Touring - Dream Tour

I was wondering the other day where in the world can you do the best touring. Then I tough it would be nice to get a top 10 places to tour accordingly to the members of this forums. Please send your suggestions ! Here's mine :

Iceland. I havent done it. But I went around the only by car 3 years ago. Now I thing it's is among the best place to ride because of

1 - it's beautiful landscape and natural elements
2 - Not too many tourists.
3 - plenty of empty places for you tents.

What's your suggestions ?

Jimmy Cactus

North Sea Cycle Route, all 6,000km of it, and particularly through Denmark, Scandinavia and Scotland. I'd even go back and start it again in France (I did Dunquerque to Amsterdam in 2003). I'd want around a year to do it, so I could trundle off on side-trips. I am not a fan of bike paths/MUPs, but this is different. :)

Leave from my door in St. Paul and circle Lake Superior. About 1400 miles. Someday, but I want at least a month to do this so I have plenty of time to stop and look around. Going light it could easily be done in half that time, but there is too much to see along the way.

My practical dream tour is cycling to Colorado. My dream tour that I wish was reality would be cycling arround Japan

I was wondering the other day where in the world can you do the best touring. Then I tough it would be nice to get a top 10 places to tour accordingly to the members of this forums. Please send your suggestions ! Here's mine :

Iceland. I havent done it. But I went around the only by car 3 years ago. Now I thing it's is among the best place to ride because of

1 - it's beautiful landscape and natural elements
2 - Not too many tourists.
3 - plenty of empty places for you tents.

What's your suggestions ?

Jimmy Cactus

Based on my years of touring and my world tour...I would say...

(1) India, during the dry season. Great food, great people, paraos along the way where you can camp, sleep, wash, and eat. KIPLING lives!

(2) Mexico, in the mountains. Happiest people on earth...always out in the town squares in the evening, singing, eating, playing football, listening to music, etc.

(3) Canada, in the rockies. Icefields parkway gets my 'most beautiful road in the world' nomination.

(4) USA: cheap food, great roads, open country, national parks and forests.

(5) France: every garage is a bike shop. The worlds best invention: the brasserie, half coffee shop, half bar. Great cheese and bread.

roughstuff

India sounds good to me. I haven`t put my feet in but I am sure it could be really nice.
What the heck is "paraos" ?

// Cactus

India sounds good to me. I haven`t put my feet in but I am sure it could be really nice.
What the heck is "paraos" ?

// Cactus

A parao is mentioned in Kipling's KIM. I am not sure if they call it that any more. But a parao is a rest area by the side of the road where you are able to get meals cooked for you. They provide rope beds and tables to sit on and sleep on at night if you wish. There is almost always a well near the parao where you can get fresh water to drink, wash your body and clothes, and hang them out to dry. I have some pictures of touring india on my world tour at:

http://www.cyclingscholar.com

roughstuff

Never done it on a bike but the road between Calgary to Jasper in Canada looked fantastic (except that I heard you have to watch out for bears) :)

Never done it on a bike but the road between Calgary to Jasper in Canada looked fantastic (except that I heard you have to watch out for bears) :)
It is. :D

Where to begin????

Right now, my dream tour would be to spend the rest of my life travelling the world!! Hey ... you did say "DREAM" tour!! :D

I've already toured and travelled in a lot of places in England, France, Australia, US, and Canada .... but if I had to pick places I haven't been I think my "Top 10" list would look something like this:

1. The rest of Europe (where I haven't been yet)
2. New Zealand
3. Japan
4. The Canadian maritimes
5. Vancouver Island
6. The north: Alaska/Yukon/NWT/Nunavut
7. Iceland
8. Parts of South America
9. Parts of Africa
10. Parts of Asia

Does that about cover it all? :D

Actually, I might like to combine some of those with a North American pacific coast tour that extends from Alaska right down to the tip of Argentina. That particular end-to-end appeals to me for some reason.

Never done it on a bike but the road between Calgary to Jasper in Canada looked fantastic (except that I heard you have to watch out for bears) :)

The bit from Calgary to Canmore isn't overly inspiring, but once you reach Canmore, all the rest of the way is. :)

Here's some photos:

.

Where in Mexico did you tour?

Mountains in the north, Oaxaca, DF & Cuernavaca area.

Hmmm,
fly into Italy, and take a train to Southern Italy in April or March depending on the weather. Here's the tough part. You have to decide whether you go up the Adriatic to Venice and on to Vienna... or up the Mediterranean to France.
I think I'll go up the Adriatic side, hit Venice, cross Italy to go to Florence and then follow the Mediterranean coast. Cross France and take the train to England.
Ride north, and take a ferry to Belgium. Continue on through the Benelux countries and hop the ferry in Denmark up to Norway. I don't know if you can ride the coast through Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estona, etc. But that's the idea.
You then do a beeline to Vienna through Poland and Czechoslovakia.

(2) Mexico, in the mountains. Happiest people on earth...always out in the town squares in the evening, singing, eating, playing football, listening to music, etc.roughstuff

Where in Mexico did you tour?

Mountains in the north, Oaxaca, DF & Cuernavaca area.
I don't know where Roughstuff toured, but I toured in the mountains of Michoacan and liked it a lot. I'd like to tour in the mountains of Oaxaca after things calm down there.

As for the original question about the Top 10, it's obviously very subjective. Each of us looks for different attributes that make up our own ideal touring destination. I generally like my destinations to have strong cultural interest, in addition to good cycling. My favorite trips have been to the following places:

SW France
northern Thailand
Corsica
Rocky Mountains (Colorado to Alberta)
Michoacan & Jalisco states of Mexico
south-central Chile & adjacent Argentina
New Zealand (I liked both islands, not just the often-praised South Island)
Hawaiian islands

I've posted the following link before. It's one well-travelled couple's list of top 25 countries to tour in:
http://www.ridetheroad.com/best.aspx
Of the countries on their list I've biked in, I generally agree with them. I wouldn't put Ireland nearly so high, if only because of the generally wet weather. As much as I like Italy, I think France is the better touring destination, but Italy certainly deserves a place on the list.

Hmmm,
fly into Italy, and take a train to Southern Italy in April or March depending on the weather. Here's the tough part. You have to decide whether you go up the Adriatic to Venice and on to Vienna... or up the Mediterranean to France.

I've biked both coasts, and the Mediterranean, at least from Genova to the French border, is awful; Uninterupted development and heavy traffic. I found the Adriatic coast to be boring compared to hillier parts of Italy, though there were a few places of interest. I was there in the off-season, but I suspect traffic would be pretty bad in the summer along the Adriatic.

I've biked both coasts, and the Mediterranean, at least from Genova to the French border, is awful; Uninterupted development and heavy traffic. I found the Adriatic coast to be boring compared to hillier parts of Italy, though there were a few places of interest. I was there in the off-season, but I suspect traffic would be pretty bad in the summer along the Adriatic.

I agree with axolot on the Adriatic coast, it is quite boring at places. Parco del Gargano is very nice to cycle through so I would suggest you cycle through as many national parks as possible instead of keeping on the coast all the time. Click here. (http://www.parks.it/indice/NatParks.html)
cheers

Where I think no one has ridden before - to the South Pole and return.

Where I think no one has ridden before - to the South Pole and return.


there was an attempt

http://www.iceaxe.tv/icebike.shtml

The one route I would recommend is

the Careterra Austral from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins in Chile

1200 Km's most of which is unpaved. very little traffic, some days none at all.
Plenty of places to sleep, camp,stealth, bus stops, hostels every couple of days
And just outside Puerto Tranquillo is a refugio, where I stayed for a couple of nights, and we also found sheds.

But the scenery is fantastic, awesome.

another great trip is through the Sierra's in Spain, about 150 to 200km inland from the Med.
Cadiz, Seville ,Granada, Ubeda on to the Pyrenees

in France
Toulouse Carcossonne, Millau,Gorge du Tarn to Gap, Grenoble Ventoux, Alpe D'huez

But my dream is now the Friendship Road in Asia.

george