Fancied doing a ride around and over Mallorca but all the internet chat says no wild camping, in fact it would appear to be an offence for which you can get a hefty fine for. I want to go for 7 to 10 days, fly from Manchester or Liverpool with affordable flights which Manchester to Palma was/is.

Going solo so prefer someone thats not too dodgy. All advice thoughts gratefully appcepted. Thnx PB

Morocco

Cheers Stu, do you know of any links to some safe routes up and around the Atlas Mountains ?

Question is open to others as well, any suggestions gratefully accepted Thnx Paul B

I've done a bikepacking trip round Tenerife in Jan. So long as you dont mind mixing road and fire roads its nice. Wild camped no problems. Hid our bike bags in the bushes near the airport and off we went.

Baically just rode round Tiede. going where we fancied. Might still have a paper map at home but I think it was this one

http://www.stanfords.co.uk/Tenerife-FB_9783707910612

Good trip.

Meraid and Dan have ventured there a few times and generally this time of year too. Have a look here: http://www.farawayvisions.com/

pb2 wrote:Cheers Stu, do you know of any links to some safe routes up and around the Atlas Mountains ?

I've been looking at this route for next year.....

http://www.bikepacking.com/plog/8bar-hi ... s-morocco/

There's a link to the full trip report and route at the bottom of the bikepacking.com article/page.

Looks good!

Big thanks to one and all, this a great forum

If you need any guide books or maps for Morocco give me a shout, i used to take tourists on 5 weeks trips round for a living...

Btw, the one question I am really struggling with it what to do with my bike bag once the bike is assembled. In an ideal world I could locate someone localish to the airport and for a reasonable sum of money they would look after until I return. As for hiding it in the bushes or such like, you have more balls and luck than me, I would fret about the bag the whole trip, in fact it would drive me crazy with worry

Also what about contacting Pistonbroke about Northern Spain and what temperatures are like around that time, remember going in November before for motocross trip and still being in t-shirt?

pb2 wrote:Btw, the one question I am really struggling with it what to do with my bike bag once the bike is assembled.

Find a hotel near to the airport and book in the night you arrive and before you fly back. They'll usually look after it for you.

Scud wrote:If you need any guide books or maps for Morocco give me a shout, i used to take tourists on 5 weeks trips round for a living...

Thats a wonderful offer and thank you. In my head Morocco is a Feb or March 2019 trip. Truth is I have done a fair bit of bikepacking buts its always been with a mate or a small group of friends so whilst I'm self sufficent I won't actually know how I get on solo until I actually get out there and give it go hence my desire to go somewhere I perceive to be a tad tamer for my first solo mini adventure.

Chew wrote:

pb2 wrote:Btw, the one question I am really struggling with it what to do with my bike bag once the bike is assembled.

Find a hotel near to the airport and book in the night you arrive and before you fly back. They'll usually look after it for you.

I think that makes a lot of practical sense plus I get on the plane home showered, fed and rested

Morocco.
I did a 4 week cycle trip in the southern desert area a couple of years ago. I may also go again in a couple of weeks.

Take or buy local a roll of duct tape, string and a tarp for packing the bike.

Oman?

When in December? it's the 1st on Sunday. Bit late in replying as I've been out on the bike this afternoon, nice sunny day but chilly when the sun went behind the mountains. If you fancy, Southern Cataluña or Castellon/Valencia we can help. As an example, in January, Chicken Legs of this parish found a 700km route running due south west from here and finishing on the Costa Blanca, I met him at Reus airport and we rode the 70km to my house where he spent the night. The following day I rode with him to the route and he carried on while I rode home. He apparently enjoyed the riding with no issues bivvying and flew back from Alicante. We also had visits from Lee Craigie and Steve Heading during the winter months, the weather is usually kind but bear in mind that a lot of mainland Spain, especially around here is quite high up once you go inland a bit.
If you want to do a circular route, we can pick you up from the airport and store your bag here and I can work out a suitable route depending how far you fancy riding. 2 issues, the only UK airport that has flights to Reus at this time of year is Stanstead and we are back in the UK if you are doing this Christmas week, there are,of course, year round cheap flights to Barcelona and it's a 2 hour train journey south to here.
Visitors to our Catalan Finca https://i ... lery/ErDWz

Rasta wrote:Oman?

I know Oman was trying to set itself up for tourism but has that happened? I worked out there in the 1990s.

On a similar note you could do this route as an out and back - http://www.bikepacking.com/routes/bike- ... -wadi-rum/

Spain will be getting cold and windy soon. But always sunny.

January daytime temps here this year were in the 20's but it snowed in the mountains in Feb. It's wrong to generalise about a country that is twice as big as the UK and runs from the Pyrenees to Cadiz. All I can say is that here is a damn sight sunnier than Sheffield.

Oman is popular for its safe desert camping, friendly people and fairly cheap flights. Via Dubai I think. I haven't been.

Jordan will start to have very cold nights soon. Wadi Rum, by yourself? I don't think that would be possible and if it was - the harassment by the guides would be a nightmare. You would get a better experience going with a guide. Jeep rides. Sleep in a Bedoin tent. BBQ under the stars etc. I have been but not by bike.

pistonbroke wrote: It's dangerous

Point taken, not dangerous, lets try wrong.

@pistonbroke I'm free from the 11th and would aim to get home before the 23rd. Bike would either be my Tripster or my Canyon fatty depending on the route. Would like to get a proper bed and shower every third day if poss, thnx Paul

Barca and a train sounds fine and its a much better option than the grind to Stanstead from Warrington

We fly to Manchester from Barca on the 22nd of Dec so could give you a lift back there, flying with Easyjet so you might want to try the same flight, its at 11am. Here's a plan, fly to Barca, train to L'Ametlla de Mar, I'll pick you up from there and bring you the 15min drive to our B&B, you can stay here for a couple of days and we could ride some of the hundreds of km of gravel trails around here. I can put together a multi day trip of around 100km a day taking you up into the mountains of Cataluna, Aragon or Valencia and upload it to your gps. Once you have done this, you might want a night or 2 here and pack up ready to return on the 22nd. Based on this I'd bring the Tripster, I do more mileage on my gravel bike than anything else these days, providing you've got reasonably durable tyres about 40mm width min or you'll get beaten to death. We'd also be around to rescue you if the preverbial hits the fan and store your bike bag and clothes for the return.
How's that sound?