EURO VELO ROUTE 6

EURO VELO ROUTE 6 

I mentioned in a recent posting that I have had the maps out looking for another route to use for a cycle tour during 2012. 

One of the routes that I rather like the look of is the Euro Velo Route6. 

There are currently 14 Euro Velo routes totalling in excess of 66,000kms of which about 45,000kms is already in place. 

When JD & I were cycling back from Gibraltar on our ROCK2UK RIDE we followed Velo Route1 up the Atlantic coast. I actually posted some images on this blog showing the wonderful traffic free cycle paths that we encountered on that route.

Velo Route 6 crosses 10 countries. It starts (or finishes) at St Nazaire on the Atlantic coast of France and goes through Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria into Romania and ends at Constanta on the Black Sea. 

This is a route that passes through some fantastic countryside - it even traverses the Jura foothills of the Alps without any appreciable climbing - one of the benefits of using a route that follows rivers -and that is just what the Velo Route 6 does- it follows the course of Europe's largest rivers, the Loire, Rhine and the Danube. 

The total length of the entire route is 3,653kms or in English, 2,270 miles. 

Now I am not planning on riding the entire route, as time and logistics play a part in my plan's as always. I am looking at various options depending whether I end up doing this trip on my own or with another rider. 

If I was riding alone with no time restraints I think that I would do the section from  Nantes at the mouth of the Loire and follow the river to it's source near Basel in Switzerland. 

About 70% of this route is on dedicated traffic free cycle paths similar to those I rode on the Southern Atlantic coast sections of Velo Route1. 

The remainder of the route is on quiet country lanes. 95% of the surfaces are super smooth asphalt- so well within the capabilities of a standard road or touring bike. 

After arriving at Basel I would create a loop back on a different route to my original ferry port, this would give a total distance of about 1800 miles. 

If I decided to ride with someone else the chances are they would have time restrictions due to work -  something I no longer have to worry about. 

In these circumstances I would consider a much shorter route, probably the section from Nantes and then eastwards along the Loire to Orleans  with a loop back to a ferry port such as Cherbourg or St Malo from there. 

This would create a much shorter circular route of about 700/800 miles. Anyway these are all only thoughts at the moment and I have made no decisions and haven't spoken to anyone else about the route possibilities yet..........Just thinking out loud !........Well thinking on this blog anyway!