Cycle camping can be rewarding, but it's also hard work based on our limited experience in UK/France.
Don't underestimate how much extra weight and effort comes with camping. Not only do you have to carry a lot of extra gear - tents, sleeping bags, mats, etc - even the ultralight (aka expensive) kit adds weight, and that means more effort, especially up hills. It takes quite a bit of time and energy to set up and take down camp, and you have to deal with things like not always having decent showers/toilet facilities, power, places to sit in the evening, etc etc. Even on dry nights, the tents can be soaking wet in the mornings (condensation) which is one more hassle to deal with when you're tired and grumpy, and it makes everything heavier. If it rains that's another story. If you go all the way and take cooking equipment for evening meals or breakfast - bear in mind that it probably means sitting out in the dark, in uncomfortable positions, trying to knock up very basic meals with the floor as your table, and then having to clear it all up afterwards. Fun on a weekend with friends, not so fun sandwiched between two 60 mile days of hard riding.
On the plus side (and it's a big plus) there's more freedom in where you can stay, and less pressure on pre-booking/planning, and it's a lot cheaper too (sometimes only 3-4 Euros each). If you get totally stuck you've always got the option of wild camping as a last resort - at least you wouldn't be stuck in the middle of nowhere with no option of sleep/shelter, and being forced to try and bed down with some cows or something. Every time I stayed in a cheap (yet not very nice and clearly overpriced) hotel, I felt ripped off compared to camping - it's nicer to sleep in your own meagre tent, rather than a dirty budget hotel and all that comes with it.
On the plus side (and it's a big plus) there's more freedom in where you can stay, and less pressure on pre-booking/planning, and it's a lot cheaper too (sometimes only 3-4 Euros each). If you get totally stuck you've always got the option of wild camping as a last resort - at least you wouldn't be stuck in the middle of nowhere with no option of sleep/shelter, and being forced to try and bed down with some cows or something. Every time I stayed in a cheap (yet not very nice and clearly overpriced) hotel, I felt ripped off compared to camping - it's nicer to sleep in your own meagre tent, rather than a dirty budget hotel and all that comes with it.
Unless camping away from civilisation, I wouldn't bother with cooking gear again on a trip on this kind of schedule. The gear's heavy and it's a pain to cook and clean up, and it's a hassle cooking in the dark with basic tools. It's a trade off between weight/time/budget at the end of the day, but I would far prefer to have an energy bar if really stuck in the evening, and make sure I had a decent breakfast and lunch in cafes or from food bought in shops.
So, if you've not camped in a while (or ever), or aren't sure if it's for you - think hard before shelling out loads of money on gear. Try a couple of test rides with borrowed gear if there's any chance of that. Having looked on ebay before we started on the trip, we found that second hand ultralight camping gear goes for near retail prices though, so most likely you can claw your money back if you buy the gear and decide after the first trip that you didn't want to camp any more!
Also, ignore anyone who says there are so many campsites in France that you will just stumble across one as you ride during the day. This is nonsense, and I'm glad I came across a few forum posts where people said as much! France has a lot of campsites for sure, but there are also large areas where there aren't any for many miles, or where they're a long way off your track. Tourist info is very useful at giving guides for the region, and we took along some sections from the Michelin camping book (although we didn't use it much in practice). Had we waited to 'happen upon' some campsite signs, we would have been totally stuck and wild camping most of the time. That's not to say we didn't see any campsite signs as we rode, but not enough to justify the mantra of 'just cycle and they will come'.
We relied heavily on the Garmin's built in databases, and their 'Find Nearest ...' menu. Besides routing, we probably used this feature more than anything, and it's worth carrying them just for this - even if you don't want to navigate with them. 'Find camping' always had some sites within reach, even if they weren't directly on our track, or as near as we would have liked. It also had hotels and other useful places and was a godsend in general, often giving contact phone numbers. It didn't have everything in it, but then again what can you expect of a portable piece of electronics? One thing to bear in mind whatever tool you use to get the campsite/hotel details - they aren't always open and they don't always have space! We learnt the hard way a couple of times. It pays to do a quick call ahead if you can - especially if cycling miles off-track to get there.
Whether camping or hotelling, washing clothes becomes an issue pretty quickly as you use up all your clean gear. A quick rinse in the sink with some washing liquid is better than nothing, but if they don't dry overnight you can only dry so much by tying things to the back of your bike. If it's raining that option goes away - leaving you with heavy, wet gear. A proper wash at a 'Laverie' was the only time the gear smelt/felt good once we were on the road. And even if you're in clean gear, by the time we arrived anywhere we were smelly and dirty! You just have to get used to it.
In terms of cost, for this one trip alone, having bought all the gear and camped a number of times, it probably wasn't cost effective. We'd need to use the gear a lot more to pay for it all and properly justify it.
Some of our key Pros and Cons:
Pros
- More freedom on where to stay
- Less forward planning needed
- Cost = cheaper. Often 3-5 Euros each in French municipals
- You're covered if you get totally caught out with nowhere to stay.
- You know what you're getting/paying for. The same can't be said of many 'cheap' rip-off hotels.
- It can be fun/character building!
Cons
- The gear costs extra money
- It's extra weight
- It can be uncomfortable. Nowhere to sit. Slightly cramped sleeping.
- Takes time and effort to pack down
- Wet tents (often through condensation after a dry night) are a pain to deal with in the mornings.
- Often nowhere to sit in the evening - when it gets dark, you're heading to bed.
- Often minimalist facilities. Think you're guaranteed a hot shower and a warm room to have it in or somewhere to put your clothes while you wash? Wrong!
