I second the recommendation for the Surly Long Haul Trucker. I'm just back from a month long cycle tour - London to Spain - which was amazing with a friend who had a brand new SLHT. He loved it and fully recommended it. I'm saving up for one now too. He bought his from the states and had it delivered to the UK (so it was here in time for him to arrive from Australia for the trip). So, that's another option. He had to pay shipping and duty but it still worked out to be a good deal.
Sounds like an awesome adventure.
I second the recommendation for the Surly Long Haul Trucker. I'm just back from a month long cycle tour - London to Spain - which was amazing with a friend who had a brand new SLHT. He loved it and fully recommended it. I'm saving up for one now too. He bought his from the states and had it delivered to the UK (so it was here in time for him to arrive from Australia for the trip). So, that's another option. He had to pay shipping and duty but it still worked out to be a good deal.