We are attempting to cycle from England to Istanbul.
Just reached Budapest where we are staying in a super cheap apartment for 3 days to rest and recoup. Without a doubt the best thing I've done so far and I'm so excited to see eastern Europe from my saddle.
We took the ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam and followed the Rhine River down to Lake Constance and then went across to Innsbruck and followed the Inn river to the Danube and then crossed Austria into Slovakia and then Hungary.
So far we have travelled through England, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. (Pics will be in reverse order)
The plan is to head through Serbia and Bulgaria to Turkey over the next 5-6 weeks.
By far the best part of the trip is the people we have met. Part of the reason I decided to do this trip was because I'm 31 and was scared I wasn't making enough memories before I got too old – meeting and riding with an 81 year old called Elisabeth very quickly shot down my worries and this way of thinking.
There's no rush and you can make fantastic adventures at any age. Most of the people we have met have been 50 and over.
We have particularly loved German and Austrian bakeries and the scenery while travelling through the Alps and have survived hailstorms as well as cycling through 10 heat warning days in a row (that was brutal)
If anyone has any tips for travelling through Hungary, Serbia Bulgaria or Turkey (or any worthy detours) please let us know. We can't decide between the Sultans Trail or Ev13 iron curtain trail.
I have a (very) small YouTube channel where I've been posting occasional short updates and hope to make a full doc at the end of the trip – which I can share here if I manage to get that done.
by Bobsgaff