Euro Velo Route 6

I have to admit it had never been a long term plan of mine to cycle from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. The thought of spending a month exploring Denmark by bicycle (bike friendly and nice and flat!) had been flitting in and out of my mind for a while but a multi-country ride through any part of Europe had never featured. Yet on a quiet day, while scouring the internet for something completely divorced from cycling, I happened upon the EuroVelo website detailing a number of long distance routes across Europe. I was immediately taken with the idea of EuroVelo Route 6.

EV6 starts at the Atlantic Coast of France, it passes through ten countries and, after just shy of three thousand miles, ends at the Black Sea on the Romanian coast. The beginning follows the Loire Valley, the end follows the Danube and so, in addition to the attraction of crossing a number of interesting countries, it also promised to be relatively flat. I estimated that between two and three months would be needed to complete the route; that might not add up to too many miles a day but it does give time to make the most of all the route has to offer: among other things this includes the capitals Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade. I want to have flexibility and to not commit myself to a particular timetable, especially over a timeframe covering weeks rather than days. A little headroom will allow me to take each day as it comes, immerse myself more fully in the route and to explore, rather than pass through, those places that I am drawn to.

The latter part of the route is more remote than the start; it is less likely to be on good tracks and more likely to be unsigned. To allow me an element of independence in these more isolated areas I will carry a tent and a few other things to provide for limited self sufficiency. Nevertheless, as I should never be more than a day's ride from some form of civilisation, not for me the level of planning required by my friend Shaun currently cycling through remote areas of Patagonia and Bolivia with the need for self sufficiency for days at a time. My preparation has been commensurate with my more limited challenge: a couple of extra items and a full service for the bike; downloading the gps route to my phone in the absence of maps for parts of the route; and in the absence of guide books, following that route in the comfort of my home and googling each place I pass through to see if it holds anything of interest. I guess I will soon be finding out if that was enough.

EV6