this winter saw so much of it that there's likely still parts that are either closed or awaiting repair. I know around here it's going to be mid summer at least before everything is open for business as usual.

Is there anything like this in't blighty ? Shorter of course, but still flatish?

Yeah, I'd consider than but it's still a way to travel so I'm thinking that if I'm flying I might as well go somewhere warm :)

All, so far the idea of a dirt cheap return flight to Marrakesh and then exploring the coast of Morocco has me the most excited but we'll see.....

Cheers very much to all for the info and keep it coming if you've got anything else to add.....

Gairy.

[Scud]

if you ever fancy heading to Norfolk, i'm more than happy to show you around!

Lots of great quiet roads and lots of flattish trails and bridleways, can easily out together 100 mile days where you'll be lucky to see 10 cars.

(Yes i am aware it is not very exotic!!)