Mountains, Rivers and Rivieras is home to some of my cycle-touring blogs and photographs spanning the last decade or so. There are several tours on here, some fully loaded camping trips, some light touring and a couple of credit card tours. Your comments and questions are most welcome.
Mountains, Rivers and Rivieras – 2005
This was our big one… In the summer of 2005, Agata and I cycled 12,207 km (7,585 miles) traveling through 13 different countries. Highlights included the Danube Bike Trail, the Pyrenees, and some famous Alpine climbs including: the Groβglockner Hochalpenstraße, Grimselpass, Col de la Forclaz, Col des Saisies, Cormet de Roselend, Col de l’Iseran, Col du Télégraphe, Col du Galibier, Passo dello Stélvio and Mont Ventoux.
This tour pre-dates smartphones and laptops small enough to take with you on a bicycle tour, so all the words came from a small paper notebook that I carried with me. It was intended really to be more of a record of where we were and when so don’t expect great writing. In retrospect I wish I’d taken more time over it. Some of the photos are good though.
Route des Grandes Alpes – 2015
The most recent excursion, a week long trip following the historic Route des Grandes Alpes through the high mountains from Lake Geneva to the French Riviera. The route takes in 16 of the French Alps’ highest passes: Col des Gets (1,170 m), Col de la Colombière (1,613 m), Col des Aravis (1,486 m), Col des Saisies (1,650 m), Col de Méraillet (1,605 m), Cormet de Roselend (1,968 m), Col de l’Iseran (2,770 m), Col du Télégraphe (1,566 m), Col du Galibier (2,645 m), Col d’Izoard (2,360 m), Col de Vars (2,108 m), Col de la Cayolle (2,326 m), Col de la Couillole (1,678 m), Col Saint-Martin (1,500 m), Col de Turini (1,604 m) and the Col de Castillon (728 m).
One of the World’s great bike rides – the Raid Pyrénéen is a bicycle route that traverses the length of the Pyrenees between Hendaye on the Atlantic and Cerbère on the Mediterranean.
A two-week fully loaded tour of the Republic of Ireland sampling the many delights of The Emerald Isle.
A springtime touring trip to Amsterdam and back via Holland, Belgium and France.
A fully loaded camping tour taking in Lake Garda, the Dolomites and Venice.
The Val di Cembra in Italy
Credit card touring in France
Snow on the Col de l’Iseran