Ideas for cycling break in October?

My vote's France - make it a cycle journey and just cycle your way down to the Pyrenees. be an adventure!

My wife and I are doing a week in the Pyrenees followed by a week in Asturias in July/August - our trip won't work for you (we're hiring a van and taking mountain and road bikes) but I'll happily report back on both the riding and the ferry journey (we're returning Santander-Portsmouth).

Have been to Asturias before (with the mountainbike) - it's properly stunning. We stayed (and are returning to) Las Arenas de Cabrales - mostly locally famous for its cider and cheese. The mountains in the Picos de Europa are stunning and pretty easy to access, as I remember...

My partner and I did some of the Loire Valley last September on our bikes.  We got the ferry to Caen, then train down to Orlean and spent a few days cycling down the river.  There are train lines all along their as well if you need to bail for any reason and the Loire Valley route is well marked with mostly good quality cycle paths. There are plenty of AirBNB places in the towns along the river and there were some fantastic restaurants for the evening as well as a few patiseries for lunch/snacks/2nd breakfast.

For Mallorca there's a Barcelona to Alcudia ferry, which drops you right at the foot of the rides out to Formentor and Lluc. Also lovely there in October - sea will still be plenty warm enough and weather usually calm. Eurostar to Avignon and then train to Barcelona?

Good suggestions thus far, so just to add to those…

Night train from Paris-Venice, via Milan? A memorable ride in its own right!
www.seat61.com/thello-train-from-paris-to-italy.htm (seat61 is a very useful resource for all Euro-train info, including bike restrictions)

Not sure where you are but there’s lots of good riding, quiet roads, decent weather, pretty villages and scenery in south east England, e.g. the North Downs. Try the Isle of Wight for a couple of days if you want to go overseas!

For sociable, cheap and cycle-friendly digs… www.warmshowers.org (and also www.couchsurfing.org).

How about the Channel Islands?  Not much in the way of hills, but pleasant country lanes and coastal routes.  You would be able to walk around or slouch/take up 2 seats on the ferry.

You could camp to keep costs down - I know at least one camp site on Jersey has pre-erected tents for hire, and being an island all your routes would be (roughly) circular. 

Ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao and then the San Sebastian way, or turn left and do the Basque country. If you like sea food this region is the best in the world, however it has the same issues as Ireland, as in you're at the mercy of whatever the Atlantic will throw at you...

As you mentioned Mallorca in your post, I gather your hips are the limiting step for you regarding flying. Could you wear a support  brace  or similar to help with your comfort?

I think you would thoroughly enjoy it if you went. To fly there takes about 2 and a bit hours. Would that be too long for you?

Renting a bike might save some hassle too. But then again  that depends how attached you are to your own bike.

Still, why you're thinking about it, why not renew your passport? At least it's there if you change your mind.

There's always the Isle of Man if all else fails... 

Ferry to Bilbao/Santander is really good and the cycling in the Basqu Country is great. I did this last year. As a bonus it is a French rugby heartland across the border with both Bayonne and Biarritz. I was based near Hasparren but got out to Jaizkibel, and over to St Jean Pied de Port, which is on the Camino way. Very lumpy.

For choice, Avignon is a winner opening up Provence, Gorges due Verdun and Ventoux (if you really want to do something different).
Alternatively if the budget is too stretched, how about the Newhaven ferry to Dieppe (£28) and see where that takes you ? Paris is an option (for rugby) or you could pedal towards the Loire for scenery/win/food.
The roads are pretty quiet that side of France and the weather is usually ok then.

Vote for the Algarve over here also.. Portugal is lovely and pretty cheap if you can book the flights at the right time.

Train it down to south of France (we drove down last year for my 40th). 

I don't think you can go too wrong in France. It's got mountains, good weather (south), isn't too far away, easy to get to via train/ferry/bus/plane... oh and cheese, lots of cheese and bread, all you need really. 

Avignon is excellent, a couple of years ago I rode out of Avignon for 3 days then down to Montpellier and rode another 3 days out of there for a change of scenery. Easy to get to on the train and lovely roads to ride around both areas.

I've been having similar thoughts. Has anyone actually done the Dublin ferry thing? I've read reports that it's the getting out of Dublin that's the challenge.

Ireland! Cycle / train to Holyhead; fast ferry across; then Dublin - Wicklow Mountains - aim for the Ring of Kerry (Molls Gap in photo). A lot of riding, a lot of beauty, a lot of craic. Airbnb-it! Damn. I wish I was going!