Eurovelo 6
- Thread starter Morris
- Start date
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vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
Lucky you.
I'm doing it in installments.
This year's installment is from Beaune (slightly off route) to Passau.
I'm doing it in installments.
This year's installment is from Beaune (slightly off route) to Passau.
Paladin - York
New Member
- Location
- York
Brilliant.
In answer to the questions sofar.
Used Bikeline books for the major part,they appeared a little out of date regard campsites, roads, etc (campsitesclosed, roads changed).
My general perceptions were thatWestern Europe were as expected, good roads/tracks and facilities. InSwitzerland we had no maps, the signage was faultless there but in parts it wasthe worst cycling route in Western Europe and frightenly expensive they chargedyou a lot then stung you on paying with Euros. France, Germany andAustria were as expected. The route was generally great with great placesto see.
As you went east the roads and general facilitieswent downhill, surprisingly the roads in Romania were better than expected Iwould say the worst roads were Serbia, inRomania we had the odd bad road but a lot less than expected. Do not expect any signage inthe east. On some major roads the traffic combined with the potholes made ithard, going into Belgrade was verging on frightening (we did have our wife’swith us from Budapest to Belgrade) so I think I was worried about them whichmade it worse. In the east do not expect the drivers to give you a lot ofspace, some roads were quite busy then others no traffic at all. If you do notpay attention you are asking for a buckled wheel or worst. We had rear mirrorswhich were priceless. Do not expect a mass of campsites or bicycle shops.The route felt more of an adventure on this half. Some bits were justlike Western Europe notably around Bratislava but in Romania it was rural andsome days it seemed we saw as many horse and carts as cars, Romania did getquite boring. The bit going from Serbia into Romania with the tunnels andriver compared with anything in the western half.
It was me and a friend me 55yrs him 49yrs slightly both overweight and not your devoted CTC type cyclist just casual cyclists. It tookjust under 10 weeks with rest days and a little bit of sightseeing with lots of beer drinking. Twomates joined us from Linz to Budapest and our wife’s Budapest toBelgrade so we had to slow/hang around for them. I would say it was toolong 8/9 would have suited us better.
Casual facts:
Used standard touring bikes (Galaxy and Dalesman),700/32 tyres, only rear racks/panniers, carried spare inner tubes/spokes, reartyres wore out purchased new then carried old one in the eastern half. Did not really have any problems with bikes but did carry spares andtools to mend. Camped most of way, sometimes wild camping.
Dogs were roaming all over the place in Serbia andRomania and sometimes did chase the bikes, when you get too them you do notknow if they are going to chasing you or not. They did come around thetents also. You get used to it.
The City’s/Towns on the eastern half were notreally to my taste but that's a personnel thing
Rubbish did seem to be extensive in eastern half
Constanta was really disappointing at the end, theCasino is closed and verging on derelict.
All in all had a great time both western andeastern half but as said the eastern half was more of an adventure. Thepeople we meet were great in every Country which will be remembered as much asthe places.
Used Bikeline books for the major part,they appeared a little out of date regard campsites, roads, etc (campsitesclosed, roads changed).
My general perceptions were thatWestern Europe were as expected, good roads/tracks and facilities. InSwitzerland we had no maps, the signage was faultless there but in parts it wasthe worst cycling route in Western Europe and frightenly expensive they chargedyou a lot then stung you on paying with Euros. France, Germany andAustria were as expected. The route was generally great with great placesto see.
As you went east the roads and general facilitieswent downhill, surprisingly the roads in Romania were better than expected Iwould say the worst roads were Serbia, inRomania we had the odd bad road but a lot less than expected. Do not expect any signage inthe east. On some major roads the traffic combined with the potholes made ithard, going into Belgrade was verging on frightening (we did have our wife’swith us from Budapest to Belgrade) so I think I was worried about them whichmade it worse. In the east do not expect the drivers to give you a lot ofspace, some roads were quite busy then others no traffic at all. If you do notpay attention you are asking for a buckled wheel or worst. We had rear mirrorswhich were priceless. Do not expect a mass of campsites or bicycle shops.The route felt more of an adventure on this half. Some bits were justlike Western Europe notably around Bratislava but in Romania it was rural andsome days it seemed we saw as many horse and carts as cars, Romania did getquite boring. The bit going from Serbia into Romania with the tunnels andriver compared with anything in the western half.
It was me and a friend me 55yrs him 49yrs slightly both overweight and not your devoted CTC type cyclist just casual cyclists. It tookjust under 10 weeks with rest days and a little bit of sightseeing with lots of beer drinking. Twomates joined us from Linz to Budapest and our wife’s Budapest toBelgrade so we had to slow/hang around for them. I would say it was toolong 8/9 would have suited us better.
Casual facts:
Used standard touring bikes (Galaxy and Dalesman),700/32 tyres, only rear racks/panniers, carried spare inner tubes/spokes, reartyres wore out purchased new then carried old one in the eastern half. Did not really have any problems with bikes but did carry spares andtools to mend. Camped most of way, sometimes wild camping.
Dogs were roaming all over the place in Serbia andRomania and sometimes did chase the bikes, when you get too them you do notknow if they are going to chasing you or not. They did come around thetents also. You get used to it.
The City’s/Towns on the eastern half were notreally to my taste but that's a personnel thing
Rubbish did seem to be extensive in eastern half
Constanta was really disappointing at the end, theCasino is closed and verging on derelict.
All in all had a great time both western andeastern half but as said the eastern half was more of an adventure. Thepeople we meet were great in every Country which will be remembered as much asthe places.
Thank you for your thoughts Morris. It is appreciated. I wasn't really sure how long the entire route would take at a relaxed pace, so you saying it took you 10 weeks gives me a time frame to play with.
I was also very interested in an account of the eastern end of the route. The website suggests the entire route is a joy, which you just know can't be true. Old 'impoverished east' stereotypes come into play, and I try to make allowances for that, but you know there will be differences none-the-less. You've put some 'meat on the bone' re those differences, so thanks again.
That's almost as I'd expect and also what interests me. Hence my thoughts of skipping most of France!
I was also very interested in an account of the eastern end of the route. The website suggests the entire route is a joy, which you just know can't be true. Old 'impoverished east' stereotypes come into play, and I try to make allowances for that, but you know there will be differences none-the-less. You've put some 'meat on the bone' re those differences, so thanks again.
That's almost as I'd expect and also what interests me. Hence my thoughts of skipping most of France!
We did not really pay attention to costs but equally not just paying money. Some business tried to do a number on you exactly the same as some would in UK, find the price before hand. Always have in your mind what you should be paying in eastern Europe bearing in mind adverage pm income is about 300-350 euros, we walked away sometimes. In major Cities (where you will need a room) it was more expensive in the tourist spots. In Serbia and Romania it appeared cheaper. Off the cuff costs I would say £15 - £30 (outside tourist spots and dependant if we wild camped, eat out or cooked our own) per day and that was quite a lot of beer (80p-£1)
if
if
Bodhbh
Guru
Finished this a couple of days ago and sat in the hostel waiting for the laundry so though would add my thoughts. I didn't follow the whole route, but to the ferry to Zeebrugge, picked up the Elbe in Hamburg, then down to Prague and joined the Danube in Vienna and down to the end. I really just wanted to follow a fairly flat route across Europe as much as anything.
My experiences chimes with that of Morris pretty closely. From Hungary onwards, Serbia in particular, close passes from HGVs made some of the roads pretty hairy. In the end I was running the bike off the road rather than risk close passes if I heard trucks from behind, rear mirror would have been invaluble. Often they would be zero attempt to give you any space at all. Sometimes there was an off-road alternative, sometimes there wasn't. Surfaces on off-road options was variable, I was glad as was on a MTB.
It's what you make of it, but crossing the bottom of Romania became a bit of a slog in the end. The countryside doesn't change, there's not much between the towns, and if you're not wild-camping, you'll end up doing several 90 odd mile days to get between the limited sleeping/eating options. It's pretty much what it seems looking at the map. Also, expect alot of attention (waves, stares, kids running into the road to high-five, teenagers racing you, etc). I got used to it and it was all friendly, but it was a bit much at first.
In Serbia and Romania, not trying to peddle stereotypes, but there's a lot of strays, and lot of fly-tipping and rubbish. It's pretty depressing cycling thru some of the mess. You will see people get out their cart/car empty a binbag full of s**t into the verge and just can back in like it's nothing. Against that, had no real problems with rip-off artists, feeling threatened etc., and a number of occasions where people went out their way to help. My knee swelled up at one point and had to take a 40mile taxi ride to hole up a few days, I got charged 100% local price (I checked later). Only 1 issue with an empty hotel strangely having no single rooms and getting stuck in the matrimonial suite...
Oh well, last night tonight in Bucharest. I didn't get to see Transylvania, but hopefully will get authentic impression of life in the mountains tonight. It's shownight at the 'Count Dracula Club' and the man himself will be making an appearance.
My experiences chimes with that of Morris pretty closely. From Hungary onwards, Serbia in particular, close passes from HGVs made some of the roads pretty hairy. In the end I was running the bike off the road rather than risk close passes if I heard trucks from behind, rear mirror would have been invaluble. Often they would be zero attempt to give you any space at all. Sometimes there was an off-road alternative, sometimes there wasn't. Surfaces on off-road options was variable, I was glad as was on a MTB.
It's what you make of it, but crossing the bottom of Romania became a bit of a slog in the end. The countryside doesn't change, there's not much between the towns, and if you're not wild-camping, you'll end up doing several 90 odd mile days to get between the limited sleeping/eating options. It's pretty much what it seems looking at the map. Also, expect alot of attention (waves, stares, kids running into the road to high-five, teenagers racing you, etc). I got used to it and it was all friendly, but it was a bit much at first.
In Serbia and Romania, not trying to peddle stereotypes, but there's a lot of strays, and lot of fly-tipping and rubbish. It's pretty depressing cycling thru some of the mess. You will see people get out their cart/car empty a binbag full of s**t into the verge and just can back in like it's nothing. Against that, had no real problems with rip-off artists, feeling threatened etc., and a number of occasions where people went out their way to help. My knee swelled up at one point and had to take a 40mile taxi ride to hole up a few days, I got charged 100% local price (I checked later). Only 1 issue with an empty hotel strangely having no single rooms and getting stuck in the matrimonial suite...
Oh well, last night tonight in Bucharest. I didn't get to see Transylvania, but hopefully will get authentic impression of life in the mountains tonight. It's shownight at the 'Count Dracula Club' and the man himself will be making an appearance.
vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
Well done Bodhbh.
Cheers for the report bodhbh... and congrats. A well earned beer methinks.
It sounds like a real mixed bag and I'm not sure my prissy sensibilities would want to cope with some of the things you mention. I'll have to put my thinking cap on and work out what it is that I want. I suspect Nevers to Budapest might be enough for me.
It sounds like a real mixed bag and I'm not sure my prissy sensibilities would want to cope with some of the things you mention. I'll have to put my thinking cap on and work out what it is that I want. I suspect Nevers to Budapest might be enough for me.
bikepacker
Guru
- Location
- South Worcestershire
Are you the ones from Chester who two of us camped with back in July? It was in the village of Vern-d Anjou next to the sports field. We were cycling from Santander to the Semaine Federal.
Bodhbh
Guru
Yello and Vernon, cheers for the well done but undeserved, just glad to got the chance to go on a long tour, I've always been jealous of people who have. Most I met en route doing other long trips where either students, recent graduates taking a year out or retired and could afford the time out (I'm pushing 40).
Yello, regarding doing the whole thing. My feeling is it's a shame to stop at Budapest, you will miss some architypical Hungarian landscape (the great plains) and some excellent wine country
. Also, most following the route stop at Budapest, so afterwards you have the place to yourself...I really enjoyed Hungarian food, more than anyplace else.
That said, it dawned on me I was enjoying myself less and less as the journey progressed outside of Hungary. The Serbs were great, nice dry sence of humour, and had a couple of the best nights out in Belgrade. But, as I've said, the route was a tip in places, actually for about 50-60miles it was just like Saurons Mordor east of Belgrade, miles of flytipping, open caste mine, choking smoke, chimneys, coal fired powerstation etc. The Romanian section is 600 miles of flat land which doesn't change from the border to the coast.
I bumped into a couple of couples coming back from Romania when I was heading out there. They'd been in the mountains and their reports couldn't have been more glowing. I think to take Velo 6 and follow the flat route by the Danube, you are cutting off your nose to spite your face and missing the best of the country, in terms of scenery, cities and historic interest.
If I was to do it again, I'd head East from Budapest, the option of the great plains, or the wine producing towns of Egar, etc, then SE over the Carpathians once I hit Romania. I did thought about it at the time, but it was October, there was already snow in the mountains (they've had -7C in some of the northern cities already) and I don't have winter gear. But it's all good anyhow...
Gave Count Dracula a miss in the end. Wanted to enjoy my last meal here in peace, someone hamming up a Vampire in my face would probably be at odds with that.
Yello, regarding doing the whole thing. My feeling is it's a shame to stop at Budapest, you will miss some architypical Hungarian landscape (the great plains) and some excellent wine country
. Also, most following the route stop at Budapest, so afterwards you have the place to yourself...I really enjoyed Hungarian food, more than anyplace else.That said, it dawned on me I was enjoying myself less and less as the journey progressed outside of Hungary. The Serbs were great, nice dry sence of humour, and had a couple of the best nights out in Belgrade. But, as I've said, the route was a tip in places, actually for about 50-60miles it was just like Saurons Mordor east of Belgrade, miles of flytipping, open caste mine, choking smoke, chimneys, coal fired powerstation etc. The Romanian section is 600 miles of flat land which doesn't change from the border to the coast.
I bumped into a couple of couples coming back from Romania when I was heading out there. They'd been in the mountains and their reports couldn't have been more glowing. I think to take Velo 6 and follow the flat route by the Danube, you are cutting off your nose to spite your face and missing the best of the country, in terms of scenery, cities and historic interest.
If I was to do it again, I'd head East from Budapest, the option of the great plains, or the wine producing towns of Egar, etc, then SE over the Carpathians once I hit Romania. I did thought about it at the time, but it was October, there was already snow in the mountains (they've had -7C in some of the northern cities already) and I don't have winter gear. But it's all good anyhow...
Gave Count Dracula a miss in the end. Wanted to enjoy my last meal here in peace, someone hamming up a Vampire in my face would probably be at odds with that.
