Cycling on my own across Europe is proving a very different experience to my solo trips across Spain. On those walks I was never alone if I did not wish to be: many people travelled the same routes, staying in places reserved for Camino walkers, and the shared experience and challenge of walking a long-distance path was a catalyst for socialising. Here the reverse is true. If anyone else is doing the length (or even part) of the EV6 I have yet to meet them and, as there is no dedicated accommodation for cyclists, I am using whatever accommodation I can find that suits my route and my budget for that day; the likelihood of bumping into fellow cyclists therefore is much reduced. In fairness it is no more than I expected.
That said, it is not that I have met nobody nor that the cycling community are antisocial. Fellow pannier-laden cyclists greet each other as like minded travellers, more often than not stopping to pass a few moments - friendship offered and advice shared despite each being on whatever personal timetable their day dictates. Understandably though, these meetings tend to be with those heading in the opposite direction to you. Among the many I have come across are a Swiss cyclist who offered advice on tours in the Danube delta, a Dutch family 'heading home' (this was half way across Romania) - mother, father and young son towed behind in a child buggy, and a friendly Italian, French and Romanian trio who between them were heading to Stockholm for an ecology conference and to Scotland to tour.
These fleeting encounters are more the norm than any longer term company. Nevertheless, one evening I found myself in the same accommodation as a group of Austrians doing the EV6 in reverse, and one afternoon I met a young Dutch couple cycling in my direction, albeit on a different journey. With the former we shared dinner, breakfast and travel tips on those parts we had travelled. They were also generous enough to lend me maps on the sections they had done and which I was still to do. The latter I had joined for lunch in the shade of a tree one hot afternoon in a small Serbian village, after which we cycled together to Belgrade. They had given up work, sold their house, bought impressive bespoke touring bikes and were heading to east Asia 'and maybe beyond.' That afternoon was a sobering reminder that there are always others whose plans will eclipse yours and who may have had to sacrifice so much more in order to achieve them.
Of course none of these short-term acquaintances offer a substitute for more permanent or semi-permanent company; someone with whom to share those moments of frustration - and through doing so dilute the irritation - and with whom to share those moments of delight. Nevertheless, for me this was always to be a solo trip. Being able to do it on my own terms was always important to me. Some may think that selfish, others I know can not conceive of long periods travelling alone. Had I been someone who was not comfortable with their own company this journey might have presented a challenge that most likely would have led to it ending quite early on. But while I enjoy the companionship of others - the swapping of stories, sharing thoughts, feeling that sense of companionship - I am also happy with time alone and personal reflection. For me travelling solo does not make me feel I am missing out. I am simply having a different experience
All that said, with today’s modern technology you are never out of touch or alone should you not wish to be: you may be remote but you are never really detached when that all pervasive social media can provide an anchor back home in the loneliest of times. I have probably made more use of social media on this trip than I ever did in Spain where socialising amongst my fellow walkers and the regular support of like-minded people is freely available should you wish to embrace it. The fact I am travelling on a bicycle makes this particular journey different to those long walks but the solitude is why this journey has a very different feel about it.
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