Eurovelo 15-Rhine Route June 2018-Thorn Nomad

[jeeves]

As part of my retirement celebration this summer I am doing the Rhine route over 3 weeks.
So far the flight from Manchester to Basel is booked and then my ferry from Rotterdam to Hull 23 days later.
I'll join the route hopefully by getting the train from Basel to Sargans which misses out a few miles at the beginning but gives me plenty of time to meander at anywhere that takes my fancy.
I'll be doing it in June but before I go I'll be getting measured up for a new bike courtesy of Thorn in April (probably a Nomad).
Its something i've been dreaming of for years having done some tours in Hebrides, France and Holland.
id appreciate any tips for campsites/Hostels to stay at en-route.
Having problem booking my train journey at present via CBB swiss rail website but possibly im a little early.
I know there are many threads about flying bikes out on planes, but given my bike will be brand new I will probably use the bike box supplied by Thorn for maximum protection and then leave the box in a bin somewhere.

[foxyrider]

When I flew with a bike into Basel I took the bus into the city (make sure you exit on the Swiss side!) with my bagged bike and did the build up in the railway station that the bus will take you to. (which is where you need to be to get the train east)

I'm not aware of a campsite close to Sargans, there is one along in Liechtenstein at Triesen and a bit further down stream at Buchs. If you trained to Bad Ragaz though (one stop further towards Chur) there is a site close to the town centre.

There are plenty of campsites from Bregenz as far as Basel (although the site in Basel is a couple of miles away from the river.) Up to Karlsruhe continues to be pretty good for sites but from there to Mainz they are a bit rarer although there are some honeypots like Speyer with several sites. Down the Rhein Gorge you won't have any problems but beyond Bonn they get a bit less frequent again.

Get yourself the Esterbauer Rhein Radweg books - they include a good selection of campsites and accomodation besides stuff to see and do, bike shops etc.

I've done most of the length at different times and maybe my daily distances may not suit your programme. Here anyway are some stops i've used

Arbon - on the banks of Bodensee
Schaffhausen - across from the old town
Moehlin - near Rheinfelden
Kehl - opposite Strasbourg - good base to visit the city
Speyer - couple of sites to north of city
Koblenz - opposite the Eck
Remagen
Rolandswerth
Koeln
Meersbusch - opposite Kaiserswerth
Wesel
Brielle - about thirty minutes ride from the ferry terminal.

The Swiss sites in particular can fill quite quickly so arriving before 6pm is a good idea - I have seen people turned away. I certainly like to have a site in mind when I set out in the morning whether i've pre booked or not. I'm sure others will have specific sites for you, sorry I don't have names but a quick Google of the places will turn up the sites.

Hope this helps a little

[Graham r]

I am hoping to do this ride in June as well but need to do it in 14 days due to work

[jeeves]

Anyone done this and have advice around how easy it is to navigate? I believe it is signposted and obviously the Rhine itself is a good navigation point ! It’s tempting to look into the whole gps/Garmin thing but I save myself a small fortune if I don’t really need one

[skelo]

I did it last summer, but in reverse, from Europoort to Waldshut (before diverting off to meet a friend in Zurich). It is dead easy to navigate- as you suggest, there is a big watery clue flowing alongside you all the way, the Rhine delta and Rotterdam is a bit complicated, but the locals are friendly for directions. it is easy cycling all the way, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!

[foxyrider]

I would suggest getting one of the guides (Bikeline etc - easy to source on Amazon) which have mapping that's easy to follow. The big bonus is that they will have details of stuff to see and do along the way that you will miss if you just slavishly follow the route signs.

And there is plenty to see and do with just short diversions away from the river.

Over the years i've followed a fair number of rivers for all or part of their length and always enjoyed it but often it's the diversions to visit a town or castle or museum that have made the trip.

Have a good trip

[Slowroad]

Some of the hostels get booked up well in advance so it's worth looking now and booking if it fits in with how you do trips. (Appreciate not everyone likes a fixed itinery). But you don't pay in advance so not a problem if you don't use the booking. Obv it's a courtesy to call them - but the bed goes to someone else after, say, 6pm.

[hamster]

Anyone done this and have advice around how easy it is to navigate? I believe it is signposted and obviously the Rhine itself is a good navigation point ! It’s tempting to look into the whole gps/Garmin thing but I save myself a small fortune if I don’t really need one

I bought Cicerone guidebook, the route is brilliantly signed and the book was almost unnecessary for finding my way.

[Slowroad]

I've been using the ADFC Radtourenkarte maps as I went off the route several times to get to youth hostels. Very good, but you need four at about £11 each. Plus maps for the Netherlands and possibly the Swiss bit.

[RobinS]

We came home along the Rhein last summer after crossing the alps from Italy into Austria, camping all the way. The Bikeline guides are in 4 volumes, and last summer one of the volumes was unavailable. We got a Kompass guide to cover that section, but the Kompass guides cover the whole route in 3 volumes. Both sets of guides are in german, but the maps are adequate to get by with. They both mark campsites on the maps, but do not always list the sites in the index - a couple of times we could not find a site where marked, only to discover that the symbol marked a Canoe Club that allowed camping. One of these was somewhere between Constance and Basel, the other at Worms (where there are no other sites for miles). I preferred the Bikeline guides as they more comprehensively described the alternative routes on each side of the river. Once you get to the Netherlands be aware that the official route is extremely devious, and seems to cover about twice the distance that is really needed! Note that food is very expensive in Switzerland, but surprisingly reasonable in Germany - along that border we made a point of camping and shopping on the German side. Germany does also have fantastic bike shops if you need any parts. Any specific questions just ask.

[RobinS]

Oh - and we found the cicerone guide rubbish - it is just turn left, turn right, go straight instructions with rubbish maps - the Bikeline or Kompass guides mean you do not need extra maps.

[jeeves]

Thankyou for everyone’s advice- it’s very much appreciated