Mini-Budget Tour? Ideas? **UPDATE + PICS**

[AngelGrinder]

Ok...so, got made redundant a week and a half ago, already fed up of having nothing to do, I'm contemplating taking a mini-tour.

As I have no job, and no money, this will be on as tighter budget as possible. I will camp every night, and bring as much food from home as I can.

I don't really want to spend more than £50 on fuel (£10=100miles) so am Limited to somewhere a MAXIMUM of 250 miles away - but obviously that doesn't give me any mileage to actually explore wherever I get to.

I'm located in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking Wales would be my best bet? It's about 200miles to get to th Brecon Beacons.

I will probably take a long, scenic route there on day 1, spend day 2 finding the best roads etc, day 3 either heading home on motorways, or scenic route, depending on funds.


So....anyone got any better ideas of places to go, that might even have better roads/scenery?

Or....where in Wales would you reccommend?

Also, as its not exactly the height of the holiday season - will campsites be open?

Cheers in advance!
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Currently Riding - 2002 Aprilia RSV1000 Mille

[Itchy]

Kitty found a camp site a week for £32 in St Austell , maybe go down there and have a look?. You can hit my fave road of all time Torpoint windy ridge.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[TheDonUK]

Sleep in lay-by's and suck of truckers for ginsters, jobs a good'un

What about Somerset?
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[AngelGrinder]

Looking at Somerset, that could be nice aswell.

Will campsites acutally be open this time of year, anyone know?

Weathers looking really good this week....could be good!
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Currently Riding - 2002 Aprilia RSV1000 Mille

[shenpen]

Hi AngelGrinder,

I'm just down the road from you in Hitchin.

The Lake District (the southern lakes at least) would be just within your mileage limit from here.

Here's a link to campsites in the area.

Hope you get something sorted.
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Iain Harper
V-Strom Owners Club UK
www.vstromownersclub.com

[G]

With that little money, I definitely wouldn't be paying to stay in campsites.
Find an out of the way wooded area or field latish and get your tent taken down earlyish and you shouldn't have a problem. Mostly you'll probably be fine staying more than a single day, but you're very unlikely to have any issues at all if it is just a single day.

If anyone does make a fuss, you can always move somewhere else.
For food, go into supermarkets quite late and there's often some good deals to be had on food going out of date - can always go 'dumpster diving' if you want it even cheaper/are properly short on money.
Doing this, you should be able to survive on very little more than the price of fuel.

I think I'd start in southern Wales and work my way up.

I'm perhaps getting a bit ahead of myself (well, you) here, but put in this situation, I'd be tempted to ask around some farms etc to see if they'd pay you a small amount for casual work to cover petrol and food - a day's work would probably see you good for a week's worth of living, leaving you as much time as you wanted to explore. - And I appreciate some won't be so happy with the 'crusty' life style choices.

Incidentally, Servas is an interesting option for possible cheap-skates who are genuinely interested in meeting new people, etc. A much older and more 'official' version of that couch-sharing website.

As a kid we hosted many people and travelled across the US and Pacific as well as various other places staying with Servas hosts.

[Bendy]

I'd ride to somewhere with good walking and spend a couple of days doing that. Walking's free, uses up a lot of time and it generally quite good for the soul.

Ride to Wales, enjoy the twisties but spend a couple of days in the hills on foot too - stretches the holiday for very little cash.

[LustyLew]

When I lived in Hitchin, the other half and I used to head up to Sheringham, Norfolk.

Campsite there called Kelling Heath, was expensive as all the pitches have electric hook-up, but the area was nice. Close to the coast and the North Norfolk Railway if that's your kinda thing.
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Like a Yorkie - I'm not for the girls

[G]

[Bendy]

I'd imagine carrying a unicycle on a 675 is a bit of a pain though.

And if the OP doesn't already have a unicycle, that rather spoils his budget.

Thinkin'. Dancin'.

[G]

Got a unicycle on a zx6r with soft luggage fine a few times, so don't see a 675 would present much worse problems really.
Unicycles can be acquired from places like freecycle for very little total expenditure if you're lucky, or even made from scratch fairly easily for free.

Looking for solutions, not problems, ya see!

[AngelGrinder]

Of all the things I've considered for the tour....unicycling is not one....and probably will never be

I'm suprised I have the balance to keep a motorbike up!

I like the walking idea. I might head to the Brecon beacons for the first night, then head up to Snowdon next morning, have a ride about, have a walk, then sleep. Next day, have a nice long walk up a big old hill, then head home mid-afternoon.


Might leave on wednesday.

As it is, I can cook beans on my stove for breakfast, I have some of them 'cappacino' sachets for coffee, so I don't need pots of milk etc. Dinner can be more beans, or maybe supernoodles.

Lunch time I'll just get a sandwich from a local cafe or something similar.

So, hopefully -
fuel £50-60
Camping - (hopefully no more than £15 for both nights)
Then I'll take £10-15 for any food I might need.

If campsites are expensive I'll just find somewhere out of the way....maybe I'll just do that anyway.


Could be good...looking forward to doing something!
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Currently Riding - 2002 Aprilia RSV1000 Mille

[ram_doom]

May be a bit out of your budget once accomodation is added in on top of petrol, but I did a map of roads I'd want to ride, were I visiting Wales on a sportsbike

Clicky

Would take you to some of the best roads here, and some good biker stop off points, with plenty of oppertunities for walking and sightseeing, and in Aberystwyth, you've got the seaside and a bit of nightlife.

Plenty of farms around where you could possibly get a cheap pitch too.
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TL1000s, KDX200

[arry]

[Bendy]

[arry]

Thanks for the advice

[Charlie]

When ever I have been camping (which is at least once a year for the past 8 years) we have just left the tent with everything in when we go out. Anything valuable I'd lock away in the car (so could be a good idea to get locking panniers!) But I have never worried that my tent or clothes would get stolen.

I wouldn't camp at the site if I ever got the inclining that someone might steal my stuff.
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Past: Honda x8rs, Honda City fly, Honda Hornet 250, Honda VFR750, Yamaha xt600e.
Current: Honda CBR929RR & Yamaha XT660Z Tenere

[Itchy]

Spain in 5/6 nights spent camping only once did somebody pop his head into my tent...

The rest of the time I just kept things valuable under the bike seat and non valuable things inside the tent which I wouldn't mind too much if they were taken.

Oh probably the best solution of all is just to bring LESS junk in the first place. I'm in a bit of a quandry about this because the stuff I will bring on the big trip is mostly spares and camping stuff, but we are camping wild alot of the time anyway.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[AngelGrinder]

Bikes all loaded, so I will see you in a few days!

I'lll try and get some nice pictures!
____________________
Currently Riding - 2002 Aprilia RSV1000 Mille

[AngelGrinder]

Right....I'm back! Came home a bit earlier as I'm now starting a new job on Monday, so needed to be back to sort some stuff out!

Had a good time, no problem with any police or anything.

I'll try and let the pictures do the talking, but I'll give some explanations and storys....

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1557.jpg
Bike loaded ready to go on Wednesday morning. I left stevenage at about 10am, heading through Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Aylsebury, Oxford, Cheltenham, Gloucester. Followed the A40 most of the way...it takes you straight into Brecon.

Stopped off at Cheltenham Triumph for a little while to mooch around while I was there, then headed back off.

I got to Brecon at about 4.30, and spoke to tourist information who advised me a good campsite.

I stayed at a campsite in Pencelli. Cost me £6 for the night so can't complain. Weather was really nice the whole day, the evening was quite nice....

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1560.jpg

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1563.jpg

The later it got....the colder it got...it hit -1 at one point. My sleeping bag was not designed for this....I slept very little!

I woke up the next morning (I say woke up - I was already awake) and sorted myself some breakfast.

The morning did not look too pleseant either -

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1567.jpg

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1568.jpg

Here's a picture for people who weren't sure how to fit panniers to an underseat exhaust bike.

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1570.jpg

I sat around drinking coffee, until the fog started to lift about 11.30 and headed off straight through the Brecon Beacons.

I just stopped in a few places, had a wander around some others.

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1579.jpg
Heres me looking tired and cold After I took this picture, I managed to drop the bike as I got back on, luckily not much damage, smashed indicator lense (fixed with gaffa tape) and a little scratch at bottom of fairing. Luckily the crash bung took the brunt of it

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1613.jpg

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1612.jpg

Now - for the pictures of the places I saw and general area -

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1575.jpg

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1585.jpg

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1588.jpg

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1591.jpg
Don't know if you can see in this picture, but it says 'English Go Home' on the crash barrier

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1601.jpg

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1609.jpg


https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1606.jpg

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1607.jpg


After spending the day out, I needed to get somewhere to stay the night, I decided against camping, as I was just too cold (I'm not a man, I'm sorry )
Found a youth hostel near Brecon, only cost £12 a night, so I stayed there.

Met a few other bikers there, and spoke to a few locals down the pub, had a good evening....actually got some sleep aswell!

Here's the car park this morning -

https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/angelgrinder187/DSCF1615.jpg

Left there about 8.45am. Arrived back home about 13.30.

Bike was alot better than expected, I've done 450 miles one £39 of fuel.

Wales was great, people were friendly and helpful, roads were mostly good, I didn't really see any police, so no hassle from them.

Anyone thinking of going....just go for it. But if your camping....take a really warm sleeping bag!
____________________
Currently Riding - 2002 Aprilia RSV1000 Mille

[mark83]

Bollocks!

If I remember right you live in Potters Bar, right?

If only I'd realised earlier - I was planning on going to Brecon this month on a mini-tour.

Too late now!

We'll have to meet up eventually mate, although nowadays I'm mostly riding 2-up....

Nice pics.


____________________
Kawasaki ER6n -> Honda CBR600RR -> Honda VTR 1000 -> Moto Guzzi Norge 1200
Buy my Mercedes 350 Sport AMG Evo

[G]

Nice, glad you had a good time... and have a new job lined up .

A decent sleeping bag is a good start to keeping warm. A decent ground mat (I like the thermorest style inflatable foam ones, a big thick one). If it's looking like it's going to be cold, I'd get into the sleeping bag in under clothes at the least - possibly in full (if not too dirty) clothes, then start to take them off if I get warm.
A sleeping bag liner helps, too. I like big tents, but small tens to be a bit better.

[AngelGrinder]

Mark - I've moved to Stevenage now, but I'm still local, I'm always up for hooning or touring, give me a PM if your planning anything!

And yeah, I didn't really think how cold it was going to be.

My tents no good for the cold - if you look at it in the pic before I put the fly sheet on, it's basically just a mosquito net with a flysheet on top.

My sleeping bag is only a summer one, and it's been sat inside it's bag so the paddings probably useless aswell.

My grount mat was just a cheap foam one, think it cost me about 4 quid 2 years ago. I'm not bothered about the comfort, but that didn't help much the other night.

I was wearing all the clothes I had with me - and 2 tshirts, and my hoody, with the hood over my head and done up. At one point I got so cold I put my neck tube over my whole face.


It was quite a stupid night....oh well...I've learnt my lesson!
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Currently Riding - 2002 Aprilia RSV1000 Mille

[AngelGrinder]

While were on the subject -

My tent is great when the weathers good. But if it's not, there's no room to dry stuff, or sit out of the rain...ideally I'd like something a bit bigger....but that packs down small. My brother bought one that was perfect from millets....was in a small pack aswell.....great until you actually try and get it back in - neither of us could do it.

Any suggestions? I've seen the Kyham Biker, that looks good, but it's a little pricey.

Cheers!
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Currently Riding - 2002 Aprilia RSV1000 Mille

[G]

I wouldn't worry too much about the tent on it's own personally.
A while ago I went to Salisbury plain with Korn and Ste on the 16th december.
I got a free tent from freecycle, despite asking for a warmish one, the one provided had mesh lower sides, with the plastic just hooking up, so not air tight at all. However, I did have a decent sleeping bag, inner liner and mat and was toasty warm.

Personally, I like my 'blackout' pop-up tent. Ideal for 'wild camping', especially if it's going to be dark when you get there - ten seconds to set up and thirty seconds to take down, chuck some luggage in and you're sorted. Unfortunately this one is an 80cm disc rather than the smaller 62cm ones. However, my KTM panniers are over 1m wide, so it's not a big issue.