This sub mentally prepped me for my first solo bikepacking trip in 10 years, and all your posts were incredibly inspiring. I definitely caught the bug again, and I'm already plotting next summer's adventure. Wanted to give back with a little recap.
My initial plan was to fly from Berlin to Tallinn and cruise the Baltic coast to Gdansk. Totally forgot about the Kaliningrad Oblast, so had to adjust my course and decided to head inland from Riga and sort of circumnavigate Kaliningrad until I rejoined the coast in Poland.
Final tally: 1,500km in 18 days with 4 days off, averaging 85km daily. Expected longer cycling days with more days off, but the terrain had other plans, and I was in actual fact super restless on rest days and wanting to hit the road again, so that all worked out.
Estonia was fantastic: beautiful forested landscapes, locals who always spoke excellent English, solid cycling infrastructure, and endless spots to pitch my tent. Everything about it was perfect.
I was warned about this by some people here, and there was no avoiding: as you get closer to Latvia, the Eurovelo 13 goes rogue and sends you to chunks of the Via Baltica highway where large trucks take over each other, and shoulders are not always existent. The alternative to that is the jankiest of gravel roads with the sprinkle of sand traps.
Lithuania tested my patience, mostly because I picked routes that hate bicycles. Narrow roads, zero shoulders, agricultural machinery everywhere. I did love spending a day in Kaunas and had a fantastic Warmshowers experience in a town bordering Poland, where I was treated to a traditional herbal sauna experience by lovely hosts.
Poland redeemed everything. The Green Velo network beats Eurovelo unless you love dodging traffic. Bumpy gravel paths lead through gorgeous scenery, especially that final stretch from Braniewo to Gdansk along the coast + suddenly there are a bunch of rolling hills and cows. Green Velo also has many many rest areas with toilets and shelters, making up for how rugged their paths are.
All in all, quite a challenging adventure because of all the gravel, but a very historically interesting and at times very beautiful journey along the Iron Curtain. Thanks for all those who put my mind at ease before the trip, you were absolutely right, the second I loaded my bike and started pedalling, all my worries were suddenly gone. I can safely say that being back in the city sucks balls a great deal and I can't wait to be back on the road for hopefully an even longer trip.
by Mostly_Amelie