Danube Cycleway (Donau Radweg) September 2008
From Donaueschingen to Budapest
Timetable (Tagesplan)
Don and Maria Hitchcock (Australia) Contact: maria@wattleday.com
Our preparations (Die Vorbereitung)
We spent a number of months planning this trip. As we did not want to take our good road bikes with us because of security concerns and the cost of taking them by plane, we decided to buy some cheap bicycles in Germany. Amazon.de had a number on offer. It was obvious we needed trekking bikes with carriers on the back. The average price was about 175 Euros so we thought we would be able to get something around that price. We would take our own helmets, small tools, locks and octopus straps with us. The next thing was to plan the route itself. There was little on the Internet in English that was really useful but Don found a book by John Higginson which he ordered through British Amazon. It seemed to be just what we wanted and we were able to do some forward planning, estimating how long it would take us to get to Budapest.
Higginson's book was all we had at the start but at the end of Day 2 we bought books of maps in a bookshop at Riedlingen. These were the German version which was not a problem as I could read German. As it turned out the maps were essential and it is recommended that you buy these before you start. There are English versions for each leg. Higginson's book was good as an extra but his route deviates from the Radweg at times. Having the maps gives you more flexibility to choose the route that suits you. The maps also contain information and phone numbers for tourist offices, accommodation, camping sites, bike shops, emergency medical, etc. A brief description of the Radweg can be helpful if you miss a sign. Distances from the start to each town are given to help you keep track of the distance covered. Higginson's book also covers a lot of historical and sighseeing information. We found that we didn't have a lot of time to spend going into small towns, visiting churches, museums, etc. You would have to do shorter trips each day and allow more time for sightseeing. Many travellers give themselves the odd rest day to go sightseeing. As we planned to cycle every day we had to content ourselves with what we managed to see along the way and then going into the town or village in the late afternoon.
Don and I cycle regularly so training was not a problem. The Radweg is mostly flat some with hilly bits in the first few days. The biggest problem is luggage. As we were unsupported we would have to take everything with us including camping gear. Don has specialised in lightweight camping equipment over the years to take bushwalking. He makes most of his own gear and was able to lighten the load considerably. Both of us had small superdown sleeping bags and I carried a three-quarter length self-inflating mattress which folded and rolled into a neat little pack. I also had 2 cycling jerseys, 3 pairs of Nicks (padded lycra pants), arm warmers, leg warmers, a cycling raincoat, socks, underwear, 2 T-shirts, 1 pair of jeans, 1 knit jacket, 1 jumper, pyjamas, long sleeved thermal top and leggings, towel, washer, toiletries, headlamp, handkerchiefs, medications, penknife, small cutlery set, extra batteries, adaptor and phone charger, small fold-up umbrella, shampoo/conditioner, clothes washing soap and sandals. All items were stored in about 6 plastic bags and then packed into my rucksack. I also have a small backpack which zips onto the rucksack and this held my diary, pens, phone, camera, glasses, sun-glasses, sun-cream, water-bottle, plastic cup and a few other essentials. I carried 2 thin plastic plates but we hardly used them. Don took a light tent, poles and pegs and lightweight cooking gear including a methylated spirits/spritus/alcohol stove made from the bottom of an aluminium beer can. This equipment was very lightweight and totally reliable. We bought the fuel in a supermarket in Germany and it is freely available in France as well. Gas canisters in Europe are different to Australian ones and if you want to use propane for cooking, you would need to buy the stove in Europe as well. Don also bought rolls of Leucoplast from the Apotheke to wrap around his twist gear changes which were very slippery in wet weather. He also used the Leucoplast to repair his carrier when a screw fell out and to strengthen the carrier with extra steel tent pegs. His pack weighed about 15 kgs and was a bit heavy for the lightweight carrier. This solution worked very well.
We bought 2 extra SD (2Gig) cards each before we left. This is the lightest way to store photos. We put these into our security bags which we wore around our necks and inside our jerseys. The security bag held passport and credit cards plus extra money. My pack weighed about 12 Kilos and was held down with 4 octopus straps. We had some balance problems the first couple of days but then worked out a system of strapping which kept everything firm. This was very important as we'd had problems with the packs sliding over to one side when we tried to park.
We didn't book any accommodation beforehand as we weren't sure where we would be on any given day. This was not a problem for most of the route except in Slovakia where we were forced to ride 120 kms one day because we couldn't find a room or camping area. I had already arranged to stay with a friend in Vienna so that was fine. we also avoided staying in the larger towns and tended to look for accommodation in smaller villages as they were easier to find and usually cheaper. Please note that rooms are often charged per person even if it's a double. Double beds are usually 2 singles joined together with single doonas. The average charge was around 48 Euros for 2 people. We paid much the same for Youth Hostel accommodation although that depends on the hostel. Camping fees and facilities varied tremendously but it was much cheaper than staying in a room. However, if the weather was bad, camping was not an option as we needed to get dry and warm.
It is possible to cross over to Hungary earlier than we did as there are cycle paths on both sides of the river. However we opted to follow a path recommended by Paul Davenport, an Englishman we met in a camping area along the way. Paul had done the trip several times and had just come through from Budapest so had the latest information on roadworks. Paul is writing a book on several bike paths including the Danube and had a wealth of knowledge about campsites, places to eat and the best tracks to follow. He is also a most fascinating person, a retired teacher who has taught in many countries and cycled in some amazing places. I could have talked to him for hours.
A mistake we made was not to have an exit plan from Budapest. You cannot take your bicycle on an international train in Hungary. We had hoped to take them into Romania with us and ended up with a nightmare journey, which is detailed in Day 21. You might be able to box your bike and fly out or take the boat back to Vienna. You will need to find out if you can take the bike on board and have an exit strategy well planned before you go. Alternatively you could ride back to Vienna taking another route and doing a round trip. I would strongly warn cyclists against travelling by train in Hungary or Romania. The regional trains are old, falling to bits, filthy dirty and there are no proper platforms. The railway staff are very unhelpful and the culture of corruption is everywhere. Australians are unfamiliar with the practice of bribery in order to get service and it is easy to get into trouble. It is obvious that they do not welcome foreigners unless they travel in big tour groups and stay in expensive hotels. There is no bicycle culture as in Western Europe, so anyone cycling needs to ride on the roads which are very dangerous.
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