Messages

1

Routes / Re: July & August to Cycle Europe: Where should I go?

« on: March 01, 2018, 06:28:59 am »

Hi we are from England and did our first independent bike tour last year - we cycled in Europe as it's easy for us to get to and actually finished in Venice (although not with our bikes)

Venice is amazing, but not really possible to cycle as so very busy - no cars, just pedestrians and lots of bridges with steps. We cycled in the north of Italy, starting in Bolzano. It is great to visit the major city centres - Florence, Verona etc, but be aware that they are very busy again with tourists and pedestrians that you might want to explore these on foot - there are a lot of cobbles too! Some of the smaller towns we visited and loved were Ferrara and Mantova - you will really get a feel of Italy here.

We also cycled in The Netherlands - an absolute dream for navigating, Belgium - again a cyclists dream country and great beer and Germany - along the Rhine route, also great beer! In fact  the hotly anticipated part of our facebook posts were 'Beer of the Day' -of which there was a different one every day!  We are only beginners to touring (although as you might suspect not to drinking beer)  and it was very easy to follow your nose in these places - unlike the UK bikes are king and all the towns we visited had a cycle path network.

 We have also cycled end to end in the UK, a great way to see our country and Scotland was amazing.

We are planning on the Trans America Trail next year! Happy touring

2

Routes / Re: Rhine River Cycle Ride

« on: March 01, 2018, 06:15:11 am »

Hi Joanne

How very exciting! We cycled from Mannheim to the mouth last summer as part of our first ever cycle tour. We are from England and so no need for us to fly our bikes over. The cicerone guide is useful if you get lost, but difficult to follow. We found that the signs were excellent and we didn't need to use the book - it was more tricky in the towns, however the locals mostly speak English and were very happy to help, one guy in Germany diverted from his commute home to navigate us through Dussledorf - pay particular attention to route notes in Duisberg - it was difficult to navigate. The paths are mostly tarmac - even through the forests!

You most certainly don't need route notes in the Netherlands - it is a dream to cycle - basically they have a system of point to point cycle ways and you just follow the numbers. Rotterdam was a highlight!

We camped all the way without any problems - you might want to download the ACSI app which you can use offline for campsite locations.

Won't spoil your fun with too many stories- you will want to make your own - but if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. We are hoping to cycle the trans America Trail next year!