Yorkshire to Copenhagan

[Oliverd]

I’ve cycled to Copenhagen - solo camping, no route planning to speak of. My path was roughly Hoek, Den Oever, Groningen, Bremerhaven, Flensburg, Kolding, Odense, Copenhagen. That’s the bigger towns, not where I stopped, but just to give an idea of the route. I rode for eight days on a road bike with rear panniers.

Unloaded your route is definitely doable, especially if the weather is good and the prevailing SW wind remains kind. Whether it will be enjoyable is another matter. Will you be solo or in company? Are your overnight stays fixed or can you be flexible?

Ahh, I see you went further North, how was that?

I guess it's worth mentioning that I'm doing it for 2 reasons, as a physical challenge/adventure and to raise as much £££ as I can for The Christie hospital in Manchester. The enjoyment would be nice, but not my primary purpose ;-)

 

[iluvmybike]

Do some 2-3 day tours with your gear in your build up. It's fine being able to ride 70-100 miles in a day unladen but day in day out with a load is very different

 

[newfhouse]

That's really encouraging, thanks!

I'll be solo which means I can go at my own pace. I was planning on booking accommodation ahead of time so that it's locked in and I don't need to worry about finding anywhere, would you advise keeping it flexible in case of issues?

It depends entirely on your personality and risk appetite. For me the worry about having to be somewhere on a given date is worse than any concern about failing to find a suitable place to stop. Maybe I'm unusual in that, but I find it gives me freedom to have a short day if I find something interesting to stop for, or a long day if the weather is kind and I feel like pushing on. I've never been stuck for an overnight stop, but I haven't toured post plague, so maybe it will be different now.

Ahh, I see you went further North, how was that?

It was good, although tediously flat until I was well into Denmark. The first sign of a properly rolling landscape was on Fyn. Still hardly mountainous, but slightly more reminiscent of the North Surrey I'm used to.

The enjoyment would be nice, but not my primary purpose ;-)

If you have decent weather without too much headwind you'll enjoy it, I think. I recall I only had three fairly wet days so not too bad for Northern Europe in July.

Like you, I had a family member come out to meet me and spend a few days in Copenhagen. As cities go, I loved it.

 

[Cathryn]

Your trip sounds amazing and I'm very jealous.

I would agree that 100 miles day after day on a loaded bike is quite ambitious - can you add a couple of days? That would make it more fun and more do-able. I wouldn't like to do more than 60/day especially in a new country, where I like to actually look at things like views and buildings and cafes.

Personally I like to book my accommodation in advance so I know I have a warm bed and it gives my day some structure and a goal. That's just me - others think differently.

 

[geocycle]

For a week long tour I’d always book in advance as you will very likely be on schedule. More than that I tend to be more flexible but it is now easy to get places you can cancel the day before. If I was doing 100 mile days the last thing I’d want to do is look for accommodation at the end of the day.

 

[HelenD123]

For a shortish tour like this with long days I would definitely book accommodation in advance. You don't want to use up time in the day sorting out somewhere to stay. And knowing where you're staying means you can plot a route straight to the door, again saving time.