This summer I cycled from London to Zagreb, covering 8 countries in just 11 days. This is Part 2 of my journey, condensing 5 days on the bike into one epic video.
Day by day Journey:
• Day 7: I started in the very northwest of Germany and made my way towards one of the country’s major cities — Cologne. It was a satisfying day on the bike, watching the scenery shift as I edged closer to the vibrant heart of the Rhineland.
• Day 8: A mostly flat day of cycling along the River Rhine took me to the birthplace of Beethoven — the picturesque city of Bonn. The riverside ride was calm and beautiful, and I capped it off by staying in one of the coolest hostels I’ve ever experienced.
• Day 9: The day began in Graz, Austria, after taking a train through Germany into its scenic southern neighbour. What followed was an absolutely stunning ride through rolling hills and forested valleys, eventually bringing me to Maribor — Slovenia’s second-largest city.
• Day 10: I left Maribor and continued further south through the breathtaking Slovenian countryside. Just as I was about to set up my tent for the night, the skies opened and I was caught in a thunderstorm — a tough moment, but one that made the journey all the more memorable.
• Day 11: The final day of my journey across Europe saw me cross into Croatia. The scenery was as spectacular as ever, and the ride into Zagreb — the capital city — felt like the perfect ending. I arrived feeling tired, proud, and full of gratitude for the adventure I’d just completed.
Hope you enjoy it! If you do, please remember to like, subscribe, and leave a comment to let me know what you think.
Good morning shops and it’s day seven of the tour the car. We’re one week in. Something has been close to me tent in the night that weren’t there yesterday. And according to track GPT, it’s a deer droppings. I’m feeling it. I’m feeling the German hills already. We haven’t got very far. We’ve been cycling well over an hour. We still got 4 hours to go to Cologne. [Music] Frank Cadellan bansin. Basically those cheap meatballs, aren’t they? But when in Germany, I hate to know how they’re made. Let’s give it a go. Oh, me stuff. Me bags have just somehow came off me bike. Look. Here we are in Cologne Colon the train station and the famous cathedral. Wow. That’s some cathedral. That must have uh survived the war. Unless it’s been rebuilt without it, though. See that cool place this cool morning chops. Wow. And we’re back in the center of K. And it’s day eight. Day eight of the tour to car. So we’ve left the city of Cologne behind us and we’re just cycling down the river. And it’s a lovely day for cycling up at the sky. Bit of blue sky, bit of cloud, nice breeze. It’s wonderful. Nice and flat as well. [Music] Yeah, it’s really nice. So, we’ve just stopped here at this uh this food van which specializes in curry based. Nice. Nice bread. Look at that. Looks nice, doesn’t it? On first glance, it’s just a hot dog cut up with a curry sauce, but it’s actually it works somehow. [Music] [Applause] I’m about to have a forome with Paula. So yeah, I’ve just been reading about Bon. Don’t know anything about Bon. Well, until now. And Bon is most famous for being the birthplace of Beethoven. And we’re back on the riverine. [Music] So, we’ve reached Bon. There’s bait over there. I think it is. Anyway, [Applause] [Music] have you ever seen anything like this? It’s like an old warehouse and it’s being turned into a sort of hostel hotel. You’ve got all these mini caravans, all bright colors. This pink one here, very unique, all individual. But wait till you see where we’re staying. We’re not in a caravan. We’re on the train. Number 12. Are you ready? It’s not bad, is it? It’s a bit uh tight, but well, it’s much better than wild camping, isn’t it? We’ve been in Germany now. Well, 3 days we’ve spent in Germany. Um, have I had enough of Germany? Anyway, I won’t say anymore. You’ll find out in the next video. So, good night from Bon here in Rinland, Germany. Good morning, chaps. And we’re back. Last time you saw me, we were in Bon up in Germany. And now we’re here in Gratz in Austria. Well, just 10 miles or so outside of Gratz. Yesterday I uh I got a train from well the day before. Yesterday I got a train from Bourne to Munich and then yesterday I got a train from Munich to here. in Gratz. And today we’re going to be cycling uh south and we might reach Slovenia. [Music] So, let’s go. [Music] This was the closest thing to a hamy on the menu. It’s a bit of a mish mish mash of everything. Bit of pickle, bit of cucumber, bit of tomato, and the ham and cheese. Well, we’re about a quarter of the way in. We’ve done about 10 miles. We’ve got 28 left. And uh it’s been delightful. It really has. Lots of uh cyclists here in this part of Austria. It’s flat. It’s just so scenic. I’ve never seen one of those before. It’s like a a tool kit for your bike. Wow. [Music] It’s the Austrian Elvis Presley. [Music] Sounds very Slavic, doesn’t it? [Music] Well, that’s news to me. Aldi over in Slovenia isn’t called Aldi. It’s called Hoffer. [Music] Wow, just take a look at Marbor. Beautiful, isn’t it? Such a beautiful, modest little city here in the Balkans. We’re in the Balkans now. You know, we started in the UK and went over to France and now we’re here. We’ve done some distance and each country you visit it changes slightly. So when you’re in France and you cross to Belgium you know the people are slightly different only slightly. The language changes slightly. the alphabet, the food, and each country you cross into, it changes again and again and again, and eventually you here on the other side of Europe, and it’s completely different from where we started. But this place, I do like it. Mindball. Morning shots. Is it day 10 or day 11? Losing track of the days. Let’s say it’s day 10. So, we’re here in Maribore. We’re about to leave very shortly. I’ve just got myself a little breakfast. Here’s our pastry. Whoa. This is beautiful where we are now. Little Slovenian village. Look at that lovely downhill section here. Bendy roads. Thank you. Okay, this guy’s dulling crepes in his garden. Oh, they’re very nice. Beautiful. I think this view behind me has got to be the most spectacular vista I’ve seen so far on this journey. And this is what it’s all about, isn’t it? Look at this. And whatever is in that box over there absolutely stinks. Smells very slabby. [Music] We’re heading toward this big dark cloud here, aren’t we? [Music] Can you hear that phone lighting? I don’t want to camp anywhere. near the tree in case, well, in case it falls on us. Please don’t get struck by lightning. [Music] So, we’ve set up the tent and we’ve managed to stay dry. something that I don’t know whether I would have been able to have done this time two weeks ago. Uh but wait till you see what we’re having for RT being in Slovenia ex Yugoslavia. Any guesses? We went for this. Take a look at that. Goi goulash. That’s got to be the best meal I’ve had on this journey. Now I’m messing. It’s very watery. Good morning, shops. Well, what can I say? Where do I start? What a night. Um, I’ll start with big shout out to me tent because the weather has been like this even a lot heavier than this all night. And it’s kept me dry. It did its job. It’s kept me dry. So, thank you. Um, last night, hell. Uh, about just falling asleep about 2:00 when a thunderstorm arrives right above us. The thunder, the lightning, you’d see the lightning and with less than a second, you’d hear the thunder, which means it was right above our heads. You know, I was going to say it was scary, but there was no time to be scared. for if you’re going to take me, take me. So, today we’re going to be heading over the Slovenian border into Croatia. As you can see, we’re not out of the woods yet. There may be more thunderstorms. Not too sure what to do if there’s a thunderstorm and we’re out in the open in in the middle of nowhere. Uh, but we can’t stay here all day. So, let’s move on anyway. I’ll catch up with you once we’re on the road. See you soon. And hopefully I won’t need them again. Just say a look at that. Wow. And the fresh air up here as well. You know, when I envisioned bike packing, this is what I envisioned. You know, at times it can be uncomfortable. It can be lonely at times, but this is what it’s all about. The kind lady in the uh supermarket made us a couple of buddies. It’s nice, doesn’t it? Oh yeah, it is nice. [Music] But I wasn’t expecting this. This little farm road here takes us through into Croatia. Republica Hervatka right on to 31,0. So here we are in country number eight. Wow. Who would have thought we would have got this far? One, UK. Two, France. Three, Belgium. Four, Netherlands. Five, Germany. Six, Austria. Seven, Slovenia. Eight, Croatia. Wow. In just well, under two weeks. I know we’ve took a few trains here and there, but we’ve cycled most of it. And this craps, this will be our final country. As much as I’m enjoying it, I’m getting a little bit homesick and I’m ready to call it quits very soon. [Music] Oh, this bird. The birds. B. It’s like it’s not going to survive. But I’ll put it over here. [Music] I can’t put it out of it. Misery. I can’t do it. [Music] Ah. It’s going to die, isn’t it? [Music] So traps, this is it. This is the end of tour the car. We’ve been cycling through Europe for almost two weeks and we’ve covered eight countries. So when it first started, I wasn’t sure whether I would have made it out to the UK and here we are eight countries later. So I’d say it’s been a success. I’m happy with that. What have I learned? I’m not too sure what I’ve learned, but um I’ll never not appreciate water or shelter ever again. When you’ve been cycling all day and you finally find somewhere to fill up your water and it’s scorching hot, it’s wonderful. Same with the shelter at the end of the day when you set up your tent and you get inside and you can finally just switch off. It’s never going to be the most comfortable night’s sleep, but um it’s a great feeling. The bike feels a lot lighter at the moment with no tents or banks. Um and it’s going to stay that way for a while. We’re going to try and get this bike home in a couple of days time. Anyway, now shall we go home and see the real Nel? I think we should. Okay, thanks everyone. Goodbye traps.
1 Comment
Great adventure that mate