Germany

[Bigtallfatbloke]

..that trip looks almost perfect...I'd probably pick up the route in Hamburg and ride down to Freiburg...erm..unless the winds and hills are more favourable the other way around?

...only thing is I'll be needing twice as long as you seemed to need...from your distance chart it looks like to ride 120+Km everyday....(to date my longest ride was 145km and it's taken me three days to get over it!)

 

[redfox]

I cant really comment on which way is normally favourable wind wise, as I rode it at the peak of last years heatwave and wind was not the major concern.

Most of the route is not that hilly, but it does undulate quite a bit until you get to the Rhine when things get a lot flatter.

The daily distances were governed by youth hostel locations, which meant I could leave the tent at home.

Congrats on your 145K by the way, it was a sterling effort considering your previous longest was a third of the distance!

 

[Andy in Sig]

If hilly bits are a concern and while I think Redfox's route looks like it would be great fun, I ought to point out that the route I suggested is as hill free as you can get, except for crossing the Rhön (and you could hop on a train for that bit). If you want to do it really flat, follow the N Sea coastal route as far as Emden and then turn south and pick up the Rhine at around Kleve and carry on south. You'll end up pining for the hills if you follow that route.

 

[redfox]

If hilly bits are a concern and while I think Redfox's route looks like it would be great fun, I ought to point out that the route I suggested is as hill free as you can get, except for crossing the Rhön (and you could hop on a train for that bit).

I should point out that parts of my route were definitely not fun, there were a couple of big roads I would try to avoid if I did it again. You might want to see if some of the B roads I used are avoidable.

Having said that, the mandatory cycle path use on most of the smaller roads did make me appreciate the bigger roads on occasion.

If you want to do it really flat, follow the N Sea coastal route as far as Emden and then turn south and pick up the Rhine at around Kleve and carry on south. You'll end up pining for the hills if you follow that route.

Agree totally, hills provide great views and a sense of achievement, while flat days against the wind just make you question why you are there.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

..hmm...time to get out my maps mefinks and work this all out...the mrs is over there right now...she's going to bring back some cycle maps....I can feel me getting itchy to go already...havent even unpacked yet!

 

[Andy in Sig]

Get her to pick up a couple of the Bikeline books for you. A good start would be those for the N Sea route which will get you to Bremen or Bremerhave and the Weser route.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

...well she arrived home with two books from bikeline. Teil 2 und 3 Rhein -radweg Basel nach Mainz Und Mainz nach Rotterdam. They look like great guides! I will spend some time looking through them....cleary though I'll need to get anothe route....but I like the idea of cycling along the river....I know much of the area around Offenburg, Buhl, Kehl, Strasbourg....even been to Rust and the Europa park a few times....but never on a bike. The guides are in german which is going to take some getting used to...but it will improove my pathetic German I am sure! These books are the right size for my bar bag as well, and they break things down nicely into 'route cards'.

I will need to base any trip around campsites mostly, given I will be on a seriously tight budget.

 

[Cathryn]

I've got some bikeline books too for next year's trip. The maps are self explanatory, aren't they, which helps as my German is pretty rough as well. I'm planning to translate them all to improve my German in 'training' for the trip

How exciting is planning a trip? At least as much fun as actually doing it. Bought my Rough Guide to India today- am beside myself with excitement!!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

[I'm planning to translate them all to improve my German in 'training' for the trip /QUOTE]

...cool...I'll send mine over with a tenner inside!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Andy where does the weser route start and end?

 

[Cathryn]

[I'm planning to translate them all to improve my German in 'training' for the trip /QUOTE]

...cool...I'll send mine over with a tenner inside!

Hahah. Ich bin nicht so billig!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

naturlich...


...where are you planning on going in Germany?..I thought you were going to India?

I am starting to think I might go for the Rhine radweg picking it up at Freiburg and following it along to the Hook of Holland and get a ferry home into harwich....just the initial idea at this point, but I have the maps, my gear is packed...hmm...just need to wait for next summer....or do I

 

[Cathryn]

I am going to India (hurrah) but am foreward-planning next year's big trip which includes Switzerland and Austria, so have the bikeline maps for that already! Your Germany trip sounds brill...I've done a couple of trips to Germany and loved it, it's a brilliant country.

 

[orbiter]

I am starting to think I might go for the Rhine radweg picking it up at Freiburg and following it along to the Hook of Holland and get a ferry home into harwich

I rode down the Rhine radweg in June, from Mannheim to the Hook (I started at the source of the Neckar). It's a good route and mostly interesting, at least the first time. I used mostly hostels, which were cheap & comfortable. The only problem is that wind usually follows rivers and if it's against you, it isn't good news. You risk this particularly in the westward stretch across Holland. I had three days of this, with regular rain squalls
On the subject of Bikeline maps (which are great), these are ideal: http://www.klickfix.de/freeliee.htm

Pete

 

[Andy in Sig]

Andy where does the weser route start and end?

It ends, or starts depending on your point of view, in Bremerhaven which is N of Bremen and goes to Hannoversche Münden where the Weser is formed from the confluence of the Werra with the Fulda. You then have the option of continuing S along the Fulda Radweg (also a Bikeline book) as far as the Rhön hills. You can get over these and down the Sinntal as far as the Main using an ADFC (German Bike Assn) map.

I'm fairly sure that you can get to Bremerhaven from Hamburg by following a section of the N Sea Coastal Route (also Bikeline books). One point about these books; you don't need to order them all in advance as they are available in any bookshop on the relevant routes and often in the newspaper shops at the bigger railway stations.