Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Cape Town, the Winelands & the Garden Route.
Most helpful customer reviews
See all customer reviews...
Showing posts with label Route. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Route. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook: Worldwide Route & Planning Guide (Trailblazer)
'...the definitive guide to how, where, why and what to do on a cycle expedition...' Adventure Travel Magazine (UK)
Every cyclist dreams of making the Big Trip, the Grand Cycle Tour abroad. Whether that's a two-week trip or a year-long journey, the Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook is the comprehensive manual that will make that dream a reality. Riding across Asia, cycling in Africa or pedaling from Patagonia to Alaska, whether you're planning your own Big Trip or just enjoy reading about other people's adventures, the Handbook is guaranteed to illuminate, entertain and above all, inspire.
This fully revised 3rd edition includes:
❏ PART 1 – Practical information
- How to prepare for a long-distance trip
- What to look for in a new bike with reviews of some of the world's best touring- and trekking-bikes
- Adapting a standard bike for the Big Ride
- Choosing components, equipment for the road and reviews of camping gear
- Health precautions, inoculations, visas, money and safety
❏ PART 2 – Worldwide route outlines
Across Europe, Asia, Australasia, North and South America and Africa; recommended routes within countries and overland. Everything from popular routes eg India's Leh-Manali Highway to lesser-known cycle-touring areas such as Mongolia.
❏ PART 3 – Tales from the Saddle
Ten first-hand accounts of spoke-bending biking adventures worldwide.
Introduction
Why are so many people going bike touring these days? A minority pastime during the heyday of the car, cycling has once again become a popular choice for travelling―especially for long overseas trips.
The first cycle-touring craze began in the 1870s. Then, as now, the bicycle offered a revolutionary way of touring: you go exactly where you want, when you want, and all under your own steam. This was before the age of the car and walking or riding a horse were the only other options until the bicycle. In 1885 the Rover Safety Bicycle came along, and for all the innovation since then, most modern touring bicycles would be recognizable to a Victorian, as would their derailleur gears.
Bike touring is undergoing a boom at the moment but it is really one of many periodic rediscoveries. Bicycle design, components and gear are evolving to suit the changing needs and tastes of people. It's a combination of experimentation and using tried and tested designs, such as the 'diamond' frame of the Rover Safety Bicycle. The Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook is all about looking at what people are choosing and using: what kind of bikes, what gear and what destinations are being chosen by today's bike tourers.
There are many reasons for taking a bike on your next long trip. My own guess as to why bike touring is back in fashion is that many travellers get burned out by backpacking, which really amounts to travelling by bus and train for most of the time. Buses are certainly fast but they go from one noisy town to another, leaving little possibility of exploring the spaces in between, the places where the bus doesn't stop.
Others use bikes to go even further off the beaten track: they want to go where buses don't go at all and perhaps where other vehicles cannot get to either. Paul Woloshansky built his own racks to carry extra gear after being told all too often: 'There's a prettier way to go but there's nothing out there at all.' Other adventurers, such as Sweden's Janne Corax (see p122), have said the same thing: there were times when there was no other way of getting to where they wanted to go. You couldn't get there on foot and you couldn't get there in a truck. It was possible only on a bicycle.
Half the adventure, though, is in the riding itself. Being out in the fresh air and seeing much more than is possible from a bus or train window is always a good feeling, whether you are wandering around France or riding across India. A lot of today's cycle tourists are interested in the riding but not that interested in bikes. It's a means of transport and a way to carry bags comfortably, while sitting down and enjoying the view. Not everyone is drawn to the high passes of the Andes or the Himalaya but they are all enjoying that same sense of freedom and all that comes with it―unexpected discoveries, off-route detours or an impromptu day off when you find a great place to stay. Trips like these are not as arduous as some expeditions but they are every bit as satisfying―and they are still adventures, for they allow for spontaneity. And if you are carrying a tent and camping gear, you're prepared for just about any eventuality because you've always got a place to spend the night.
This book looks at the possibilities out there, the different styles of travelling and the basic gear and know-how that you need. We also look at some of the more exciting cycling destinations around the world, complete with suggestions as to which routes to take and what you need to plan a trip in that region. The Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook does not set out to tell you exactly where to go: it's your adventure, after all. But it's good to have a general idea of a destination and what you're likely to find when you're there and this is what this book aims to do.
In the final part of this book we include stories from all around the world, not just about the biking but also about the adventures cyclists had on their journeys. It's the old idea that a bike ride isn't just about the riding but also about the places you were able to get to and the people you got to meet―and all because you decided to travel by bicycle.
Review for previous edition: 'the definitive guide to how, where, why and what to do on a cycle expedition...' Adventure Travel Magazine.
Neil & Harriet Pike have cycled extensively in Europe, Asia and South America.
They began their travels by buying bikes in Istanbul, Turkey, and cycling home to Oxford. An 18-month bike tour through the Andes followed, igniting a passion for cycling high roads which led to a traverse of the Himalaya and other parts of Asia.
They blog at pikesonbikes.com and run the website andesbybike.com. They are the authors of another Trailblazer title: Peru's Cordilleras Blanca and Huayhuash – The Hiking & Biking Guide.
When not travelling they live in Bristol, England.
Most helpful customer reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
By Jeffrey Fritts
In my journey from competitive cyclist to a more sensible approach and use for the bicycle, at least for me, I have researched and read many treatises about the enjoyable past time of touring by bicycle. The third edition of Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook has been a Goldilocks experience for me. The guide not only provides easy soft beginning information for the novice, but also ascends to the mountain pass level of story about the real world hard experiences of many different travelers and adventurers. The list of contributors reads like a who’s who of touring cyclist many I have already read and enjoyed. If I were to only suggest one guide for a touring cyclist the Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook would be it.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
By Henry Jackson
The book for adventures by bike.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
The Rough Guide to Cape Town, The Winelands and The
The Rough Guide to Cape Town, the Winelands, and the Garden Route is the ultimate travel guide to South Africa's most captivating city and its surrounding region. Full-color photography illustrates the finest of Cape Town's colonial architecture, vibrant neighborhoods, and iconic setting.
This guide will show you the best this cosmopolitan city has to offer — from fascinating museums, cutting edge fashion, and fine dining to whale watching, bungee jumping, and wine tasting. It's no wonder that Cape Town is an award-winning city, and The Rough Guide to Cape Town, the Winelands, and the Garden Route uncovers it all. Easy to use maps for each neighborhood make getting around easy. And, detailed chapters feature all the best hotels, restaurants and bars, live music and clubs, shops, theater, kids' activities, and more.
You'll be sure to make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Cape Town, the Winelands, and the Garden Route.
Reliable, readable Rough Guides Conde Nast Traveller
Most helpful customer reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
By traveller
Most helpful and useful guide. My wife and I spent 7 weeks early this year in the Capetown and Western Cape region. This book helped us with the latest information and suggestions. Worth the price ad better than other older guides.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
By Candice Chow-Gamboa
This is a great book. Very up to date. Had a bad experience with the seller and ended up buying at a bookstore.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
By marcelo moraes victor
Very nice book! Beyond my expectation!
Sunday, June 21, 2015
The Rough Guide to Cape Town, The Winelands & The
The Rough Guide to Cape Town, the Winelands, and the Garden Route is the ultimate travel guide to South Africa's most captivating city and its surrounding region. Full-color photography illustrates the finest of Cape Town's colonial architecture, vibrant neighborhoods, and iconic setting.
This guide will show you the best this cosmopolitan city has to offer — from fascinating museums, cutting edge fashion, and fine dining to whale watching, bungee jumping, and wine tasting. It's no wonder that Cape Town is an award-winning city, and The Rough Guide to Cape Town, the Winelands, and the Garden Route uncovers it all. Easy to use maps for each neighborhood make getting around easy. Andm detailed chapters feature all the best hotels, restaurants and bars, live music and clubs, shops, theater, kids' activities, and more.
You'll be sure to make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Cape Town, the Winelands, and the Garden Route.
Reliable, Readable Rough Guides Conde Nast Traveller
Most helpful customer reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
By Julie W. Snyder
My husband and I spent the month of February touring South Africa by car. Our daughter had been there six months earlier and we used two of her books. The Rough Guide begins with a chapter entitled "Basics" and covers Getting There, Getting Around, Tours, Health, Media, Festivals (by the month), Parks, Reserves, Crime and Personal Safety, and Travel Essentials. This chapter was an excellent introduction to the country of South Africa.
The next large section is a "Guide" to Cape Town starting with the city centre and then describing some of the surrounding areas. The "Listings" section contains accommodations, restaurants, nightlife, theatre, shopping, sports, gay & lesbian Cape Town, and Cape Town for kids. We started our trip in Cape Town and the maps of the city in the Rough Guide were detailed and accurate. We walked a great deal in the downtown area and used this book on a daily basis.
The last large section is devoted to "Beyond the City" and this includes the winelands, whale coast, the garden route, little Karoo, and Port Elizabeth. We were in Cape Town for four days, then picked up our rental car at the airport and traveled north along the Atlantic Coast, then began our westward trek starting with the wineland area. We continued through the interior then south to a safari camp east of Port Elizabeth. After the safari we drove west along the Garden Route back towards Cape Town. The Rough Guide was a good reference, for information along the coast as we drove in areas close to Cape Town ending our month visiting the "real" Cape of Good Hope".
We always do a lot of reading and planning before we go, so it was great to see the places come alive in our travels. Rough Guides are known for their no nonsense, factual and explicit details for the world traveler. There are a few pictures, but this publication excels in its detailed maps. I enjoy maps and travel with a small compass so I can orient myself with each map.
This book was one of four items that we utilized before, during and going through our pictures once we arrived home. In addition to this book I have written reviews on the following items:
1. South Africa Country Road and Touring Map
2. The Rough Guide Map of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland
3. Insight Guide of South Africa
4. AC Power Travel Adapter plug for South Africa and Nambia - Dual Plug in ports
We also purchased a GPS South Africa Garmin in Cape Town ( $170 USD). The chip we ordered from a company through Amazon did not arrive in time as they lost our order. You cannot buy a chip for the Garmin in SA, it was a costly error.
I would heartily recommend any of the above items and studying them prior to your trip to South Africa for planning purposes.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
By Kelsey
This guidebook was a good overview of the area, but not as great as some other guidebooks I've used for other cities. It may be a personal preference thing, and I can't quite nail down what I don't like about this book, but the organization wasn't great and didn't make it easy to jump from activity to nearby activity. Also, in didn't go as indepth as I would have like about a lot of the different activities and how/where you can book them or have any reviews of different businesses offering them. The maps were also a bit confusing and one larger built in overall map of the city/surrounding area would have been really helpful in deciphering their smaller soomed in versions of just one neighborhood. If you're headed to cape town, I'd try a dfferent book.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
By Robert S. Joy
The book is written as a very easy read with tons of information. I've visited South Africa 20 years ago and I found the information useful in the book ad could relate to many personal observations made in the book.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)