Greece (all)

The Route:

Americas: Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina
Atlantic Traverse: Azores Islands [Portugal]
Europe: Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey
The Middle East: Iran
Central Asia: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, India
South East Asia: Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia
Australasia: Australia

Welcome to the Brink Expedition!

Imagine attempting a global traverse that would take you 50,000 kilometres through some of the most difficult terrain and extreme weather on the planet, all the time attempting to use only human power and the natural elements.

Starting deep in the heart of Amazonian South America the Brink Expedition will encounter unforgiving Patagonian winds, snowed over Himalayan Mountain passes, monsoons on the sub-continent and the oppressive heat of Australia's Red Centre.

So while the clock ticks, the seasons will turn, making this a full-throttled Race Against the Elements!

This website accompanies the book ``Why Don't You Fly?'' (ISBN 1-905203-25-X published by Pen Press).

How does it feel to trade comfort and security for life as a nomad and to pare one's life down to the bare necessities? What is it like to push at the frontiers of one's physical and mental endurance?

``Why Don't You Fly?'' is the account of an epic adventure in search of an elusive sense of identity in which triumph, disappointment, discomfort, exhaustion and exhilaration all trade positions against a backdrop of prodigious physical endeavour. During a gruelling 16,500-mile examination of physical and mental stamina the author ate and drank in roadside cafés in the company of inquisitive lorry drivers and shared dormitories in remote Chinese villages with fascinated farm hands and gleeful mosquitoes. Sceptical western existentialism met religious fatalism in the restaurants and teahouses of the Middle East and India in the course of a physical and spiritual journey that constantly raised questions about the attitudes and values that prevail in the West.

The Website includes a chapter-by-chapter synopsis of the book, a sample chapter and 93 photographs.

This tour includes scenic detours around Greek islands, the Peloponnese, and proceeds through Italy, Austria, and Germany. This site also has tours in the USA: Colorado, Wyoming, Montana; and in Portugal and Spain.

This tour includes scenic detours around Greek islands, the Peloponnese, and proceeds through Italy, Austria, and Germany."

Lake Kerkini is a wetlands wildfowl reserve in Northern Greece, with a large variety of bird and other animal life, as well as a virtually traffic-free dirt road for most of its circumference. Ideal for a day's cycletour and some birdwatching. This is a description of the area, with photos, and some hints on making the most of a trip there.

In 2001 vanuit Nederland vertrokken en nu okt 2005 meer dan 65.000 km en al meer dan 40 landen doorgefietst.

[On June 20 2003] I did a tour along the Moldavian painted monasteries [in Romania], starting with a not too difficult pass. Sucevita monastery was even more beautiful. From there I continued east to a bigger town, Radauti, to find a bank machine for a few millions of cash. Via Solca I reached Gura Humorului. Met a group of German cycle tourists. Near the Sucevita monastery I found a nice place to camp at a B&B farm. I insisted to pay for this and for the use of the sanitary facilities and the host accepted my offer of 5 euros, which is a crazy amount for a simple camping spot. For this amount he invited me to sleep in a bedroom inside, but I refused politely and opted for my tent with nice views on the village road. My host spoke good English, teaching American sailors in Brasov and staying at his parents farm during the holiday season. [The next day I took] a small detour to visit the Voronet monastery.

I did a tour along the Moldavian painted monasteries [in Romania], starting with a not too difficult pass. Sucevita monastery was even more beautiful. From there I continued east to a bigger town, Radauti, to find a bank machine for a few millions of cash. Via Solca I reached Gura Humorului. Met a group of German cycle tourists. Near the Sucevita monastery I found a nice place to camp at a B&B farm. I insisted to pay for this and for the use of the sanitary facilities and the host accepted my offer of 5 euros, which is a crazy amount for a simple camping spot. For this amount he invited me to sleep in a bedroom inside, but I refused politely and opted for my tent with nice views on the village road. My host spoke good English, teaching American sailors in Brasov and staying at his parents farm during the holiday season. [The next day I took] a small detour to visit the Voronet monastery.

The route follows the northern rim of the Mediterranean Sea, along the coast of Spain, France, across north Italy, the coast of Croatia, Greece, and Turkey. Powered by pastry, we pedaled and pushed our bikes from the sandy beaches of Spain to the sandy beaches of southern Turkey, over hills, over mountains, and across rivers of all sizes. Along the way, we found helpful people, stunning scenery, and great food.

As the winner of an article-writing competition in the Hungarian Bringa magazine, I could spend 11 days together with the Hungarian MTB squad in a training camp 80 kms from Athens, between 12 and 26 march 2002. We were in the friendly Hotel Bakos, in Loutraki, situated 3kms from the Korinthos channel and the Peloponnesus peninsula and at the foot of a 1300m high mountain. Although on ascents I prefer cycling looking around, taking pictures and making videofilms than cycling in a hurried style. So I was the odd one out from 24-26 head team. My goal was not to spend a good 11 days training, but to make nice cycle tours, enjoy the nature of Greece and to discover the north-east Peloponnesos.

Ja, hebben jullie het al gezien, we zijn meer dan 4 jaar onderweg. Wat een tijd en toch.... we genieten er nog elke dag van. Nu zijn we in Jujuy, noord Argentinië. Via Chili gaan we binnenkort naar Bolivia, waar we een tijdlang niet zullen kunnen internetten. We zullen op grote hoogte gaan fietsen, hoogtes waar we nog niet eerder waren. Of dat prettig is.. jullie zullen het later lezen.

Cycling in Greece and Italy enabled us to see some of the most historic and scenically beautiful places of Europe, from ancient to modern. This online journal documents a cycle trip from Athens, across the Peloponnese, and up the Italian boot. We climbed steep mountains, sped down the other side, sweated out the humidity of south Italy, struggled our way up to Gubbio, and enjoyed deserted resorts on the Italian coast. The food was the best, the scenery spectacular, and the drivers courteous.

[Titus is the bike] - 12195 km in 8 months through France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy and Greece - includes travelogue and many fine pictures

I've travelled quite a bit through the years, hiking on foot, by car, bus, plane... But cycling is just the right speed. Fast enough to actually get someplace, yet slow enough to smell the flowers as you go... Plus, it's the only mode of transportation where the engine actually improves with usage... Anyways, a friend lent me this book about a couple who spent a couple of years cycling around the world and I thought to myself that I wanted to do that ! So, off I went ! Well, I didn't quite make it... After 8 months on the road, I came back... Mostly due to homesickness, but I should have expected that, particularly on a solo trip...

Mid-morning after leaving Santillana [in Northern Spain], I take a break after a long cycle uphill and watch the progress of this little fellow... That's exactly how I felt... slow... but steady!

Greece is not the kind of place with which one would normally associate enjoyable cycling in Europe. It has high mountains, it can be very hot in Summer, it has drivers whose road sense can leave much to be desired and there is not very much written about cycling in Greece. Nonetheless, I have just come back from a 7 and a half month stay in that country, accompanied by my two bikes and I am pleased to say that cycling is alive and well in Greece - though not necessarily by the Greeks themselves.

From June 27 through July 19 [2000] AEDP (Project of Development Education of SOROS Albania) will provide 60-70 people selected from Albania, the Balkans, and the rest of the world with an intense learning experience in Italy and Albania. The tour will promote friendship and understanding between people from a wide variety of backgrounds and demonstrate that ALBANIA is Opening Up to the World.
Participants will bicycle from Rome to Venice in Italy, through Southern Albania and Northern Greece. They will receive guided tours at various stops along the away. A film crew will accompany the trip to produce a video which each participant is required to present in 5 schools upon their return after the end of the trip.

From Fietspad langs de digitale snelweg

From Fietspad langs de digitale snelweg

From Fietspad langs de digitale snelweg

Welcome to the first "wired" human-powered (bicycle), land-bound circumnavigation of the Mediterranean Sea. The team have concluded their journey, but they are continuing to add reports to this site.

On these pages we will show you the cycling pursuits of John and Daniel Gould (from Australia) and our friend Peter (from Japan).Our challenge will be to ride from London to Istanbul through 12 countries in 2 months while having a great time and seeing the sights. Peter should be there to Italy and then its just 2 unless anyone else wants to join us. For father and son John and Daniel the quest will also try to raise money for Odyssey House.

Tabular data and altitude profiles of mountain passes all over Europe.

Three superb reports of cycling in Corfu, Rhodes and Kefalonia. Maps, and many beautiful pictures!

The bike-experience describes our experiences on our bicycle holidays. This way we want to promote short foreign bicycle holidays for the sporty biker. Using the routes, travel reports and practical information that you can find here, we lead you along the most beautiful places without losing sight of the relaxing aspect of a holiday.

You don't have to be an experienced road maniac and you don't even have to possess the necessary equipment to get to the finish of these trips, a sportive mind is sufficient. Bike-xp is constantly under development and over the next years we will expand our site with new discoveries.

Diese einwöchige Tour - die wir zu viert unternommen haben - hat uns in jeder Hinsicht sehr gut gefallen, und die persönlichen Eindrücke über Strecken, Landschaft und einen einfach schönen Urlaub sollen auf dieser Seite wiedergegeben werden. Folgendes kann für eine Mountainbike Tour problematisch sein, worauf ich aufmerksam machen will. Nach dem Studium der zugänglichen Informationen über 'Biken' und 'Trekking' in Kreta waren wir für die Tourenplanung gewarnt. Es gibt viele auch auf den genauen Karten eingezeichnete Nebenstraßen, die nicht existieren, dafür gibt es neue nicht eingezeichnete Straßen. Wir haben festgestellt, daß alle in Mitteleuropa herausgegebenen Karten von ein und derselben ungenauen kretischen Karte abgezeichnet sind. So möchte ich unsere Erfahrungen über die gefahrenen Strecken weitergeben, vielleicht möchte sie jemand nützen.

I introduce in a brief way some itineraries cycled by the author in Spain (Pyrenees, Road to Santiago, The Silver Route, The North Route, Andalusia, but also in Greece, Croatia and Slovenia), with pictures of them, trying to show the beauty of this different and relaxed way of traveling.

A massive travel site, this guy has been everywhere.

Hier finden sich einige deutschsprachige Reiseberichte von Fahrradtouren, die hoffentlich unterhaltsam und informativ sind, aber auch vielleicht die eine oder andere Anregung für Leute geben, die selber einmal so etwas machen wollen. Für englischsprachige Radtourenberichte habe ich hier auch einen Anfang gemacht, ebenso für schwedischsprachige Radtourenberichte, wobei noch ein bißchen auf norwegisch und dänisch dabei ist, aber diese drei skaninavischen Sprachen sind so ähnlich, daß man entweder alle drei ein bißchen lesen kann oder eben keine davon.

An enormous collection of bicycle tours all over the world.
Eine enorme Sammlung von Fahrradtouren in der ganzen Welt.

[The author travels around the world and reviews hostels, and has built up a large hostel directory.]

What are hostels?

The quickest answer I can give to you is that hostels are budget accommodations where you share a room with other travelers. To be more specific though and to give you a better idea of what to expect I will say that a hostel room is like a hotel room but instead of being just one bed there are a couple (or a few) bunk beds. There are also (gasp!) other people. People you do not know! These other people are travelers who are most likely very much like you in the sense that they are exploring and traveling and doing it as absolutely cheaply as possible. Hostels have been around a long long time. There are over 20,000 of them around the world. Hostels are very much a part of the culture of Europe, and are starting to be known in the USA as well. Hostels are a cheaper way of staying in a city where you do not live.