The official Eurovelo 8 description from the ECF is here.
Update, 22nd October 2010
My goodness! It’s over ten months since I wrote anything on this page… Note to self: plan your next cycling trip a bit more thoroughly than the last. Anyway, the reason for the update is Charles Hedden from Chicago who has just reported back on his cycle of a ‘portion’ of the Eurovelo 8 (more than just a ‘portion’ I think Charles!);
As I mentioned earlier, I did a portion of the EV8 this summer. I started in Lisbon, Portugal and ended in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The route is amazing, but not terribly well-developed for cycling. I found Croatia to be simultaneously the best and worst country for biking. The best because of the dramatic scenery and many interesting islands to visit, and the worst because once you are off of the islands, the magisterial road which presses against the side of the mountain with little or no railing, no curb, and strong mountain-ocean wind shear is a two lane road where I found myself reconnecting to a higher being. Island hopping is also inconvenient because many passenger ferries do not allow bicycles, only car-ferries accommodate bikes at this point. This meant that I had to back track at many points during my island excursions.
The French and Italian sections were pretty good, with great scenery and food along the way. Slovenia, surprisingly, had great bicycle routes, and seems to have something akin to a bicycle highway system. Another important lesson learned – don’t take your bicycle with you to the lagoon in Venice, crossing bridge after bridge with a fully loader touring bike gets you old quick!
Update, 12th December 2010
I was just looking at the site stats and someone has been looking at the cut-down Eurovelo map I posted on the site. The person who was looking at the picture was interested in Eurovelo 8, a tempting route that runs from Athens to Gibraltar via the Adriatic coast, across northern Italy, along the French Mediterranean coast and then south along the Spanish coast to a little bit further than Gibraltar itself… How long would that take me? I could vary the route and cycle along the east coast of Italy to revisit Basil & Liz (although I would miss out on the beauties of the other side of the Adriatic which is probably far more impressive). I wonder at what exact point the Eurovelo 5 and 8 cross in Italy. Somewhere south of Milan I suppose. Pavia would be useful as I could revisit Simone. And the destinantion in Spain is not too far from the places where two uncles of mine spend time during the summer near Estepona… There is an extensive document on the ECF website with lots of detail about the route itself.
In fact, so taken am I by the idea, I have just registered www.eurovelo8.com . Watch this space!
I think you’d need some pretty early starts to avoid the worst of the heat at that time of year in Spain.
I like the look of Eurovelo 6. Or Eurovelo 11 south of Tallinn.
What about 2011 and 2012?
Corsica and Sardinia.
Why not try Cuxhaven to Venice via Prague, linz, Vienna, Hungary and Slovenia to Trieste. You could start by doing the Northsea cycle route as far as Cuxhaven. We are at present a day out of Trieste and it has been a great and varied ride and surely next year there will be less rain. If you are interested in our route etc look at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/ambertrail
Ciao
Tricia
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If you are seriously looking at scotland as the next big one, I will second island hopping up the west coast.
Starting at gretna, just on the english side, will make the route feel like an adventure, up on the quite roads passed annan, on to dumfries, the quiet road to crocketford, A712 to newton stewart, and up on the b roads to the coast and the sustrans NCN route to ardrossan, ferry to arran, ferry to kintyre, up to oban, ferry to mull, ferry to loch aline, up to mallaig, ferry to skye, back to the mainland, up the coast to durness, across the top to john o groats. (even the major roads in the highlands are usualy quiet) then down keeping coastal via the black isle, towards the lowlands. get south of edinburgh before heading across the borders (a highly underated area) back towards longtown or back to gretna. 2 weeks ish should see you round. Wild camping is allowed unless it is built up or there is a crop in the feilds but there are plenty of campsites (a lot of very basic ones) and plenty of good B+Bs
Good to have you back ! I escaped to sunnier climes for a week, on the Sunshine Coast of Australia and it did not disappoint.
Suggest the Camino for your adventure, you can leve the tent at home !
You can get to Biarritz and then take a (very scenic) train to St Jean Pied de Port and resister as a pilgrim and head over the Pyrenees and you are on your way. Three sets of Mountains to climb, a few days of flat, lots of great towns and villages and great churches and antiquities. As a pilgrim, accomodation and food is cheap and and easy to obtain. Its about 1000km.. We did it off road with MTB’s and minimal luggage in 12 days. Tried Scotland years ago.. in June.. it snowed rained and howled a gail and I got a kidney infection
Mmm… Hope the Scottish Tourist Board doesn’t read that!
I’ve just been writing about the Camino in reply to another post on my blog entry “Back to the Day Job” and it is worth considering. I did a walking holiday in Asturias about three years ago and was bowled over by the scenery. I had never really thought that northern Spain was so mountaneous. The thought of leaving the tent at home is appealing, not that I dislike camping but I would love to travel light! I have been back to the commuting this week with Reggie of course and I have decided to ditch the panniers for a small rucksack; what a joy to not be lugging around all the chattels of life! We were flying!!!
OK
On a more at home note.
Next year I plan on doing 3 things
The first will be my annual fundraiser for College from here to bridlington on the newly opened the way of the roses cycle route. By the time you add the extra distance from home it will be about 200 miles probably over 3 days staying in B+Bs (self funded) and, if college funds will allow, the minibus home.
The second is a lot more of a chalenge. The raid Pyranees touring route camping. Google it. Mountains galore.
I also plan a cycling holiday with the tandem and the family in france, if I can get them all interested.
The best laid plans… as the bard says.. but if you don’t plan you get nowt.
The first and second would be in term holidays so. If you want to get your legs in for something bigger in the summer…
All three sound exciting; you are a man who clearly needs a blog to write about them!!!
Scotland is fabulous. the roads are, in general quiet and well made, the scenery is stunning and the people are on the whole very friendly. As I have found out over the years the weather tends to spoil it. If you get Scotland in a good weather window, before the midges come out in force, there perhaps is no better place to be. IF.
But some how this does not smell of the great adventure I think you crave.
Moscow?
I remember visiting Matthew and Janet about 20 years ago when they were living in Lossiemouth; it was just before Christmas and the sun went down at about 3pm. It felt remote, away from everything else in the UK so it could smell of adventure. Moscow? Too dangerous!
I think a mini adventure around the West Coast of Scotland is in order. I can personally recommend the areas around Arran, Kintyre, Mull and Ardnamurchan. A bit of island hopping around some great locations!
If you want further locations I’d try Slovenia, Croatia and down to Montenegro. I quite fancy the thought of a cycle down there.
Scotland gets repeatedly mentioned by people recommending the next cycle trip; it’s certainly worth a thought
Here is the trip I did:
Day1
From my parents to Ardrossan to get ferry to Arran
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38214292
Round Arran (had a puncture when I came off ferry so had to change tube then near kill myself to make the next ferry off of the island)
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38214277
Then up to Lochgilphead
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38214267
Day2
Up to Oban
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38214256
Ferry to Mull then down to Fidden
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38214249
Day3
Fidden to Tobermory
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38214238
Ferry to Kilchoan
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38214223
Day4
Kilchoan to Lochaline
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38214217
Ferry back to Mull then to Craignure to get the ferry back to Oban
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38214202
Day5
Oban to Dunoon
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38214195
Then ferry to Gourock and a lift home (should have cycled the last bit home but the offer of a lift was too easy!)
Got to see sea eagles, golden eagles, basking sharks, cycled through an extinct volcano crater (Ardnamurchan http://www.scottishgeology.com/images/Ardnamurchan.jpg), otters, ancient oak woodland, couple of killer hills, plenty of ferry spotting, minki whales just off the coast as I sat at the shore reading my book, most westerly point of mainland UK (sanna bay on Ardnamurchan is unbelieveably stunning as is the view out over the islands), the cycle along loch awe where I had never been before gave me one of my best ever views of Scotland, was too early for the wild cherries to be ripe and never had time to cook and eat mussles like I did last time when I picked them wild at Sanna Bay (a highlight of a previous trip).
As Jim says if you get the weather right it is stunning and if the weather is bad you have to have a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude). If the weather is poor then as Jim also says the people are generally very nice and a strange face or accent is treated with interest in any pub, cafe, campsite, B&B or wherever you hole yourself up to escape the rain and midges! I had great weather with just one grey day with a bit of drizzle. There are loads of islands, ferry routes and remote roads which you could use to plan a trip of your own likeing.