Travel
The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths
Slide Nr 1For many travellers, cycling is the perfect way to see a country. Pedalling along is a healthy and environmentally friendly way of seeing the sights. Bike speed strikes a happy medium between whizzing past landscapes in a car too fast and the painfully slow progress made on foot. These paths are an excellent start to a two-wheeled tour of the world.
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 2Europe is the continent that boasts the most comprehensive and well-organised network of traffic-free and low-traffic bike routes, and the EuroVelo network offers a comprehensive overview of the most important long-distance tours. They range from historic itineraries like the Iron Curtain Trail, the Pilgrims Route or an east-west tour connecting European capitals to scenic rides like the Rhine, Mediterranean or Atlantic Routes. All are well-documented online and well-signposted on the ground, making it easy to self-plan and cycle without a guide. eurovelo.com [Photo: Wikimedia Commons]
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 3Speaking of superlatives, Europe’s most-frequented bike route (partly incorporated in the EuroVelo network), attracts visitors from far and wide, partly thanks to its easy accessibility. All of the interconnected paths hugging the shores of Lake Constance are separate from road traffic and rarely challenging, making them perfect for a family bike tour. The gently undulating paths traverse the surrounding vineyards and orchards, passing through quaint Austrian, German and Swiss towns and offering jaw-dropping views of distant high Alpine peaks. bodensee-radweg.com [Photo: AugustusTours/Flickr]
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 4The proposed VenTo route will be the longest cycle path in Italy, covering a distance of 632 kilometres, connecting Turin to Venice, the Alps and the Adriatic sea. Until its completion, Trentino is arguably the most cycle-friendly province, with excellent traffic-free cycleways. Sure, Tuscany, Apulia, Calabria and other destinations are equally popular with tourists, but a lack of cycle paths and the spirited driving style of local motorists mean they are not for the faint-hearted. tr3ntino.it
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 5The UK’s National Cycle Network consists of more than 22,000 kilometres of signed cycle routes, roughly one-third traffic-free. The most popular of the routes criss-crossing England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is the Sea to Sea (C2C) track that takes in the Irish Sea, North Sea, northern Lake District and several National Parks. It’s a challenging tour, only suitable for off-road bikes, but the scenery and local highlights like the Consett-Sunderland railway path and sculpture trail reward those who persist. sustrans.org.uk [Photo: Kate Jones/Sustrans]
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 6On the other side of the Irish Sea, the Great Western Greenway was the first big step towards a vision of an Irish traffic-free bike network. The 42-kilometre off-road track follows the route of the former railway line connecting bustling Westport (Co. Mayo) to Achill Sound, where a bridge takes you across to Achill Island and more cycle paths. The Greenway boasts its very own gourmet food trail and impressive views of Croagh Patrick, a pilgrimage site dedicated to Ireland’s patron saint. greenway.ie
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 7Another traffic-free bike route, albeit on a slightly larger scale, takes cyclists through one of New Zealand’s most scenic regions, following the former Otago Central Railway track bed, from Middlemarch to Clyde. The family-friendly Otago Central Rail Trail is a great way to see this 152-kilometre stretch of the South Island, taking in history, culture and of course plenty of landscape. otagocentralrailtrail.co.nz
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 8The Munda Biddi Trail, on the other hand, is a 1,000-kilometre beast of an off-road trail, so leave the kids at home if you’re planning to ride it in its entirety. Beginning in Mundaring near Perth, the path lives up to its name, which means “path through the forest” in the Noongar Aboriginal language. It cuts through forest and bush, largely far from any signs of civilisation, until the last section – between Walpole and Albany – connects with the coast and some of the most beautiful beaches in Western Australia. mundabiddi.org.au [Photo: Munda Biddi Trail Foundation]
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 9South Australia’s Riesling Trail is a comparatively short and easy ride, which carries its main attraction in its name. The well-maintained dirt road goes past dozens of excellent wineries, making not stopping for too many sips the biggest challenge on this tour. If you limit yourself to a handful of degustation stops, the full distance can easily be covered in a day. If you discover a particularly enticing tipple, most wineries will deliver your order. rieslingtrail.com.au
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 10The Shimanami Kaido Bikeway is a truly remarkable route connecting Japan’s main island of Honshu to the island of Shikoku, via the islands in the Seto Inland Sea, all joined by a series of suspension bridges. A system of bike rental shops and drop-off points along the 70-kilometre route allows you to cycle as much as you like, continuing on by bus or ferry on a whim. Although the entire route is made up of dedicated bike paths, you will find yourself cycling alongside the expressway on the bridges, but not on the islands. go-shimanami.jp [Photo: Wikimedia Commons]
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 11The notorious Ho Chi Minh Trail, a network of tracks dating back to the Vietnam War, is steeped in history and leads through magnificent landscapes. It is not, however, well signposted, easy to plan or to ride. Road conditions vary greatly, and reliable information is hard to come by, so it’s well worth booking a guide or joining a tour to get the most out of the experience. [Photo: Kaj17/Flickr]
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 12The Congo Nile Trail is 227 kilometres long and can be cycled in a recommended five days. For those who want to do more than the obligatory gorilla watching, it enables interaction with locals, giving visitors a feel for Rwanda, its landscapes and people. The name is taken from the nearby watershed of the Congo and Nile. The quality of the tracks is mix-and-match, but nothing a sturdy bike can’t handle. Although some parts of the route are shared by cars, there’s no heavy road traffic, and travel speeds are low. rwandatourism.com [Photo: François Terrier/Flickr]
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 13In the past 30 years, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy nonprofit has helped communities across the USA turn disused railways into bike trails. If you want to explore the pioneer history of the United States, head for Nevada’s Cowboy Trail, Utah’s Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail or North Carolina’s American Tobacco Trail. For beautiful scenery, try the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, the Cape Cod Rail Trail for New England charm or the Santa Fe Rail-Trail for desert landscape. traillink.com [Photo: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy]
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 14Not quite as easy-breezy, but equally beautiful is the Mississippi River Trail, which follows the entire Ol’ Man’s journey through the US of A, but only partly on off-road routes. The main attraction is, of course, the river itself, as it winds through National Parks, remote regions and vibrant cities. Stretching almost 5,000 kilometres through 10 states, this is a long-distance route best broken down into individual stages. nps.gov
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 15Another long-distance route in the making, the East Coast Greenway is a hugely ambitious project, aiming to create a trail system spanning the entire US Atlantic Seaboard, from the Canadian border to Key West. Currently, just over 30% of the proposed 4,500-kilometre route is traffic-free. Right across the border to the north, Québec’s Route Verte picks up where the Greenway leaves off. greenway.org, routeverte.com
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The World’s Most Scenic Bike Paths.
Slide Nr 16Thanks to the almost impassable terrain and other impediments to the construction of the as-yet incomplete Southern Highway, this road spanning the length of Southern Chile remains largely unsurfaced and sparsely trafficked. Cyclists seeking a rugged adventure won’t be disappointed, as the Carretera Austral takes them through the ever-changing landscapes of the Patagonian wilderness. Prepare well, and you could be in for the road trip of a lifetime. chile.travel [Photo: Turismo Chile]
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