40 years ago on this day we were married at Highnam.
Another warm day that started at the foot of Artstetten Schloss. Once home & final resting place of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 was the trigger for the start of WW1
History lesson over.
After a good night’s sleep in a very comfortable bed, we finally woke at 08:50! The latest so far. I
t was no longer raining and no wind at all.😁😁
We had a late start, but we cruised along the river path for 20 km feeling good. The path took us past a crow eating an enormous walnut.
Then Sue had an encounter with a big fish.
Lots of reflections as the water was relatively calm
As good as the weather has been during the first 6 days; today was horrid. We were rudely woken in the early hours by a thunderstorm. The morning however was cloudy but cold and dry. More clothes were needed, as it was only 10 degrees🥶
We headed out along the river side for 20 km. It was a treat not to have a head wind, as we’d had for most of the previous days.
First stop was to cross the river near this Schloss.
We were getting close to Linz, and the rain became heavier. The trail was close to a busy road and the traffic spray was unpleasant.
We chose to find a restaurant in Linz to have lunch and shelter from the wet stuff.
It was a good call, the restaurant next to a museum on the river bank was suggesting some white asparagus wrapped up in prosciutto and cheese, then rolled in breadcrumb batter and deep fried. Absolutely gorgeous !
I even had to take a picture!
After lunch we thought that the rain would be easing off. No such luck. We considered getting some culture in the Kunst Museum nearby, but having googled it’s contents , (see highlights below,) we opted to go back into the bar and have another drink!
From the bar we witnessed people being spun around in a fairground chair, attached to chains high above the city in the rain. We could have had a go at that as well but I think the beer/ Prosecco was better value.
We finally decided to leave the bar, as the rain started to ease. It didn’t stop completely for the next 25 km although thankfully the wind was with us all the way.
It’s still raining now as I write this in bed.
Tomorrow looks much better, and may even get to 20 degrees, according to the forecast🤞🤞🤞
Our 6th day started off with a steep climb to get a good view of Passau from above. It was a little steeper than I had anticipated and Sue had a bit of a wobble and fell off. Not a good start, but luckily no damage was done to bike or herself. The view of the town made up for the trauma and she calmed down somewhat!
We crossed the river Ilz into Austria and headed into a strong headwind alongside a busy road and the river. Lots of buffeting and noise for 20 km. After that, the route became quieter and much more scenic. The hills either side became steeper and soon we were deep in a valley. The wind still funnelled up the valley making it hard going.
We then found a lovely wooden chalet for lunch, and after a beer and prosecco and a rest, the afternoon became magical.
The 1st of May: a holiday in Germany.
The sun shone brightly and every German person with an e bike was on the EV 6 route, as we were!!
There were more bikes on the route than there were cars on the road running parallel.
Another day of head winds, but the batteries helped overcome them.
The church in the riverside village we stayed in but as big as a cathedral.
We observed this group ( congregation) following a cross bearer, with a priest pulling a big blue box across a field?? Maybe a May Day tradition?
Our last day in Germany.
The last day in April and our furthest distance so far this trip. Also the hottest day so far with a high of 27 degrees
We left Wörth an de Donau (Donau is Danube in German) and headed out into Bavaria’s most fertile farmland.
We soon left the busy town of Straubing and headed east into a headwind. The battery bikes really came into their own in these conditions. We passed a few conventional bikes who were really struggling. We just upped into the high power mode and passed them as if they were stationary🤣
The Bavarian bike paths are really superbly signed and the surfaces are great. Even the villages you pass through are so welcoming.
We’ve deliberately kept our daily distance low, as our bums have needed to customise to a bicycle saddle again, after 7 months of comfortable seats!
We were happy to have a short morning ride to the historical town of Regensburg and take in some culture. Another warm day.
Lots of bad things today. We cycled through Bad-Gogging then past Mitterfecking (very rude) and then Peterfecking and somewhere en route saw this, growing on the side of the road🥱
We finally ended up at Bad- Abbach where we had a beer and a prosecco whilst staring at a sculpture of a lady breastfeeding a fish!!
Actually it was a great day for riding. Perfect temperature and no wind. Unfortunately most people in Bavaria had the same idea, and had therefore decided a Sunday family cycle ride down the Danube, was the pursuit to persue.
It was great to see that the fabulous cycling infrastructure in Germany is being used by so many.
After a 7 month break from our trip across Europe on our e bikes, today we continued east along the Danube.
Our good friend Manfred had kindly looked after our bikes through the winter, and then looked after us for 2 nights whilst we prepared ourselves for the forthcoming ride.
Fortunately the weather was superb and we had a very gentle 30 km ride to Vohburg in order to get our bums accustomed to the saddle once more!
Our last day of the first leg on the EV 6 bike route across Europe.
Yet another beautiful day, and we were soon out of the town in the rolling Bavarian countryside. A few hills for a change, which always involved some exciting fast downhills, although Sue didn’t enjoy them like I did!
We were soon back down to the ever expanding Danube. This very wide stretch was a large reservoir caused by a hydroelectric dam, of which we’ve seen several. Many different wildfowl were enjoying these large areas.
It felt very odd to load our bikes onto the rack and finally sit in the first car we’d been in for over 4 weeks!!
Mixed emotions in many ways.
I was sad to say goodbye to the Euro Velo Route 6, which has taken us to so many interesting places, Sue is looking forward to not having to pack pannier bags every morning with all our possessions!
We’re leaving the bikes with Manfred through the winter, and will hopefully return next spring to carry on pedalling towards the Black Sea, 2400 kms further along the Danube.
So there is more yet to come in 2024🤞🤞
A big thank you to Manfred for collecting us and agreeing to store our gear for 6 months.
Also thanks to Mum & Dad, and Trude & Rob for looking after our home and dogs in France for a whole month, enabling us to do this cycling expedition.
Finally thanks to the comments and encouragement that friends and family have given us whilst on route.
Until 2024!🚴♂️🚴♀️🚴♂️🚴♀️🚴♂️🚴♀️
Euro Vélo Route 6