Just how far is it?
For all you Americans I expect our trip is a walk in the park, 6000 miles? Meh, just round the corner, you’d quite happily go further to find a decent restaurant.
But for an Englishman? Well then the story is a little different.
I thought I’d try to put in perspective so I joined a map of the route and a picture of Europe to the same scale.
Oops, sorry, that is a gratuitous puppy pic, at least I haven’t recently bought a baby cat.
There we go.
I have ridden from my home on the south coast of England down to Gibraltar and back (for our American viewers Gibraltar is the pointy bit at the bottom of of the picture) and a couple of years later from home to the Orkney Islands ( up at the top) and back.
The thought of being able to do the same distance in one trip, without the sea crossings and being able to go much much further if I had the time and money gives me such a sense of freedom.
I always feel a bit hemmed in on our little island, if I was mad enough I could ride from lands end to John o groats in one day,
Riding into those far horizons, ain’t that what life is all about?
It is a really long way, but unlike the UK, you can actually find a good restaurant without leaving the country!