It’s always nice to recieve emails from people who have headed off on their bikes. James Pittendreigh – a listener to The Cycling Europe Podcast – has been in touch. He has noted that one of my failed plans for a long cycle tour was to circumnavigate the Baltic Sea. It was eventually replaced by my ‘Grand Tour’ of France, the Alps and the Rhine. James, however, did make it to the Baltic and cycled Nida (in Lithuania) to Riga (in Latvia) with a friend. He made a video about the trip and it’s worth a few minutes of your time. James’ comments are below.
Hi Andrew,
Just wanted to say a quick hello and thanks for your podcast. I only just discovered it and I’ve been diving into the back catalogue. My mind is racing to all the opportunities there are for touring.
I see you’ve got the Baltic states in your sights (or maybe you’ve already done them?!), so I thought I’d send you a short video on my trip last year, where I convinced my Lithuanian buddy (who had cycled only 20k before the ride, and didn’t own a bike before that) to ride from Nida to Riga with me.
It’s a mix of eurovelo and the Baltic Forest Hiking trail (which was our favourite bit!)
Cheers!
James
Perhaps I should revisit my Baltic plans…
This episode of The Cycling Europe Podcast may be of interest if you are thinking of heading there yourself. I spoke to Bernd Schadowski back in 2022.
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Le Grand Tour on a Bike Called Wanda, was published in May 2024 and recounts Andrew P. Sykes’ journey around France, into the Alps and down the Rhine in the summer of 2022. It is available as a paperback and as and eBook from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com (and other international Amazon sites). The paperback is also available from Waterstones or Foyles and the eBook from Apple iBooks.
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