Content
- General Comments
- Itinerary
- IT and Communication
- Clothes, Sleeping and the Tent
- Cooking and Food
- First Aid and Personal Care
- Getting the Bike Ready
- Others
- Packing
- Other People's Tavel Blogs
Links to Photo Gallery, GPS Tracker and Start Page
General Comments
Itinerary
Here is a very rough plan of my trip. I am flying to Geneva on Sunday, 3. August and returning on Saturday, 27. September from Bucharest, hopefully having done my 2,500 miles.
I have booked my accommodation for the first few days but once I start following the Danube, I will cycle as far as I feel like it every day and then find a campsite. There should be no problem with that until Budapest as the route is very well developed. However, after that it will be come a bit more interesting as there are very few campsites and I will just have to see how I get on.
I also haven't decided yet if after crossing through Serbia, I will follow the Southern shore and make my way into Bulgaria or take the Northern shore which will take me straight into Romania. I very much hope that I will meet people coming the other direction so I can pick their brains.
IT and Communication
For navigation I will again use the OsmAnd app with off-line maps, installed on the mobiles and the tablet. Of course, the Cicerone guides will also come along, just in case ....
The other apps I am going to use are WhatsApp and Viber for calling local landline and mobile numbers and, probably one of the most essential ones, Google Translate.
It seems that the further East you go, and particularly in the rural areas, fewer and fewer people will either speak English or German, the two languages I know. Then a translation app will come in handy, for example to ask if I can camp on a farmer's land.
For internet access, I will install the Holafly European eSIM with unlimited data. This will allow me to upload photos and write my blog.
My Spot GPS tracker will also come along, with a public page set up so family and friends can follow my progress. The Spot also has a SOS function which will send my location to a control center which then will alert emergency services.
Clothes, Sleeping and the Tent
As far as possible, I am planning to camp all the way but will have to be flexible when I get further East. After Budapest there are few campsites, so it's either wild camping or hotels/hostels. Also, around big cities, hostels will most likely be the only option.
The tent is a 2-man MSR Elixir2. Although, a bit heavier than a 1-man one, it provides more space to more about. One thing about it I very much appreciated on my last trip was that it is free-standing, so it could be put up even when when the ground was too hard for pegs. Also, the sleeping bag is a summer one, not the 3-season one I packed the last time. And of course, the folding chair. At my age, you need some comfort ...
It's always difficult to judge what to clothes to take. I have gone for two sets of on-cycle clothes and a poncho and waterproof trousers.
I am also packing 2 sets of off-cycle clothes. As the temperature even during the night, is unlikely to drop too low, I will be OK with what I am taking along.
Cooking and Food
I plan to cook most of my meals on my camp stove using paraffin. This worked out well in the past and 2.5 liters will probably last me for most of the trip.
- Breakfast: Oats, raisins, granola and bananas.
- Snacks: Nuts, raisins, energy bars, etc.
- Lunch: Bread, cheese, tomatoes, carrots.
- Dinner: Rise/pasta, cheese, sausage/meat, onion, carrots, etc., yogurt.
And lots and lots of water.
First Aid and Personal Care
Considering that I didn't have to touch my First Aid kit for the whole of my 3-month Trans American Trip in 2023, I maybe overdoing it a bit this time. But, as they say, better safe than sorry.
So, here is what I am taking along:
Protection against sun burn is probably the most important part of personal care. Putting it on in the morning, even if the sun is not up yet, is part of the essential morning routine. Of course, soap and toothpaste is also important.
Getting the Bike Ready
I am using the same setup as on my last trip across the States. Again, I am taking along some bits and pieces but apart from the oil, I hope not to use any of it. Before setting out, I will change the tires (Schwalbe Marathon Plus 26X 2.0), inner tubes, break pads, chain and rear cassette (11t-36T). With that done, I don't expect anything to go wrong. But again, it's good to be prepared.
Deciding on the tire pressure involved using a formula and then a bit of guess work. Anyway, with the tires limited to 35-70psi, I went for Front: 44 psi and Rear: 54 psi. During my Trans American Trip getting the tire pressure right involved a lot of guess work. So, this time I purchased a Digital Tyre Pressure Gauge for £6.
Others
And then there all these other bits and pieces, like super glue, cable ties, water filter, string to hang up your clothes, needle and thread, etc.. All the things that might come in handy sometimes.
Packing
Well,everything seems to fit on the bike. Now, there is the more challenging matter of putting the bike in a box so it arrives safely and packing everything else into one bag.
Travel Blogs
Links
Dunube Cycle Blog Budapest to Black Sea 1 Timothysalmon's Blog. Good article with recommendations for where to stay at the end.
Dunube Cycle Blog Budapest to Black Sea 1
Clips of Route Good for getting a feel for the route. Better than StreetView
Notes
If you do have to ride a section of main road for some reason, we found that there was a marked lull in lorry traffic between 12.30 and 2pm.
We met cyclists who were camping wild, without difficulty, but it does bring other problems, like weight, food and security.
Hotels – Booking.com
Hostels – Hostelworld
Hostel Sport Bucharest