Cycling UK to Spain - La Velodyssee

After graduating university in Spring 2022 I decided to complete my first cycle tour, following one of the classic routes in Europe. Starting in Plymouth UK and finishing in Santander, Spain, I followed La Velodyssee and Eurovelo 1 to cover approximately 1400km. Camping along the way, I took my camera with me to document the trip. I spent a long time deliberating whether I wanted to post this online or just keep it for myself but I thought it may be useful for others planning their first big trip. I hope you enjoy this very rough edit and I apologise for awful French pronunciation throughout.

[@dididubalier2196]

This is my plan for this summer, Roscoff to Spain. Just started getting info. Nice video

[@arthurfalisse4933]

I'll do it as well from 12-18th of July

[@xthun]

thanks for sharing! a pleasure to watch

[@petersingleton6405]

Great video! The still photos were top-notch! Good mix of images, maps, & narration.

[@mickhine558]

Thanks for posting this thinking about doing south to north next year and wanted a good overview of what the route is like. This fits the bill nicely. Thinking ferry Portsmouth to Bilbao, narrow gauge railway to French border, EV1 up to St Nazaire then up to Redon via local cycleways. TER train to St Malo (did the canals Nantes to St Malo this year), ferry to Portsmouth. mid May early June, meeting my wife enroute. That my thinking anyway.

[@grahamrichards8531]

This is an awesome video, what an epic ride, great photos too. I will watch it again. Happy New Year from New Zealand, best wishes for the year ahead.

[@rorydinwoodie7425]

Happy new year! Thanks so much

[@waggytail289]

Great video, Rory. I did the same route on my recumbent trike but in the opposite direction in summer 2021. Cheers. Joe. Somerset. Uk

[@duncanrhodes4778]

Thank you for posting this, I really enjoyed it. Very impressed with your camping as well as cycling. There are lots of familiar scenes in this as we did the Velodyssey from La Rochelle northwards last March, and Santander to Biarritz in September. Hope you get to do another cycle trip soon!

[@memyselfandi9365]

Oh man, my wife and I are from Australia, last year we cycled from Belgium to Britany, we are dying to go back and do more.

[@tonypaddler]

Great video 👍

[@juansheet3839]

Love this video am really enthused after watching it. I am off in two weeks to replicate this trip did you wild camp is some spots?

[@JaneWatts-tc2st]

Fantastic route, do you have a gpx for Hendaye to Santander, and would£ you mind sharing it?

[@connavear1]

Fantastic video. Doing the route this summer S to N. Any tips? Also how was the Spanish section? Was planning on getting train from Santander to start point in S France. But if it's good roads would you recommend cycling that as well?

[@rorydinwoodie7425]

Definitely harder roads in the Spanish section with some more hills but it's got some amazing scenery and San Sebastián is definitely worth a visit. I got the train half of the Spanish section which I felt to be a good compromise :)

[@lhommeetsonchientreketrando]

Nice vidéo, you use power director and his musics, nooooo?😉 I lived in La Rochelle, nice country ! Have fun.

[@kiaranjay5153]

Doing this very trip, starting next week. Ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff, then cycling to Santander. How did you find the Spanish section? Looks to be the hilliest of the whole route.

[@rorydinwoodie7425]

good luck! you will have an awesome time. Spanish section id a little more hilly but nothing crazy and its a nice change in scenery from the long flat sections in the SW of France!

[@alexberendoml1642]

Cool vid, how long did the whole thing take in the end?

[@arturohull14161]

I want to do England to Spain via Train.

[@DavidThalun]

Beautiful photographs! What camera did you take? I'm looking for a small one for trips like this, Cheers

[@rorydinwoodie7425]

For this trip I used the Sony A7III but I have now switched to the smaller Fuji XT4. Both are great :)

[@mariconor242]

Good man Rory 👍

[@briantrend7401]

Good video dude you motored it.thanks for the maps you put on they were a great help. Not many videos show this well known route. I'm deliberating whether to use a plastic bread basket to carry my quite big sprolly dog or pull a separate doggy hut trailer. I can't leave him in a kennel he will freak out and bark non stop. I've traversed Europe twice and also a 3rd time from UK to Greece and around Crete..but never had a dog then. Being single I've no one to trust looking after him. This one chick was so incompetent she lost him and lucky a good Samaritan caught and returned him. We are stuck like glue so this will be a first experience.together especially as he hates trailers and thinks he can run all the way to s.pain water and doggy food will add a lot of weight and organising. Thanks for your great video.

[@briantrend7401]

My dog and I are trial and error practicing using the doggie hut trailer or basket and my Merida big trail 600 hard tail MTB is not equipped with lugs for screws to carry a wrack so lots of fiddling to make everything strong to carry a dog. The problem with trailers is the extra hastles getting them on and off ferry's etc. I prefer the basket but it sits up too high and sways as charlie is a restless hyper dog and moves about. We leave in June doing your route. I'm confused about roscoff port or Milo. I've caught ferries in all the ferry ports but never from Plymouth ?