What should I pack?
There’s no point trying to plan for every eventuality, especially if you’re in Europe where you can buy
anything you’ve forgotten anyway. Tools that perform plenty of functions are always useful though:
a small claw hammer is good for getting tent pegs into sun-baked ground and getting them back out
again, and you can use it hit things with too! A ball of string to hang up washing and remove a gammy
tooth; some tape to fix your indicator when you drop your bike; a few spare bungee cords.
Free/cheap stuff is always best: carrier bags and bin liners make for good water-proofing if you ride
into a tempest; plastic cutlery and napkins should always be removed from cafes and keep a pen and
paper to hand for directions or to sketch wildlife/natives. Seriously, daft bits and bobs like this are so
useful and you don’t need to worry about losing them/ charging them/ insuring them. Travel light
and make do; it’s more fun that way.
Otherwise, a few clothes you don’t mind ruining, spare ear-plugs, pair of trainers to give your boots a
rest and something warm, because no matter how hot and sunny it is during the day, it gets bloody
cold in the Pyrenees at night.