EuroVelo 1

The EuroVelo1 runs along Europe's western border and is 9,100km in length. It takes in the fjords of Norway, the wild Atlantic Way of Ireland, the beaches of France and Portugal.Why is it so long? The simple answer is that it meanders (a lot). I asked someone who cycled some of the Wild Atlantic Way and he told me that he often had to divert 500m down the cycle path, divert back another 500m elsewhere, only to advance a few hundred meters on the original route. 

Last month, I cycled a good stretch of the route from Rennes to Biarritz. I met a Spanish cyclist who had cycled from the south and we met in Rennes. He raved about it and found it relatively flat. He advised me to take the route from Rennes to Nantes. I did cycle part of it but I quickly got frustrated with how serpentine the route is. I wanted to reach Nantes in a day. I got there on the next day. Had I stayed on the EuroVelo1 route, it would have taken me an additional half day. I emphasise that at least for me that is a negative. I met Americans in Biarritz who came by the EuroVelo1 route and said I had missed a very nice section that ran by a canal that leads into Nantes. I did, however, re-embrace the EuroVelo 1 for much of the journey from La Rochelle through Rocheforte and on to Bordeaux. I was glad I did as the view of the beaches was spectacular. The only caveat that cycling through highly touristed areas was slow going at times: with bathers crisscrossing one's path, you have to keep your wits about you. I was glad I made the decision to take a breather from the bike and go for a dip in the Atlantic. From La Rochelle to Rocheforte offers some of the finest coastal cycling in France in my opinion. 

Along the coast between La Rochelle and Rocheforte

So, what is the route then? 

Norway Route

EuroVelo1 begins in Nordkap in northern Norway and runs along the coast of Norway. Tromso and Bergen are two stand-out points along the way.

EuroVelo 1 in Norway connects to EuroVelo 12, 3, 7 and 11 and covers over 2500 kilometres from Bergen to the North Cape. The route takes you along Norways beautiful long coastline with fjords, the view of high mountains and many islands that is often accessible by ferries. The section is not fully realized so it's a good idea to contact local tourist office or Cycling Norway for more information. (Source: http://www.eurovelo.com )

 UK Route

If you begin in Scotland in Aberdeen, you head towards Inverness via National Cycle route 1. Then from Inverness, you travel through Cairngorms National Park and Loch Lomond National Park via National Cycle Route 7 to Glasgow. From Glasgow you can continue to the coast and take a ferry to Belfast. I cycled through Cairngorms National Park (on a Land's End to Inverness cycle) and I found it breathtaking; the sweep into Inverness coming from the south is breathtaking.

Further south in Britain the route picks up from the Irish route at Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, goes along the Celtic Trail. It then links up with Bristol, goes through the Exmoor National Park. Along viaducts and former railway lines the route then follows the Devon Coast to Coast route finishing in Plymouth via National Route 27.   For more info, see http://www.sustrans.org.uk

Irish Route

In the Republic of Ireland the Atlantic Coast Route (EuroVelo 1) - described here from North to South - starts at the village of Newtowncunningham in County Donegal. From here the route is signposted for almost 200km on quiet rural roads, to Donegal town. The route then joins the North West Cycle Trail which is signposted as far as Sligo town. After that much of the route is not yet developed or signposted. However, there are some notable exceptions to this in Co Mayo and Co Limerick where the route joins the Great Western Greenway for almost 42km and the Great Southern Trail for 37.5km respectively. Both of these sections are constructed on former railway lines and are mostly traffic free. After this there are some further signposted road sections which are part of existing regional and local routes in Counties Clare, Cork and Waterford. However, much of the route in the southern part of the country is yet to be developed. Eventually the route arrives at Rosslare on the East coast, where cyclists can connect with a ferry to Wales and continue on the Atlantic Route through the United Kingdom. (Source: http://www.eurovelo.com/en/eurovelos/eurovelo-1/countries/ireland )

(I will continue this post later with info on French, Spanish and Portuguese legs of the route.)