Travel tips for touring around Europe

Have fun mate!

This trip sounds absolutely amazing, enjoy yourself things like this are life changing. I'm really impressed that your doing it alone too.

I really, really need to plan a tour this summer. Last summer's was incredible.

Cheers guys, @Provenrad, I shall try! also I'll be dropping into the shop on Monday for a bit of a check over before leaving London, so might catch you there....
@spenceey nice one, get that trip organised! if you're out during the summer would be cool to meet other forumengers, that goes for anyone else who may be along the way too!
@bombadil, thats a great tip for any kind of bolts, will be looking into doing that as soon as I find a hacksaw!!

3 valleys in France, Alps- biggest skiing area in the world so in the summer they sometimes open the large variety of lifts that they have to offer, can't get much better biking

For those who have toured Europe before.. I'm in Frankfurt, next stop is Munich then onto Zurich, can't believe how many bike lanes/routes there are over here (we have literally ZERO in NZ)
What are the best kind of roads to take between towns? The big not quite motorway roads or smaller more off the beaten track roads? I've been desperately trying to find a decent atlas of Germany/Europe that shows cycle paths/roads but can not for the life of me find anything decent.

I bought a couple of cycle-specific boxes of maps in Germany from a book shop I think. Quieter roads are generally nicer but it depends how fast you need to get to your next dest.

good luck

Ohhh I've found a route called the 'Romantic Road' supposedly almost all on a cycle track/path so no traffic to deal with and with some pretty beautiful scenery along the way, can't wait! Heading down that to Munich, then from there down to Milan then Zurich, then through France up to the coast and get the ferry over to ride to London to see family. Got 2 months to do it in (hope to be done by the time CMWC in Warsaw is on so I can fly there from London, should be more than enough time)

sounds good enjoy hope you get good wether for the journey

What are the best kind of roads to take between towns? The big not quite motorway roads or smaller more off the beaten track roads? I've been desperately trying to find a decent atlas of Germany/Europe that shows cycle paths/roads but can not for the life of me find anything decent.

The Bikeline series are good. I think they are only available in German but the maps are excellent so even if you don't read German they are useful.

http://www.esterbauer.com/index.html

map of all the cycle routes in Germany

http://kidderminstertothecaspianbybike.blogspot.com/

one of my favourite cycling blogs ever. All the way to Thailand on a cheap mountain bike.

I've not really got anything to add to this thread other than to bump this.

Read it all at work yesterday and it's a great. The bloke seems like genuinely one of the nicest people ever and he focuses on the tour rather than the bike (which is basically a cheap MTB, as bombadil points out). He doesn't see it as a hindrance either!

the cheap rigid mountain does make great touring bike once you took a spanner to it.

for a moment there, I though you meant a full suspension BSO when you said 'cheap MTB'.

the cheap rigid mountain does make great touring bike once you took a spanner to it.

for a moment there, I though you meant a full suspension BSO when you said 'cheap MTB'.

I work 4 on 4 off, so thinking about where I can fly to cheaply then ride back to London in time to catch a train back up to Leeds? Anyone done anything like this? Potentially fly out, 2/3 days riding time on the continent, ferry over and ride up to London in a day? 100 miles a day is well within my limits.... wouldn't want to be doing much more than 140 though, depending on terrain and conditions.

Back on some kind of topic, I've been doing a blog about my trip, if you want to check it out go here ciao from Italy!

Nice!

Will check this out, loved reading about other people's tour.

bloody hell, epic tour!
I like your detailed writing style, will delve deeper into it tonight, any idea how long you plan to stay out there riding for, or just so long as you need?

I must agree your blog makes lovely reading. I'd like to start one myself about my travels but fear no one would read it!

must be no moths in all of provence ;)

[quote][/quote]Wow, that is one bloody long journey, eh? :) I love your route. I think it's a good idea to stay away from Eastern Europe (despite it being financially attractive), as we've had loads of bikes stolen over there (I don't want to offend or generalise, but it has been all over the news, international bikers who go on a world cycling tour get their bikes stolen).

I wish I could pack a bag and leave my job behind, while setting off on a journey across Europe. Man, I'm so jealous.

Are you loving it yet? The weather in Western Europe has been pretty shit lately, how are you coping with this? Swearing in the rain?

If someone pass from south Italy we can go out for a couple of beers in bike! :)

Oh, damn, that's not fair! I'm stuck in **Berlin **for a bit and then gotta go back to the bloody Kingdom. How I wish for a holiday in Italy, weather on the North is terrible.

Cheers for the comments guys, glad you likey!
@Brickman, I reckon will be out for another 2/3 months, its kind of as long as I need but from here I'm going to be racing against the seasons as I don't really fancy spending too long camping in the cold around northern Germany!
@Spenceey, just start one man, no one reads mine but I quite like writing it!
@BailyPs Man I've been loving it from the start, don't get me wrong most of the time its fucking hard going and can be really demoralising but the times when it's good, it can't get much better! It's absolute perfection for those times and the balance is more than equalised! Haven't had too much rain or bad weather as yet, a few days in the North of Italy but apart from that nothing to complain too hard about. Sure that may change as I work my way North and back towards home!
Safe riding guys, just waiting for my ferry over to Croatia now! Italy's been awesome, can't wait to see what the other side's like. It's a bit of a turning point, literally as from now I'm heading North and kind of West(ish) first time for a good while!

Bulgaria and former yugo states I've been warned about before, but the same general common knowledge principle still applies, keep a low profile, stay off the main roads on the entry/exits from towns (always the roughest bit IME, instead find minor roads), stay with families/households wherever possible or out of sight (though don't forget a lot of people out there DO live in the woods, even in seemingly remote locations! though I've always found those sort of people to be the most eager to share and be friendly) and never leave anything anywhere, not even for a run into a shop.
If you do get trouble, any form of organised gang/attack, let them have it all, they do roll with guns/knifes/nasty people and they will take everything and hurt you (or worse) for the pleasure. If its just opportunistic common people, weigh up your options when you get to that situation.
But they are amazing countries, shit does happen, like anywhere else, but for me at least, the landscapes and the good people (and food!!!!) more than make up for it.