The Rhine Cycle Route: From source to sea through Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands

By Mike Wells

This comprehensive guidebook offers a detailed stage-by-stage description of this epic 1380km route along the Rhine, one of Europe's great rivers, which travels through six countries on its way from Switzerland to the North Sea. On its way, the Rhine Cycle Route passes the remains of Roman cities, medieval towns, castles, cathedrals, palaces, great cities of the industrial revolution and relics of 20th-century warfare. And it travels through a great range of stunning scenery. Starting in the Swiss Alps with high mountains, deep glacial valleys and gorges it soon reaches Europe's third largest lake, the Bodensee, and its greatest mainland waterfall. After Basel, the Rhine becomes a broad river, where straightening, flood dykes, locks and dams have created the world's busiest river trading artery. The middle Rhine, between Bingen and Koblenz, forces its way through the narrow rocky Rhine gorge lined by romantic castles perched above Germany's finest vineyards. The cycling is easy, downhill and along dedicated cycle routes. The countries visited are very cycle-friendly and the waymarking is excellent. And the whole trip can be completed in two weeks by a fit cyclist.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cicerone Press
• Release date: Feb 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781783621712

Mike Wells

Mike Wells is an author of both walking and cycling guides. He has been walking long-distance footpaths for 25 years, after a holiday in New Zealand gave him the long-distance walking bug. Within a few years, he had walked the major British trails, enjoying their range of terrain from straightforward downland tracks through to upland paths and challenging mountain routes. He then ventured into France, walking sections of the Grande Randonnee network (including the GR5 through the Alps from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean), and Italy to explore the Dolomites Alta Via routes. Further afield, he has walked in Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Norway and Patagonia. Mike has also been a keen cyclist for over 20 years. After completing various UK Sustrans routes, such as Lon Las Cymru in Wales and the C2C route across northern England, he then moved on to cycling long-distance routes in continental Europe and beyond. These include cycling both the Camino and Ruta de la Plata to Santiago de la Compostela, a traverse of Cuba from end to end, a circumnavigation of Iceland and a trip across Lapland to the North Cape. He has written a series of cycling guides for Cicerone following the great rivers of Europe.