Europe Tour

[FixAroundEurope]

Hey guys,

I'm planning a tour all around europe in April and would love feedback from anyone who can give it.
Firstly, I'm riding a track bike around with my girlfriend who has a proper touring bike (davinci caribou) i'm getting 20L panniers for the back and we're packing as light as possible.
Our trip entails landing in Manchester-birmingham-bournemouth-london-amsterdam-paris-madrid-nice-venice then back to france somewhere to stay for a month or 2. Planning on biking about 100k(60miles) a day stopping in towns/cities on the way along with staying in major cities for a few days
If anyone has planned a route like this( i know this one is very rough) and can give advice on great routes or tips then much would be appreciated.
We are bringing a tent and plan on both warmshowering/hostelling/friends and camping where needed.
We have given ourselves about 4 months for the trip, so we have plenty of time.

Cheers,

Fix'dAroundEurope

 

[vspa]

i would hesitate to include Metropoles like Paris on the schedule. but if it motivates you, go ahead !
keep in mind the extra obstacles, like: heavy traffic, endless number of streets, thefts, expensive lodging

 

[Gerrypatt]

Anywhere in Holland is great. You might consider going down through Maastricht, then into the Ardennes in Belgium. Very nice cycling (and pretty hilly) there and an interesting way to get into France.

Through France you've got a thousand ways to get to Spain, so take your pick. Through the center is lovely (the Loire Valley, Massif Central, etc.), but the Atlantic coast is great also and there are miles and miles of cycling paths there, if you want them.

Coming across France (after Spain) I would stay inland most of the time. Coastal riding through Languedoc and Provence-Cote d'Azur is not that great (there are exceptions, of course). I have a website with many rides in Languedoc and i'll be adding more through the winter. Once you reach Nice then it's along the coast till you get well into Italy. This is decent riding, unless it's the height of tourists season, I'd say. I went past Venice last summer and have a blog entry on that route here. Scroll to the bottom to see the map. I'm not sure I'd recommend this one, though. Once you hit the Po Valley it is pretty monotonous and a fair amount of traffic, at least for us.

You might think about going back to France through the Alps. You can follow the Tour de France from Pinerolo up and over the mountains!

Bonne Route!
Gerry

 

[vspa]

Originally Posted by Gerrypatt .

Anywhere in Holland is great.
Bonne Route!
Gerry

yes, except maybe for the weather, still very much worth it for touring.