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