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I’m going away. In late March, I and my trusty companion will be departing these shores with our bikes on a ferry to Spain. For six months, we intend to cycle and camp, stopping as the whim takes us. We may take trains through Alpy bits, if we feel we need to, or if some deviation from our path suggests itself to us. An extremely rough representation of our proposed route is:
So, I’d really like to hear about anyone else who has done this kind of properly aimless travel. Six months is quite a generous amount of time for the actual route (we’re actually taking another six months afterward to go backpacking in South America, so it’s also kind of flexible) and we are only planning the most basic of itinerary, largely to identify campsites for the Spain/Portugal leg. The final stretch from Hungary to the west is largely along something called the Danube way, which is very well travelled by cyclists (and for which we’ve got a pretty comprehensive cycle guide). How quickly did people adjust to the lack of restrictions – the ‘not having to’-ness of it all? Did you start creating an alternative routine to replace the work life one? Where did you go and what was it like?
I am also begging for any and every hint, tip or suggestion on anywhere we should/shouldn’t go – based roughly on the route as depicted. What places/things are absolutely unmissable? What places are we likely to get pitchfork mobbed out of town? Camping tips and hints, and stuff on cycle touring in general. I haven't been 'proper' camping for years and we're in the process of kitting up right now. As you can probably guess, weight is they key criteria for almost everything, so any suggestions on kit would be so greatly appreciated. (I think I'll revive the one of the excellent cycle threads for advice on bike kit, but feel free to chuck it in here if the urge takes you.)
Tell me about your European and other travel extravaganzas and help me get the best out of mine. Please? |
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