Germany

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Thankyou Andy..most helpful.

Pete Hi,

just how bad are those winds? From which direction are they coming from mainly? Let me guess....the North west right?

Are there many hills?...I dont see many on the route profile and I've never seen a river flow uphill yet....but i have a friend over there who says there are some prety hilly parts between koln and Holland.

I thought about doing this route simply because I can get a lift to Strasbourg with the bike .

 

[Andy in Sig]

The Winds: like the UK it depends on the time of year i.e. you can expect it to be a bit blowier in mid autumn and in March-April.

Secondly the Rhine bike route cannot be regarded as hilly because the bike path tends to be confined to the valley floor even when it is passing through spectacular vine clad hills so there's nothing to worry about there.

If you do the Weser, there are some stretches which just before Hann. Munden which are steady slogs but which are not get off and walk bits and that bumpy bit lasts only about 20 km if memory serves.

This route selection all depends on how much time you have. If time is tight then Hamburg-Bremerhaven-Emden-Rhine is the best. But if you have a few weeks I would go Hamburg-Bremerhaven-Weser-Fulda-Sinntal-Main-Romantische Straße-Danube-Wutach-Rhine (approaching Freiburg from the south). This latter route will let you see the best of Germany and give you a trip to remember but the former will be pretty good too.

Ooops! Sorry I've just realised that I've addressed a question aimed at Pete.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I am grateful for all the help I can get mate!

I have 3 weeks (ish) but I would want to spend some of that time off the bike with my family in freiburg...well freistedt to be more accurate. So i think 2 weeks would be enough. Both routes (hamburg down & Strasbourg home) have real merits. I am looking to find a riding partner or two. So the choice of route would need to be a joint decision.

 

[Andy in Sig]

If you've only got two weeks you may wish to consider taking the train from Hamburg to Duisburg and getting on the Rhine route there. You can then allow yourself a week for the trip down.