After nearly nine weeks and 4700 kilometres since setting out from London on April 23 in an attempt to set a new world e-bike long distance record, the e-Bike Cycle Tourists are currently cycling along the Mosel River in Germany, a destination that should be on the bucket list of all cycle tourists – and wine lovers.
The Mosel region is widely regarded as the most picturesque river valley in Germany and from what we have seen over the past three days we are in full agreement with that assessment.
Both sides of the river feature steep hills that are covered with vineyards that stretch for hundreds of kilometres and villages that virtually demand you to stop to explore their streets and to find out all you can about their history.
With our arrival at Koblenz where the Rhine and Mosel Rivers merge coinciding with the belated arrival of perfect summer weather, cycling along the banks of the Mosel has been an absolute pleasure.
Every twist and turn of the river unveils another picture postcard scene of vineyards, villages and generally stunning scenery.
This is in stark contrast to cycling along the Rhine River which, in stretches, requires you to cycle through heavy industrial zones, with the river itself no more than a busy highway that is plied by barges carrying everything from shipping containers to sand and gravel.
While the stretch of the Rhine from Mainz to Koblenz is famed for its castles that dot the shoreline, to be honest much of the rest of the river scenery is very forgettable – a very different situation to the Mosel River.
Our opinion of the river certainly wasn’t helped by one so-called campground we had the displeasure of staying at that closed the toilets at 10pm at night, didn’t have showers and also didn’t reopen the toilets in the morning … enough said about that very forgettable experience.
But thankfully it is a very different story along the Mosel. Given the fine weather we have enjoyed, we have passed cycle tourists in their thousands of all ages and nationalities.
Once again e-bikes are plentiful, with just as many electric pedelecs passed along the way as conventional bicycles. There is no doubt that Europe has embraced e-bike technology, which is fantastic to see.
After touring along the Mosel River for a few more days we plan to cycle back to the Rhine for the trip to Cologne before heading to the northern Flemish region of Belgium and then on to Holland.
From there we are booked to return to the UK on August 3 for a well earned one week rest before heading off to cycle around England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
Bring it on!