I'm avoiding the Eurostar after they battered my bike last year and I avoid planes for sanity's sake. As a result it's boats and trains this year.
I'm looking at a pleasant little loop: Newcastle to Amsterdam; down towards Antwerp for lace then Luxembourg for hills; nip into Germany to keep the country count up then over to Metz and Reims (I'm having champagne this time god damn it); a jaunt through northern France and cross the channel at Dieppe; a few days down south weaving my way from Brighton to Oxford and finally, the train home.
I'm not adverse to a little train hopping to see something exciting or to avoid the bigger hills. I have my heavy (its only 500g more than my Banshee so not really heavy but, add in a new mattress and that's almost whole kg more. It's all headology.) comfy new tent so the focus is on relaxing rather than clocking up the miles. It's not an epic trip more of a donder along the roads less travelled.
Any advice on campsites, seeing sights, bike routes and the like is always welcome.
