Cycling Europe - Map questions

[Tedx]

Hi All

I will be cycling through Germany, France and Pyrenees to Spain soon. I have found maps easily enough through France but I'm struggling to find suitable maps for Germany. Can anybody give any advise on where to find them? also I'm planning to use a scale of around 1;100,000 will that be ok?

Any advise you can give on the best way to plan the route would be great.

Thanks guys

 

[HJ]

I can recommend the Esterbauer cycle maps (Radkarte) they also do an great series of guides to Europe. The only down side is they are mostly in German.

 

[snorri]

1:100 000 would give you ample detail, but you would need rather a lot of sheets to cover your intended journey which would be expensive and heavy.
I usually plan a route from a 1: 4 500 000 of Europe pick out the places I want to see and buy maps and guides as I go.
For the German section you could look at the Bikeline guides published by www.esterbauer.com and see if they have a route going in your direction. These books are readily available in bookshops once you get over to Germany.
A pocket compass helps to ensure you are going in the right direction.

Woops Hairy Jock beat me to it with the Bikeline info!

 

[Tedx]

Thanks guys. I agree that 1;100,000 scale is too small for all that way and buying while over there would probably be best. I start in Germany so I at least wanted to get the first part of the tour planned. Maybe I will just take 1;200,000 maps and take a compass to guide me in the right direction as you say. Maybe that way is a little more adventurous. I'm just a little scared I will cycle 50 miles only to find it was the wrong road!

 

[psmiffy]

I always use 1 million to plan and as overall guide then buy quarter mill or thereabouts when I get to the first bookshop

I have an etrex vista with garmin europe which I find is pretty useless for navigation -maps are too small to see where I am going - street level detail is great for getting in and out of towns in conjunction with a proper map and the GPS compass - preloading 2000km of route that I probably will not follow is just not my scene

 

[andym]

No wonder I had a sense of déja vu:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12613963&sid=42ba4326a4d8a0c1962ad414643c71ab

- preloading 2000km of route that I probably will not follow is just not my scene

Agree but you could download places to see/campsites etc and then use the information when improvising a route.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Germany = Radwegs = Bikelinemaps

 

[Tedx]

I hope to follow the Rhine river in Germany as much as possible so it shouldnt be too hard. I will print off more detailed maps of the towns and cities as you say.

Just looked on the Michelin site they sell 1;200;000 maps for Germany so may go for them. The atlas they sell doesn't indicate the scale it's in. Then I'll buy a couple of cycle routes from Esterbauer.

has anybody done Germany yet?

 

[snorri]

has anybody done Germany yet?

It's a big area to do!
Once you have given us an idea of your start point and some specific questions, I have no doubt someone on here will be able to offer advice.

 

[Andy in Sig]

I hope to follow the Rhine river in Germany as much as possible so it shouldnt be too hard. I will print off more detailed maps of the towns and cities as you say.

Just looked on the Michelin site they sell 1;200;000 maps for Germany so may go for them. The atlas they sell doesn't indicate the scale it's in. Then I'll buy a couple of cycle routes from Esterbauer.

has anybody done Germany yet?

Get the Esterbauer Bikeline guide Rhein Radweg Teil 3 Mainz - Rotterdam. Obviously you'll be going in the "reverse" direction.

Have a look at the Esterbauer Verlag website where there should be an overview map showing the stretches which their guides cover. Don't worry that the texts are in German as all you need is the mapping which is excellent. The guides also list hotels, by town, at the back.

If you go into areas not covered by the Bikeline guides then just pop into any bookshop: there you will find local and possibly national bike mapping. The ADFC (German national bike club) does 1:75,000 mapping of the whole of the country. IMO it would be daft to use 1:200,000 mapping.

 

[rualexander]

Haven't cycled in Germany but for early stage planning the Michelin maps are good and can be viewed online
http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/int/dyn/controller/Cartes
Just enter a placename and then zoom in to get the scale you want.

Some good looking maps available from here :
http://www.omnimap.com/catalog/cycling/b-german.htm

And this looks like the German equivalent of the OS :
http://tinyurl.com/dkxmyu

 

[HJ]

Get the Esterbauer Bikeline guide Rhein Radweg Teil 3 Mainz - Rotterdam. Obviously you'll be going in the "reverse" direction.

Have a look at the Esterbauer Verlag website where there should be an overview map showing the stretches which their guides cover. Don't worry that the texts are in German as all you need is the mapping which is excellent. The guides also list hotels, by town, at the back.

If you go into areas not covered by the Bikeline guides then just pop into any bookshop: there you will find local and possibly national bike mapping. The ADFC (German national bike club) does 1:75,000 mapping of the whole of the country. IMO it would be daft to use 1:200,000 mapping.

This bit of the Esterbauer Verlag website you want...

 

[ASC1951]

has anybody done Germany yet?

IIRC Auntie Helen of this forum does a lot of touring in Germany.

 

[ontheroadtofrance]

Try usig a Garmin or same kind of gadget, you can add maps of where your going and zoom in and out at free will, mark points where your going and it gives you other useful locations

 

[Auntie Helen]

IIRC Auntie Helen of this forum does a lot of touring in Germany.

Heh, that's amusing! I visit Germany regularly but have never actually toured there yet. I've just talked a lot about wanting to do it!

However, my ferry ticket is booked for the end of May as I will be doing a 3 week Rhine/Moselle trip on my trike. So I can report back then! I've loaded some routes onto my Garmin 205 and have the Bikeline books for the Rhine Teil 3 and the Moselle, plus a Bett & Bike handbook so I can find somewhere to stay. If anyone wants to meet me on the route, do let me know!