The Alternate Road….

Our cycling tours are odysseys – historic and challenging. We want to give riders the excitement, adventure and trip of their lives. Saying that, we also want you to be able to appreciate the places in full which we are peddling through. I know some of you out there want to ride every single metre and good on you!

But, for those of you who would just as happily have a good ride and then still have time left to spend any way you wish, we have a great option: ‘The Alternate Road’. Have a sleep in and enjoy a wander around a village or along a beach and join the crew at coffee mid-morning. Or, have a hearty morning ride and then get a lift on to the evening’s destination to really explore a city, get lost in a museum or art gallery, take a leisurely swim in a lake, photograph some incredible scenery or tour a castle!

We will still have full support by our guides and the sag wagon, meaning you can be picked up anytime and ride as much or as little as you want, but having these fixed options on the long days we feel will give that positive option each day, and they are great options!

Our route today is breathtaking as we leave our “castle neighbourhood” and ride through some of southern Bavaria’s most impressive landscapes. The fields and high plateaus are flaked by high alpine lakes like the Großer Alpsee all the way to Obersee. Otherwise known as Lake Constance, this lake is bordered by three countries: Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The lake is not actually a lake but a vast swelling of the Rhine in a gorge carved out by a massive glacier during the last ice age. As a summer playground for many locals, the area around the lake happens to be one of the mildest in the country thanks to the warming effect of the water, which absorbs all its heat in the summer and releases it in winter. The climate is ideal for growing fruit such as apples, peaches and strawberries.

Founded in 784, Wasserburg means “castle on the water”. Wasserburg is famous for its picturesque peninsula where local artists and vendors can be found, selling all the produce from the rich surrounding landscape you have just been cycling through. In the 19th century, Wasserburg flourished as the most important trade centre with the Balkans, Austria and Italy, and as an especially significant hub in the salt trade, its bridge being the only possibility to cross the river Inn for 30 km in both directions.

OR an Alternate Day on our Hannibal bike tour

We continue to explore the beautiful region of Languedoc as we head towards the fairytale city of Carcassonne. For most of the day we are still in the foothills of the Pyrenees so the ride has a fair few undulations but as is the case with most of the riding in this region we pretty much have roads to ourselves. Our hotel is situated in the fortified Cite de Carcassonne which was granted UNESCO status in 1997 and acts as a beacon as we descend into the Aude lowlands.

To find out more about our bike tours and what makes Bike Odyssey so unique get in touch with the team today.