neilob wrote:To save weight you can either copy the relevant pages from the Bikeline books or the more modern approach is to photograph them using a smartphone. All of it would fit on an SD card. You can borrow my copies of this idea appeals.
I'm also doing this route in July and would be very interested in getting copies/scan of maps. If you're happy to lend them to me I'm happy to pay postage both ways.
I've several times cycled the Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen and gone as far south as Mainz or was it Mannheim and then along the Neckar to Stuttgart. I've also cycled the bit from Koblenz to Koln.
The Rhine as much as I've cycled it, is great.
The Mosel is better. I've done from Trier to Koblenz four times I think.. A must-see is Burg Eltz which is near enough to Cochem.
Hi Mike Wells, author of the Rhine River guidebook mentioned in previous responses, wrote this little piece for my website on the French section of the EuroVelo 15 Rhine River Route - the bit that passes through Alsace for around 200km: http://www.freewheelingfrance.com/where-to-go/eurovelo-15.html May be of interest if you plan on cycling the French section. Cheers Lyn.
I am joining the long list of folk planning to ride this route! I have decided to fly to Zurich - two hours from Manchester, compared to a day and a bit via trains/ferry/trains. Does anyone have experience of the train links from Zurich to Oberalppass? What sort of bike accommodation, is it necessary to remove panniers, etc. For the flight I will be packing panniers/barbag/helmet/etc. into one big bag as hold baggage. I guess I could keep them like that for the train journeys.
There's two different ways you can go. We went (last summer) via Andermatt: the train from Zurich to Andermatt required a "bike ticket" and had hanging bike storage, though not huge amounts of it from what I remember. Yes, panniers should come off. We were on folders so didn't have to buy the bike ticket, though the guard required a little convincing that the Airnimal was really a folder (he was fine with the Bike Friday).
From Andermatt to Oberalppass the narrow-gauge glacier train was more free-form. Best of all, there are staff at Andermatt who will carry your bike across the tracks from train to train to save you the effort!
Hope you have better weather than we did...
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John Gray wrote:I am joining the long list of folk planning to ride this route! I have decided to fly to Zurich - two hours from Manchester, compared to a day and a bit via trains/ferry/trains. Does anyone have experience of the train links from Zurich to Oberalppass? What sort of bike accommodation, is it necessary to remove panniers, etc. For the flight I will be packing panniers/barbag/helmet/etc. into one big bag as hold baggage. I guess I could keep them like that for the train journeys.
leave your luggage on the bike unless you are going by bus or need to use a hanger on the trains.
Convention? what's that then? Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
Richard Fairhurst wrote:There's two different ways you can go. We went (last summer) via Andermatt: the train from Zurich to Andermatt required a "bike ticket" and had hanging bike storage, though not huge amounts of it from what I remember. Yes, panniers should come off. We were on folders so didn't have to buy the bike ticket, though the guard required a little convincing that the Airnimal was really a folder (he was fine with the Bike Friday).
From Andermatt to Oberalppass the narrow-gauge glacier train was more free-form. Best of all, there are staff at Andermatt who will carry your bike across the tracks from train to train to save you the effort!
Hope you have better weather than we did...
Thanks Richard, very helpful. Sorry to hear the weather was bad for you - what time of the year did you go?
The power of positive thinking! I am going mid-June and don't really know what to expect. There are websites giving weather forecasts for June, but I can't see such a long range forecast being that accurate. Nice photo by the way, very atmospheric!
I was up in Andermatt in mid August, temperature was not much over freezing, low cloud, rain and up on the high passes snow was falling! Had three days like that sandwiched between sunshine and 30c!
Convention? what's that then? Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
I'll be going up the Rhine again starting mid April. Last year I turned off it to go up the Main before doing the canal to get to the Danube. This year I'll be going further up as I'm aiming to then go down the Loire before turning left for the Med.
Tigerbiten wrote:I'll be going up the Rhine again starting mid April. Last year I turned off it to go up the Main before doing the canal to get to the Danube. This year I'll be going further up as I'm aiming to then go down the Loire before turning left for the Med.
sounds a good route
Last edited by ossie on 12 Jul 2015, 10:49pm, edited 1 time in total.
i am doing the Rhine source to sea this June for charity. you mentioned photos of the route on your phone could be borrowed? if this was possible id be eternally grateful.
If you have a smartphone it's pretty much all you need for the Rhine; Google maps for directions, campsites, restaurants, bike shops you name it. Plus you don't even need to have data turned on to utilise it as you can screenshot the route beforehand and it uses GPS to find your location, happy days.
From Dussledorf pretty much all the way to Basel is straight forward as the path is always signed or deviates very little from the river. The only tricky bits are the Rhur which I recommend bypassing all together if it's for pleasure as Duisberg etc ain't pretty.
August was very hot this year (we counted 39c in Strasbourg) I would recommend setting off late Aug if heading north to south having done both, although flying sounds pretty sweet as it's a cheaper option (why not cycle back via another route??!!?)