We have been cycling north from Tirana in Albania for the last 40 days. We have come up through the Western Balkans following the Trans Dinarica route. Then we turned west through the Julian Alps, the Italian Dolomites and the Austrian Tyrol. Now we are cycling across Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Germany and occasionally crossing into Switzerland. Since leaving Tirana in Albania on 6th May we have cycled 1892 km and climbed 34104 m. It has been an amazing trip so far, with each country we have visited being so different to the last.
Sunday, 14th June 2026, Day 40
Oberau to Marktoberdorf
Climb 607 m Distance 64.7 km
Temperature: 19° C – 22° C Headwind, Overcast
After a gruelling day yesterday climbing over the pass from Innsbruck in Austria yet again we had a climb straight from the hotel but this time it was only 200 m and an easy gradient. It was still on the road but it was slightly wider which made all the difference and not so busy.
As soon as we got to the top we were on a network of cycle trails. There were so many going in all directions that we had to pay attention as cyclists were appearing and disappearing left, right and centre, and it was quite easy to just follow someone.
For most of the ride we had the mountains on our left but they were slowly getting further away, which was a shame. We passed an amazing boggy flower meadow, and I think Bernie was wondering where I was as there were so many flowers to see.
The trails were a pleasant mix of gravel and hard surface going through woodland and across open meadow, much of which was being cut. The big down side today was the very strong headwind. It was 22 C most of the day but it didn’t feel like it, and it was very hard work. It was also annoying as people going the other way with the wind behind them zipped along with no effort.
Being a Sunday there weren’t many places open to get out of the wind. We thought we had found a cafe in Steingaden but it turned out to be a religious play, but we found an ice cream parlour in Lechbruck am See. The owner was delighted we were long distance cyclists and regaled us with stories of his friends adventures.
As we arrived in Marktoberdorf in time for a late lunch we just had to go the Muckefuck cafe which we had seen near our hotel. Despite it’s name it was very nice. As our hotel didn’t open until 4 we walked up to see the castle (oldish house) and ornate church.
Monday, 15th June 2026
Marktoberdorf to Wolfegg
Climb 881 m Distance 83 km
Temperature: 16° C – 30° C Sun and Cloud, Strong Headwind
We were on a mix of paved trails and small roads this morning, with a bit of gravel this afternoon. We were enjoying the cycle despite the strong headwind again and managed to cycle quite a way up a hill in the wrong direction. It was a nice sunny day with some fluffy cumulus and would have been easy rolling in green countryside if we didn’t have to pedal hard down the hills as well as up.
We got to busy Kempton in good time for Kaffee und Kuchen in the cobbled square that was full of cafes. And that was the last time we saw anything open until 10 km before the end of the day. As quite a few cafes were open yesterday, Sunday, they made up for it by being shut today. This seemed to include the shops too.
At lunchtime we stopped next to a cut field and ate all our supplies. It was a bit of a hotch potch but it filled a hole. We were being careful to stay off the grass as Bernie picked up a tick yesterday, and despite our care we both got one today. Luckily we are carrying a tick remover and put some iodine on afterwards.
We had to do an extra 10 km today as the hotel we had our eye on was fully booked. It seems the holiday season is now starting and we may have to start booking two nights in advance which is a pain.
Tuesday, 16th June 2024 Day 42
Wolfegg, Swabia, Baden Württemburg to Dettingen via Bodensee (Lake Constance)
Climb 704 m Distance 67.8 km
Temperature: 17° C – 24° C Occasional light rain, No Wind
We had quite varied day with the best bit being No Headwind, or any wind at all. After a bit of a climb we were on lovely gravel forest tracks for about 7 km, then we undulated along quiet lanes and cycle tracks through the countryside.
We got easily through Ravensburg, which is a sizable place with an old centre using their impressive cycle lane system and stopped on the outskirts to restock our supplies that we had eaten all of yesterday. After that it was very rural, with just a few farms, for about 40 km.
So when we saw a cafe in Wittenhofen we stopped for coffee and cake. Shortly after that we saw an impressive palace and monastery, Schloss Salem. What was even more impressive was that the carpark had more bicycles in it than cars. We paid to go on a tour of the palace as you couldn’t go inside the buildings unaccompanied. What the helpful lady in the ticket office didn’t say until after we had paid, was that it was a 45 minute tour all in German. Bernie got his Google Translate going, and despite the fact that she spoke quickly and almost without drawing breath it coped very well and was fascinating. Only issue being the translation was a little behind so we didn’t get the jokes at the same time as everyone else.
It was an easy cycle from there to the upmarket resort of Überlingen on the shore of Badensee or Lake Constance. We opted to stay on the other side which was about a quarter of the price. The ferry, which runs once an hour, had a lot of bicycles getting on and off and we were across and cycling up the hill to Dettingen, where we are staying, in no time. The receptionist says that about 80% of their customers are cyclists in the summer season.
Wednesday, 17th June 2026 Day 43
Dettingen, Germany, via Switzerland and back to Erzingen, Germany
Climb 510 m Distance 75.6 km
Temperature: 19° C – 37° C Strong Headwind in afternoon
Despite having a grim supper last night breakfast was fine, thank goodness, as we were hungry. It’s a blue sky day and forecast to get hot. We took a couple of shortcuts through the forest on rough gravel tracks and ended up in a wide, shallow valley full of wide strips of different crops, with no gaps, fences or hedges between, which gave a checker board effect. The only strange thing for me was the total lack of wild flowers and insects. There have been less and less flowers since leaving the Balkans.
Today I never really knew which country we were in as we were going along the border and on the small lanes and trails there are no signs when you go from one country to another. As we use Orux Maps offline, we can still see our track when we change country but have to load a new background map. Most of the time one side of the Rhine is Germany and the other side is Switzerland, but not all the time. So we would suddenly find our Europe eSIM had to relog onto a network or we were being charged in Swiss Franks. Because the World Cup is happening now, it helped, as a lot of people are flying their national flags. The only time we saw a border was the last 100 yards before our hotel as we were on a main road and crossed back into Germany.
I had been hoping for a day without a headwind and this morning I got my wish. As the day heated up over 35 C I thought a gentle breeze would be nice, but instead, after lunch we got a howling headwind again. It’s never just right!
By 3 pm we were standing outside our auto-check-in hotel attempting to get in. It took over half an hour standing there being baked by the sun, then more time to finally access the bike storage room. Of course, being auto check-in meant there were no staff around to help. It wasn’t just us being useless as the next people in the growing queue took longer.
Thursday, 18th June 2026 Day 44
Erzingen, Germany via Basel, Switzerland to Bartenheim, France
Climb 623 m Distance 93.8 km
Temperature: 17° C – 40° C in the sun. No wind
We made it finally to France, our 10th country on this trip, and arrived hot and bothered after 94 km to find the hotel not yet open on this 40 C day. Actually we didn’t have to wait long, I was just too hot to be patient.
We knew it was going to be a scorcher so we were away before 7 am, and made good time across the pretty, pancake flat fields for the first 20 km or so. I was just commenting on how flat it was when it threw in the first hill.
After that the cycling wasn’t quite so pleasant. After crossing the very busy Swiss border, which despite being unmanned had long tailbacks of lorries waiting to cross, the landscape got a lot more industrial. We were also now on busy roads, just separated from the traffic by yellow lines. It was noisy and not at all relaxing.
Also, the temperature was rising and we had passed nowhere that was open where we could sit inside and cool down. Bernie did spot a tiny footpath that took us down to the Rhine. It was very narrow along the banks of the river but at least it was shaded. Eventually, after 60 km we headed into the ancient centre of Rheinfelden and found a street full of cafés.
From there it was a fairly easy, if busy, ride to the centre of Basel. It was lunchtime and the locals were making the most of the weather. The central shady park was packed with people having picnics. We stopped in a shady spot by the river and had a delicious lunch from a mobile van while watching groups of people, clutching inflatable bags, float past at quite a rate, in the Rhine. Although the thought of the cool water was tempting we had smelled the Rhine further upstream, so no way would I get in there!
The old centre of Basel was really pretty but by now it was 40 C in the sun, 33 C in the shade if there was any. As we moved along the road we could feel the heat radiating up off the road like opening an oven door again and again. Thankfully we turned off just after we entered France and headed up next to a shady canal that was in a Natural Reserve called Petite Camargue Alsacienne. We didn’t see any birds or wildlife at all, they were probably all hiding from the heat. We eventually arrived at our hotel at 3 pm which thankfully had air-con.
From here we just have to cycle across France from east to west to get to Roscoff and the ferry across to Plymouth in the UK and then cycle home. This will be covered in my next blog. Since starting our journey in Albania 44 days ago we have gone from daytime temperatures of 5°C to 40°C. When we started the passes we were trying to cross were shut by snow and we were concerned about getting accommodation that was warm enough. Now we are just thankful if our accommodation has air-conditioning. We are both relieved that we left the tent behind on this trip. So far we have cycled 2,267 km and climbed 37,429 m.
Thank you for reading the blog and if you have any questions please get in touch.