Cycling Across Europe for Four Months | Anna Ruddiman

What would you do if you suddenly had four months free to take a bike adventure?
For London-based outdoors lover Anna Ruddiman, the answer was simple: buy a touring bike off Facebook Marketplace, catch a ferry to Spain with her girlfriend Fran, and start pedalling east across Europe.

In this episode, Anna shares how that idea turned into a four-month ride through 11 countries, wild heatwaves, Balkan backroads and dreamy alpine passes. Along the way they wild camped in secluded spots, rerouted around wildfires, dodged territorial shepherd dogs, and survived on a heroic amount of pesto pasta.

We cover:
 • The serendipity of both losing work & suddenly having time
 • Buying second-hand touring bikes for the trip
 • Why rigid planning doesn’t work for long bike travel
 • Ferry crossings, river valleys & heatwaves
 • The wild camping learning curve (and mysterious eyes in the dark…)
 • Mechanical drama & flat tyres in Albania
 • The shepherd dogs outside Athens that forced a 60 km detour
 • Finishing the trip in Turkey and what comes next
 • Why comparison steals the joy from adventure

Route Highlights:
UK → Spain → France → Italy → Slovenia → Croatia → Bosnia → Montenegro → Albania → Greece → Turkey

Follow Anna on Instagram - @annaruddiman

Music Pick:
Anna adds “Oysters In My Pocket” by Royal Otis to the Seek Travel Ride playlist.

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