Europe Double-Cross 2019
Cycling from Portugal to Scotland, and from France to the Black Sea (Romania)
The allure of cycling across Europe is incredibly strong. For Americans, it offers a deep sense of history, illustrated with medieval castles and a complex mix of fascinating cultures. What’s more, there’s a pretty well-developed, continent-wide set of cycling routes - the EuroVelo - that takes a lot of the guesswork out of planning. In 2019 we completed a European double-cross, cycling all the way across Europe from the Portuguese Algarve in the south to Scotland in the north, and then from France’s Loire Valley in the west to the Romanian Black Sea beaches in the east. Click on the button below to relive the adventure with us.
Quick Links to Europe 2019 Blog Pages
31 January 2019. Europe, here we come!
2 February 2019. 8,400+ Miles (13,500+ km) Across Europe in the Saddle
4 February 2019. The Weather in Europe
14 February 2019. All the Cycling Stuff We’ll Carry With Us in Europe
Portugal
12 February 2019. The Flight to Lisbon, Portugal: Up, up and away!
13-16 February 2019. Lisbon, Portugal: Launching our bike trip from the City of Explorers
17-22 February 2019. Lisbon to Sagres, Portugal: Expect the unexpected
23-25 February 2091. Sagres to Monte Gordo, Portugal: Cycling the Portuguese Riviera
Spain
26 February - 1 March 2019. Monte Gordo, Portugal to Zafra, Spain: Biking to a flamenco beat
2-5 March 2019. Zafra to Cáceres, Spain: Carnaval in west-central Spain
6-8 March 2019. Cáceres to Béjar, Spain: Biking back into the mountains
9-10 March 2019. Béjar to Zamora, Spain: From the mountains to the plains
11-12 March 2019. Zamora to Palencia, Spain: Across the open fields
13-15 March 2019. Palencia to Belorado, Spain: Thorns, gravel roads, and flat tires
16-17 March 2019. Belorado to Estella, Spain: Biking through Basque country
18-19 March 2019. Estella to Pamplona, Spain: Headwinds, Holidays and Hemingway
20-21 March 2019. Pamplona, Spain to Saint-Jean-de Luz, France: From snowy peaks to sea cliffs
France
22-24 March 2019. Saint-Jean-de-Luz to Mimizan, France: Cycling the French Atlantic Route
25-17 March 2019. Mimizan to Soulac-sur-Mer, France: Our own, secluded beach
28-30 March 2019. Soulac-sur-Mer to La Rochelle, France: Marshes and medieval towers
31 March - 3 April 2019. La Rochelle to Pornic, France: Biking into Brittany
4-6 April 2019. Pornic to Nantes, France: A taste of the Loire River Valley
7-9 April 2019. Nantes to Josselin, France: Cycling the Nantes to Brest Canal
10-13 April 2019. Josselin to Roscoff, France: The heart of ancient Brittany
England, UK
14-16 April 2019. Roscoff, France to Lydford, England: Cycling the land of ships and sheep
17-18 April 2019. Lydford to Bideford, England: A tale of two bike trails
19-22 April 2019. Bideford to Bridgwater, England: From Bristol Bay to the heights of Exmoor, and back
23-25 April 2019. Bridgwater to Bristol, England: From Bristol Bay to the land of King Arthur, and back
26-28 April 2019. Bristol to Hungerford, England: Biking along busy canals and windswept downs
29 April - 1 May 2019. Hungerford to Windsor, England: Cycling from canal to castle
2-4 May 2019. Windsor to Walthamstow (London), England: Cycling along, over, and under the the River Thames
5-15 May 2019. Walthamstow (London) to Cambridge, England: Green fields and the DNA Cycle Path
16-20 May 2019. Cambridge to Lincoln, England: Cathedrals and fenlands in East Anglia
21-24 May 2019. Lincoln to Scalby, England: Rolling wolds and real, live puffins!
25-28 May 2019. Scalby to Middlesbrough, England: Back in the big hills
29 May - 1 June 2019. Middlesbrough to Amble, England: Cycling the rivers and coast of Northumbria
2-4 June 2019. Amble to Tweedmouth, England: Cycling sandy trails and sea cliffs
Scotland, UK
5-18 June 2019. Tweedmouth, England to Edinburgh, Scotland: Cycling the Scottish borderlands
19-24 June 2019. Edinburgh to Dundee, Scotland: Kingdoms, castles and a cycling sand trap
25-30 June 2019. Dundee to Aberdeen, Scotland: Cheered on by Oor Wullie
1-10 July 2019. Aberdeen to Edinburgh, Scotland: Bikes on the train
11-15 July 2019. Edinburgh, Scotland to Portsmouth, England: End of the cycling road in the UK
France
16-18 July 2019. Portsmouth, England to Nantes, France: Bikes on the ferry and French trains
19-21 July 2019. Nantes to Montsoreau, France: Biking th famous Loire à Vélo
22-25 July 2019. Montsoreau to Tours, France: Sunflowers, a monster and two flat tires
26-28 July 2019. Tours to Sully-sur-Loire, France: Chataus, caves and lots of levees
29 July - 2 August 2019. Sully-sur-Loire to Nevers, France: In the heart of central France
3-7 August 2019. Nevers to Montceau-les-Mines, France: Bye-bye, Loire
8-9 August 2019. Montceau-les-Mines to Dole, France: Cruising along canal cycle paths
10-11 August 2019. Dole to Besançon, France: Rugged cliffs and cobblestones
12-14 August 2019. Besançon to Mulhouse, France: Camping in a goat playground
France, Switzerland and Germany
15-16 August 2019. Mulhouse, France to Hohentengen am Hochrhein, Germany: Three countries in one day
17-19 August 2019. Hohentengen am Hochrhein to Tuttlingen, Germany: Cycling over Europe’s Continental Divide
Germany and Austria
20-23 August 2019. Tuttlingen to Ulm, Germany: A soggy ride past castles on cliffs
24-27 August 2019. Ulm to Regensburg, Germany: Beer and cake for breakfast
28-30 August 2019. Regensburg, Germany to Feldkirchen, Austria: Three ferries and a recumbent
31 August - 2 September 2019. Feldkirchen to Krems, Austria: World Championships and picture-perfect villages
3-5 September 2019. Krems to Vienna, Austria: Cycling to the City of Music
Slovakia and Hungary
6-8 September 2019. Vienna, Austria to Bratislava, Slovakia: You (almost) can’t get there from here
9-14 September 2019. Bratislava, Slovakia to Budapest, Hungary: Cycling to the Pearl of the Danube
15-19 September 2019. Budapest to Baja, Hungary: Grassy trails through the land of paprika
Hungary, Croatia and Serbia
20-22 September 2019. Baja, Hungary to Novi Sad, Serbia: Three days, three countries
23-27 September 2019. Novi Sad to Belgrade, Serbia: In the heart of the Balkans
28 September - 2 October 2019. Belgrade, Serbia to Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania: Cycling through the Iron Gates
Romania
3-7 October 2019. Drobeta-Turnu Severin to Corabia, Romania: Slow horse-carts and fast cars
8-11 October 2019. Corabia to Oltenita, Romania: Warm Romanian hospitality
12-18 October 2019. Oltenita to Constanta, Romania: Arriving at the Black Sea
Turkey
19 October - 9 December 2019. Constanta, Romania to Istanbul, Turkey: Refurbishing our bikes where East meets West