End of Trip Reflection
Toulouse, France to Bergen, Norway April 25-July 16 +Heathrow to Oxford July 25-27
Numbers
- 89 days cycle touring + 16 days travelling with Rob and Kathleen (our grown-up children)
- 3,738 km cycled
- 29,120 m climbed
- 6 countries
- 52 nights camping
Good Practices, or "Things we liked and so will try to do again"
- Stay in one place or area (Provence) and do short trips from there.
- Reach out to people. Taking that extra step and making the effort to connect with the Susan, Rich & Robin, Tony & Paul, Jeanne, Geoff, Vicki & Fiona, Stig & Ragnhild, the Vinsobres walking group... all led us to unique experiences and gave us an more profound understanding of the places we were.
- Camping. While it takes a few nights to get accustomed to the regimen, the experience of being outdoors, all day and at night too, fosters an appreciation of the natural world. Plus it’s very affordable.
Favourites
Provence is our #1 pick, as we expected. It was a close to perfect mix of cycling, scenery, food, weather. The terrain is varied with plenty of open spaces and enough hills to be challenging ( Mt Ventoux is there too), the cycle paths are frequent and very well maintained and where there are no paths, the roads are decent and the drivers (mostly) accommodating. Campgrounds, pensions and apart-hotels were always available where we wanted them, comfortable and reasonably priced. The countryside is beautiful with its mix of forested hills, agricultural plains and charming villages. Spring had sprung so the markets were full of fresh, delicious vegetables, the cherries were ripe and tasty, Provencal food was on offer at many restaurants for reasonable prices. Plus, Provence includes or is very close to several renowned wine areas with tasty and affordable vintages. Finally, the weather was ideal, warm and sunny for the most part, not too hot and only a few days of rain, just as one would expect for the south of France in May. We love all of France, but Provence is definitely on our list of places to come back to, there is still so much more to explore cycle touring and for a longer stay - we just have to decide on a village.
The Fjords of Norway come in at #2, for strikingly different reasons. While Provence felt like a holiday, Norway was an adventure. We loved the rugged, wild landscapes and the coastal feel, and so accepted the challenges of food, accommodation and weather. The Rallervagen is deservedly an “Epic Ride” across the high tundra that was so different from anything that even now when looking at the pictures, it’s hard to believe we were actually there. Riding in the rain along the quiet coastal roads of the Hardanger Fjord was both serene and exhausting, but we never tired of actually being there.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 1 | Link |
6 months ago
After the top two, there is no clear ranking of preference, so these will be named in chronological order. Bourgogne, Lyon & Dijon, the Mosel, Denmark & Sweden. Bourgogne was a surprise because somehow we didn’t know it was right on our route up the Rhone valley. The whole area exuded charm, beauty, wealth and epicurean refinement. Lyon and Dijon were perfect city stops with great food, energy, culture and history, and are definitely on the list of longer stays. The Mosel Valley is so ‘German’ in the best possible way: beautiful scenery, with great cycle touring infrastructure, alive with people, historical towns and all so well preserved and presented. The bits of Denmark and Sweden we toured were lovely. Quiet, bucolic countryside, swimmable beaches, pleasant towns, very considerate people and then Copenhagen is an amazing city.
Was there a “best day”? Not that I can choose because every day we experienced beauty, adventure, surprise, pleasure, challenge and how these converged differently made each day on the road one to be grateful for and try to remember.
A highlight was spending two weeks at the end of our trip with Rob and Kathleen. Exploring Norway together- hiking the famous Preikestolen, cruising the fjords and tasting Norwegian waffles. Then on to celebrate Kathleen's graduation and touring Oxford with our own "guide" made this trip a once in a lifetime experience.
September update. Glad to be home and in one place but already thinking about and getting excited for our next tour. The Greek Islands and Turkey, starting in the spring. Or maybe Italy...
Thanks to everyone for reading our Blog, sharing your comments and helping us persevere in the process of documenting our tours.
Ann & Steve
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 5 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 4 |
6 months ago
6 months ago
Thanks for following along. Really enjoyed following you on your French Gorges and Spanish Pyrenees trip. Europe on a bicycle is a fantastic way to travel. Here’s to all our future adventures.
6 months ago
Thanks so following our blog. Likewise, a trip through the gorges is on our list. The Klassens are there now and keep thanking you as they are following your tracks. I would like to do a similar route. The scenery looks amazing! It’s so great that we can access all this invaluable info from CycleBlaze. Trust you are having a great fall in Limoux! We are in New Brunswick helping to look after my parents. The weather has been terrific for cycling but it just turned cooler now. I bought a new Trek bike and am getting used to it for a spring adventure! Cheers
6 months ago