EuroVelo 13

[dimrub]

This route, known as the "iron curtain trail", is said to "explore the history of Europe's division". This may have been true half a year ago, but now it's to experience this division in practice. While westerners should still be able to cross the border into Russia, I for one have no intention whatsoever of doing so, for reasons both of safety but mostly of principles.

This does pose a practical question though. While this is still a remote possibility for me (me and the junior have quite a few kms yet to cycle W to E before we contemplate anything like crossing the continent N to S), how does one bypass Russia? Sankt Petersburg should be easy: instead of crossing the border near Vaalimaa one continues along the coast to Helsinki (a lovely city, which should be on this or other EV route by right) then take a ferry to Tallinn - then perhaps take a train to Narva, and there you go, Russia bypassed, while all of Estonia, a lovely, lovely country is still there to explore and enjoy. But the Königsberg/Kaliningrad enclave is a trickier beast. Take a ferry from Klaipeda - to where? Kiel? That misses out on the whole Baltic shore of Poland, including the historical city of Gdansk. Take a direct bus Klaipeda-Gdansk that goes through Kaliningrad? I'd rather not.

(As for Sankt Petersburg, and I remember that @HobbesOnTour in particular wrote how he wants to visit it - yes, I've seen plenty of it in better times, and it is indeed an amazing city, a jewel for sure, right on top there with London, Paris and Vienna, and I'd love to show the kids around - one day, but not now).

 

[HobbesOnTour]

If there's one thing the last few years should have taught us it's the futility of making plans and the importance of constant flexibility
I say embrace the chaos

On a practical note, to keep track of what other cyclists are doing I'd suggest (as always) CrazyGuyOnABike, possibly (with slight distaste) Cycleblaze and I'm sure there are plenty of groups on Feckbook.

And good old CycleTravel to offer interesting alternatives away from the scary places

 

[T4tomo]

Can you not just skirt inland in Lithuania and thru the Suwalki Gap to Poland and resume the coast route

 

[dimrub]

Can you not just skirt inland in Lithuania and thru the Suwalki Gap to Poland and resume the coast route

That's quite a bit of a detour - some 670 km - but on the upside, the detour passes through the lovely city of Kaunas, so maybe worth the additional pedaling!

 

[dimrub]

I can't let go of the idea of doing this route - and doing it in one go. I haven't been on a vacation longer than 3 weeks for decades, haven't been on a vacation alone (without the family) longer than 1 week forever. But this route is calling me. The call of the not-very-wild?

Without wanting to, I'm starting to think of how to do this. Like, which way to go? I'm thinking North to South, getting over with the wilder part from the beginning, but maybe not a good idea? And if so, how does one even get to the starting point? It appears, the most reasonable option is by boat, which adds another 6 days to the journey (it goes all along the coast of Norway) And when to go? Perhaps starting in August, when it's warm in Finland, then continuing through the Fall, when the weather is mild in central and southern Europe? But I remember well the mosquitos in August in Lapland - it was pretty awful (but then, we were on the river, rafting our way down Tornijoki, maybe in the Eastern part things are not as extreme?) And how does one equip for such a journey? And anyway I don't want to do this before we're done with EuroVelo 6, so what's the use...

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Tough love incoming!

anyway I don't want to do this before we're done with EuroVelo 6, so what's the use...

How long until you hit your teenage years because that reads like it was written by a petulant child who wants instant gratification and will throw all their toys out of the pram unless they get it!

You do know that there are people who will read this thread and due to injury or ill health such a tour is practically an impossibility?
Your problem appears to be that you can't get to do your Iron Curtain tour until you've completed your current one. On the radar screen of problems it doesn't exist.

I'd encourage you to stop for a moment and think about your good fortune that this seems to be an attainable goal.

What's the use?

Every bit of research that you do towards a dream makes it more real, less dreamlike. More attainable. Everything you see, read and hear accumulates somewhere in your head and points you in particular directions. That's why we research, or as I prefer to think if it, look for inspiration.
Because when we look for specific information we invariably come across other things too, things that can really broaden the journey.
Practically no decisions are independent of each other - they are all interlinked. A broad overview leads to better decisions (usually).

Specific information like go North to South or when to start are connected. To my mind not to be made at the start of the process but at the end - when all the information is in.

At 80km a day, every day the approximate 10,000km of your route will take 4 months to complete. I've no idea of how much experience you have on your own for that length of time but it's something that will take a lot of preparation for - not just for you but your family. A one or two week jaunt with a group or a son has the potential to be quite different to what you're contemplating.
A journey such as you're contemplating can be broad and enriching if we're in the right frame of mind or as narrow as the line on the Garmin you're following if not. What's between the ears and beating in the chest is far more important than anything else, in my view. Fill your head. Fill your heart.

My suggestion to you is to track down as many accounts of travel and bike touring as you can and absorb as much as you can. Forget specifics, allow a "big picture" to develop.
Be inspired.
Don't plan now. That will come later.

Look to what skills you might need on such a long trip - bike maintenance, language, navigation, camping in various weathers, wild camping, cooking and set about acquiring the basics of those skills.
And practice.

At the end of the day it's riding a bike. There's not much complexity to it - except for what we bring to the table.

Good luck

 

[bluenotebob]

I wanted to write something in defence of @dimrub 's earlier post about the EV13 but have either not had time because I’ve been out on my bike .. or too tired because I’ve been out on my bike…

A short digression … I was a long-distance walker throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s .. mostly in the UK but I also walked parts of long-distance routes in France, Slovenia and Italy. I remember falling over laughing when my friends and I discovered the Euro footpaths … Madrid to Moscow??? Wow – but why stop there?

I walked long stretches of the E6 and E7 in Slovenia (I lived there for a few years) but the routes became a bit fuzzy when those paths crossed borders into Croatia, Italy or Austria. I was in Stanford’s Bookshop in London about 20 years ago and I asked if there was any literature on these long-distance routes – the response was ..”you have to realise that these are ‘notional’ paths – well-marked in some countries but virtually non-existent in others”. I’m sure that’s still true today – and it possibly also applies to some/most of the EV cycle routes.

It seems to me now that while trying to follow ‘official paths’ where you can, it’s less important than just getting out there and connecting ‘A’ to ‘B’ however you can.

I swapped walking for cycling about 6 years ago (walking any distance became too difficult) and I try to cycle at least 10000km a year. I’ve found that as I approach my 70th birthday, I’m still cycling further each year (in terms of total distance) but I’m going less distance from home… if that makes sense. Driving somewhere to discover new cycle routes has also become more difficult as I get older.

But that won’t stop me dreaming … I’m sure that soon I’ll spend a few more wet winter days by the wood-burner with a pot of herbal tea and dozens of maps spread out on the floor. I shall be imagining and planning routes that I know deep-down I’ll never pursue – but my mind won’t accept that .. even if my legs wave the white flag.

Dream on @dimrub – and keep planning. There’s nothing wrong with that – or with sharing your aspirations and frustrations on here.

Not sure how much of the above is interesting or relevant – but I feel better for having written it. I’ll be out on my bike later (once the gale-force wind drops a bit) and I won’t go far today – but my heart will be beating, my legs turning and my lungs full of fresh air – and I shall be dreaming of going much further … even if I know that I won’t.

 

[dimrub]

Exactly Bob! For me, planning an adventure is an integral part of it - and just plain fun! First dreaming about it, then starting to come up with a high level plan, gradually you plan with more and more details until you suddenly find yourself in posession of the plane tickets to the starting point .

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I wanted to write something in defence of @dimrub 's earlier post

The suggestion that @dimrub needs to be defended has made me realise that perhaps my post could be seen as "attacking" dimrub.
That certainly wasn't my intention and if it came across that way I sincerely apologise.

My response was inspired by "what's the use?" and would have had a different tone if addressing someone who has not completed two tours this year!

A four month + trip on the road will throw up many "what's the use" moments (or maybe that's just me) and figuring out how to deal with them and rediscover "the use" is an essential skill of the long distance traveller in my opinion.

I stand by the advice I offered and without meaning to be pedantic on the definition of "plan" I personally would rather have a head full of inspiration than a head full of plans for such a journey, certainly at this early stage of the process.
Plans don't survive the first punch in the face to paraphrase Mike Tyson but inspiration is for ever.

Tim Moore has a humorous book on the Iron Curtain Trail that is probably not much use for planning but may well nourish the inspiration.

And having once again encountered the vagaries of a EuroVelo route (albeit at the opposite end of the continent) I'd encourage anyone to approach them with caution

 

[RobinS]

We have spent quite a few months on various EV routes over the last few years. Some are virtually non-existent, some are well marked, real cycle trails, mainly off busy roads, and many stretches utilise local/regional/national cycle routes, tieing them together into one whole - in general they work really well, you just need to be aware that the signposting will often not be EV signposting, you follow one set of signs for a few days, then another set!
One big advantage of foilowing EV routes is that in general there are enough campsites and shops. When finding our own way we have sometimes really struggled with finding places to camp or buy food, ending up with huge diversions for supplies etc.

 

[dimrub]

I'm starting to think of actually pulling the trigger on this next year. Question is, when to do it. I'm thinking, starting in late July may be the best option in terms of less mosquitoes, the weather being warm enough in the North, and berries season too. I can then get to Helsinki towards late August, and consider my options. I'm definitely bypassing the RF, so yes, the plan is to get to Helsinki, take a ferry to Tallinn, and then either take a bus/train to Narva and reconnect to the route, or just continue from Tallinn. I will also take the option suggested above of bypassing the Koenigsberg region through the Suwalki gap.

It should still be warm enough through October to cycle comfortably, by which time I can probably make it to the warmer parts of Bulgaria and Greece, so as to continue all the way to the Black Sea. I don't want to rush things or go by a strict schedule in order to make it in time - worst case I'll cut it short, if the weather becomes uncomfortable. This one should be about not-planning, and not-rushing as much as possible without compromising safety.

Also, starting from the official starting point seems challenging - and not exactly worth it. I'm thinking of flying from Oslo to Kirkenes and starting from there.

 

[dimrub]

Tim Moore has a humorous book on the Iron Curtain Trail that is probably not much use for planning but may well nourish the inspiration.

I have now finished reading that book. And having furthermore realized, that it exemplifies the author's modus operandi, which consists of riding impossible routes on an unsuitable bike in impossible weather, while complaining incessantly about old age and infirmity, and interspersing the narrative with historical detours and descriptions of the effect the hard conditions have on author's various bodily functions, I'm now determined to read all of them. Now reading "Vuelta Skelter" which, while also highly entertaining, is in a much more sombre mood - yes, the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War overshadow even the cruelness of the East German border guards.

Actually, "The cyclist who went out in the cold", while incredibly entertaining, is very informative too. I have no intention of starting the route in March, or riding it on a MIFA 900 series bike, but the descriptions of the various points along the route are quite detailed.

 

[dimrub]