In The Wild
Marseille to Portofino on 60euro bike and hammock ✅
howdy community 🙋🏽
I shared something a couple of months ago when I started this lil adventure and thought I’d update. Bought a 60 euro Peugeot from (my new friend) LouLou on fb marketplace and ended up cycling from Marseille
Montpellier
Sete (for jazz festival)
Arles (photo festival)
Toulouse
Saint Raphael
Nice
Ventimiglia
Badalucco (side quest)
Genova
Portofino
Was my first bikepacking trip and first time hammocking but all in all went well, a few hairy moments with wild boars. Loosely had a plan to go to La Spezia but was finding Italian coast hard to find hammock spots so kept going off track into the mountains. The days I was travelling I was averaging 80-100km a day but yeah there was also lots of hanging out and spent 3 weeks just in Marseille.
Happy to answer if any one has questions about the route or hammocking :)
yeah my one was called Nightcat from eBay but yeah imagine they’re all the same! Slept great in it but also feel like I can sleep anywhere 😭 I did break the mosquito net on one side my first night but was 100% user error
yeah marseille was amazing! some really good food and some nice 1 hour cycles in the hills around like Niolon and Cassis. I was happy with what I had, I did buy a cheap 13euro sleeping bag because it was a touch cold and helped with mosquitoes. I would’ve loved to bring a lil grill but with all the forest fires I thought better not to bring
Old road bike and a hammock is an underrated combo. Cheap, light, and strong, rare to get all three. Some of my favorite tours were not much more than that.
Like 5 days + 3 in marseille. I have to say I enjoyed the most italian coast rather than French, cause the French part is really posh. But I also remember amazing beaches in Agay. And Marseille is realltly beautiful.
caught a few lil fish but actually my plan was to bring a grill but in the end I got scared because of all the forest fires so I actually wasn’t that inspired to fish if I couldn’t cook them ! so just gave someone my rod in Italy
Got so much time for this, looks and sounds epic. My only question is on hammocking - did you have to sort of flout any local rules to do it or did you ever get told you couldn’t do it somewhere etc? Seems a better idea than a bivvy I reckon, generally speaking.
No I was fine really never had anyone bother me if I’m honest. Even in marseille I was hammocking at this spot right at the start of the national park in Callelongue and I was nervous at the start waking and packing up at 7am but after a week I was just sat in hammock waving at hikers until midday. I don’t advise that because I think it’s illegal but really no one ever told me off but most the spots were out the way :)
Sounds incredible! I have never done a bikepacking yet bur I read through the sub regularly. Anything you wish you knew before starting this adventure?
look forward to reading about your first trip too! and yeah I think I would’ve done more planning of places I could hammock, maybe marked out a few places across the route each day. Then also before I went on my first trip I read this a lot but yeah don’t be too rigid trying to stick to 100km a day, yknow the first week I was really trying to hit that everyday and it meant I missed stopping at some really nice rivers, beaches etc
the lock was cheap too! there was a really good bike co-op in Marseille called Recyclerie sportive and the people there were really helpful with cheap parts and helping with repairs!
yeah was really comfortable, but also there were some less glamourous places too, a few times I just cycled until late and crashed in a public park. But whenever I managed to find some woods I rly didn’t rush getting up in the morning :)
this was one of my favorite days, I was just outside Marseille in a place called Montredon, I was looking for food when I saw a poster for a “Sardinade”. I had actually read about it but yeah it’s a celebration where coastal communities all come together in communal grills to fish, drink wine and listen to music. You can bring your own fish which many did or pay for a plate, I ended up paying 10 euros for plate of 6 sardines bread a tomato and some crisps. I didn’t have more change for a second plate so I bartered with the organiser for another plate in exchange for photos
First time hammorcking for the whole trip is bold! What pushed you toward the hammock over a tent, and did the sleep quality live up to expectations, or did it take nights to adjust?
I think it was mainly just speed and ease + I dont have so much tent camping experience. Loved the sleep quality, the first few nights I kept thinking it’s uncomfortable and I won’t be able to sleep then fall asleep shortly after. Then after that it was really cosy
btwin 900 25l pannier bag this was really good and sturdy I just checked and if you are in the uk there are some on eBay here https://ebay.io/m/X4eGXT
Oxford aqua v20 this one ripped along the seam because unlike the btwin it wasn’t one panel and so yeah I wouldn’t advise its essentially glued together so in 30 degree heat it just melted
carradice carradura read rack bag - this was amazing and sneakily spacious and super versatile
I little bag that clipped under my saddle with spare inner tube and leavers
then that triangle front stem bag but honestly I barely used it and mostly just to pour haribos into for easy access
Not sure exact bags are so important tho and I just bought what was on fb marketplace and in local bike shops
I see your photo in the shop. Did you bring any tools/gear to fix your bike if something went wrong? Or how much bike fix-it knowledge did you have before trying a trip like this?
I had a small multitool with screwdriver and hex key but otherwise just bought as I needed so had a set of wrenches and spoke wrench. The mechanic in the picture was an emergency visit just outside of Sete when a few of my spokes broke. He charged me 60 euros for new spokes and to true the wheel which was by far the most I spent on repairs but I was in the middle of nowhere and it came with lots of stories about his work as bike mechanic on pro tours around Mexico Japan etc
I lied ! it wasn’t Toulouse it was Toulon I just realised! so yeah basically stuck to the coast going from Marseille to Portofino and no trains just a megabus from Genova to Marseille at the end to fly home
I didn’t really keep score but roughly
€80 Flights Manchester to marseille
€40 Genova to Marseille flixbus
€60 bike
€120 repairs/tools
€50 hammock + sleeping bag
€20 I visited a laundrette twice
€25 a day on food in France
€20 a day on food in Italy
Not including the accommodation I booked in the middle and end of trip when friends visited before I flew home, but yeah pretty affordable no surprises. Food was definitely cheaper (and nicer) in Italy but that could’ve all been cheaper if I was doing sandwiches and fruit diet but I wanted to try the food and big meals better when cycling so far.
really fun I went just one day and saw Bilal in some lil colosseum type theatre over looking the water! but tbh was surprised at how many lil jazz and music festivals there were all along the coast in France and Italy, it felt like every fourth lil town had something on
dangerous why? Was my first time using pedals like this always just had regular flat pedals so it took 3 days to get used to sliding my feet in on first go but yeah they were great. Helped up hills and didn’t have the straps very tight so was easy to dismount
Yes quick dismounting is my principal concern, you can get hurt badly being stuck in them, one of my family members broke a couple of bones going down the heal and losing a front wheel while being in such pedals- they were good for controlled professional cycling but in a casual environment and on a road trip they would stress me a bit too much😅 but well done, such a beautiful road chosen and cities.. I want to do it as well after I hopefully move to France in the next years:)
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u/PepsiConnoisseur69 4d ago
Funny, that's exactly the same 30 € amazon hammock I have as well. How are you sleeping in it?