live to ski

Mr L2S and I are looking into doing this. Maybe we can have a BE team (or not if you read the "Do you speak to other Brits you come across?" post)

We really want to cycle across Canada. We did the Coast 2 Coast in the UK before we left as a sort of good-bye to England but that only took 2.5 days!

LotteW

Did you cycle the coast to coast or walk it? (as in Wainrights walking route)

I imagine cycling as it takes the best part of 2 weeks to walk.... but if you had walked it you would have gone through my parents garden as it was right on the route.

I walked the Coast to Coast many years ago, along with doing pretty much every other long-distance path in the UK.... I miss those child-free years when I did loads of walking/backpacking!

live to ski

We cycled the C2C, but we did pass some very nice back gardens!

Totally agree that you don't need to be super-fit to do such trips. Just start off slowly and build up as you go. We had just finished a summer of sitting on our arses 16 hours a day doing our MSc disserations and hadn't done any exercise for months.

We did a cycling and camping trips of the San Juan Islands in May which was wonderful, and planning on doing another cycling trips in 2009 - Gulf Islands, up Sunshine Coast and down VI, Kettle Valley Railway are all in the pot at the moment.

My current plan for the cross Canada trip is to do it in the last few months of any maternity leave that I might have with a little L2S in a trailer (and no, there are no little L2S planned soon despite Bandit's desire to buy baby clothes for us) but everyone I have mentioned this to seems to think I'll change my mind when a little L2S arrives.

Seems like a perfectly good use of maternity leave to me........a whole 12 months to go on trips compared to the 3 weeks that I get now.

Mr L2S has also been seen recently eyeing up those backpacks that you put babies in.........

kiton6

We came across a couple from France who were doing the exact same thing with their young son in a trailer. I'd like to suggest that if you did decide to do the same thing then please choose the route you take carefully as there are some long sections of the trans-Canada in which you are forced to ride amongst the traffic (no bike lane/hard shoulder). The majority of drivers are courteous and will pass you with plenty of room, but unfortunately there is the occassional idiot who'll try to ride as close to you as possible (despite the fact there's plenty of room for them to pass you). The only reason I could fathom for this is that they want to either force you into a ditch or knock you from you bike for a laugh! Who knows their rationale, but it does happen.
So, if you did decide to do it, see if you can pre-plan and avoid those sections of the trans-Canada as best as possible, it would be safer.

Oh, and I'm sure you thought of this, but make sure those last few months of the maternity leave are between mid-May and later September/early October. As that's really your weather window for crossing Canada - any other time would be very risky/difficult in terms of unfavourable weather.

live to ski

Nice to know that there are other crazy people out there who have not only thought of doing this but have actually done it.

Yes, have very much thought about this.....it would be probably my main hesitation in doing it.

Poor kids.......the timing of their births will be purely for their parents to do a cycle trip..........and I thought my mother was selfish!

LotteW

I have shown this thread to Mr LW cos we were talking about driving across Canada at some point, or maybe doing it on a motorbike (that scares me more than cycling it for some reason!)...

His comment - that he would love to do it,but can't see his work giving him enough time off in the next couple of years... and then he said that he would love to cycle it with me, and we could try and do it and get sponsored for some charity.......

I guess you guys have sowed a seed in his mind EEKKKK

Mind you it would prob have to be many years in the future due to several smalls... I cant see 4 kids aged between 10 and 4 cycling the entire way across Canada.....

Or could I????? they have more energy than I do!

lof

l2s, do you read french?

there is book from a french couple who did a 14 year world tour by bike - their daughter was born on this trip and spent her first years traveling in a bike trailer.
here's the link: Le Tour de Monde à Vélo de Françoise et Claude Hervé.
i stumbled over this book when i was in southern france during my big tour, and it has been part of my library ever since, i've even imported it to canada . i have no idea if it has been translated into english though.

benjamin78

It is a good way to see Canada

lof

let us know how your "family cycle across canada" project is going on.

live to ski

Well have another baby LW and split the parental leave to cover the trip - perfect solution.

I'm sure you'd get excellent sponsorship taking 5 kids across the country.

Great - keep us posted. Sowing such seeds is a rather nice way to see out 2008

Trailers, tandems, ride-alongs.........where there is a will, there's a way

live to ski

French rather rusty but will look into this - thanks lof

dbd33

This is absolutely something you should do while employed in the UK or before taking up employment in Canada. Once employed here not only will you face the problem of taking a lot of time of work at once (simply not done here) but the issue of pursuing a potentially dangerous pursuit (so displaying disloyaly to your employer). Adventure is, bluntly, a career limiting move. If you must do it, keep it quiet.

lof

oh.... thaaaaaaaaaaat's why?!? and i wondered...
thanks for the insight.

happy new year, dbd33.

dbd33

Happy New Year!

kiton6

Good point. When we crossed, I was based in the UK and, thankfully, my employer at the time was/is a very close friend of over 10 years who was happy to allow me the three months off to do it.

Now that I'm here in Canada, I don't think I'll be suggesting to anyone that I take 3 months off to do it again. Unless... I was able to tempt an employer with my tales of adventure!