The Big Ride

Hungary: The Beast of the East and a School Sleepover

Highlight
Euro Velo 11; Vineyards; Sleeping in a school gym
Lowlight
Food and camping more expensive than we would have liked; Scenery a little dull on the Great Plains
Things we are loving
Goulash and Hungarian bacon
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When we crossed the border into Hungary it was already late in the day and we were feeling a little tired and in need of a rest day. It was this feeling that led us to follow some camping signs that promised a campsite only 8 kms away, unfortunately the campsite was barely a campsite and it was certainly not 8 km away! After cycling for a very hilly 12 km at least (this is a big difference when you are tired, it is hilly and you are on a bike!) we made it to Hernard’s camping ground which was set in a very remote and rural village and was basically some Hungarian guy’s back yard with a rickety caravan and a couple of sheds in it! It was not quite the place we wanted to spend our rest day, but it did have a covered cooking area and although the shower facilities did not look great the shower was hot and pretty powerful – so we were content enough to stay for one night! Half way through cooking up a delicious pot of chili two German bikers turned up, they were hungry and asking about the nearest restaurant of which we knew there wasn’t one. After all the kindness we had been shown lately we were more than happy to share our dinner with them and in return they shared their beer! We had a really nice evening chatting and drinking into the night.

9 Comments

Jens

Hi Guys,

it’s Jens, one of the German beer sharing bikers you met on your first night in Hungary. We just finished our trip yesterday with a record breaking 750 km stint from Italy back home to Frankfurt. With my small experience on bicycles, this is comparable with 200 km on a bicycle. At least this is what my sore ass says.
Every now and then we were thinking about you. Especially, when one of us got chased by one of the many Romanian dogs. I checked your latetest updates and the routes you took. We actually shared some roads and whilst it was very much fun on a motorbike, you have my fullest respect of doing that on a bicycle. From all the countries we have been through, Romania has by far the worst roads. That was fun on our bikes, but probably not as enjoing with yours.
I hope you keep having fun and meeting nice people. Be save and once you are back and should come around Frankfurt, drop me a note and you can crush at my place.

Cheers,
Jens

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mark

good blog clairey! love reading about your adventures, and the photos are really good too.Hope you managed to sneak me out some of the bacon .stay safe and keep the blogs coming.

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Sue & Paul

Great read, really envious the countryside looks amazing beats working any day.
I cannot believe how long Andre’s beard has grown it will reach his ankles by the end of the trip.
Take care love to you both x

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Roos

Caught up on your Eastern European experiences, very interesting, looking forward to read about Romania!

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Michael Coombs

Hi Andre. I have been following your adventure with interest and envy at times. The mosquitos in that part of the world are ravinous. I hope you didn’t suffer too many attacks. The countryside looks wonderful. It brings one down to earth to hear how much you appreciate a night in a school gym with hot showers! We are busy here in Cowcross St with several challenging new pjojects. Hammersmith is still on hold because of the change in control at the Council.
Keep safe and enjoy Romania. The beard is great!!

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André

Hey Sergey!

Thanks for the message and the well wishes. There’s a whole lot of road out there, so get riding 🙂

All the best,
André

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Emily

I just discovered this blog today and I’m already hooked! I’m not a cyclist per say, I just commute to work on an electric bike BUT I have been venturing out on more local routes lately. I love the idea of exploring new places but I always find an excuse not to do it. This blog is so inspiring I’ve been looking through these archives all morning!

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