|
This is the one for people who want all of the beauty, all of the mountains and all of the adventure of Eastern Europe, but don’t quite have the time for some of our bigger weeks.
Bookended by two of Europe’s most famous city break cities, this week’s three mountain ranges - including the foothills of Babia Góra, the Witch’s Mountain - are crammed into five days’ cycling. Expect to cycle through luscious national parks, while avoiding bears, wolves and lynx, and soaking up views cut straight from Tolkein. |
|
|
|
GREAT! HOW MUCH WILL IT BE?!
Not one or two but FOUR pricing options. For all options, you can pay in one transaction or two equal, monthly instalments. 1. The standard = £385 Straight up! 2. I can and I will! = £385 + whatever you want The gift economy! Most tours like ours are double the price. We choose to keep the price lower than most so that we have a fun mixture of people from different backgrounds and lifestyles. If you can afford anything from one to one million pounds extra, you’ll make our day, and make it much more likely Thighs will continue for another year! 3. Low income place = £250 4. No income place = £0 Previously the low and no income places have been given to people that spend lots of time volunteering and people out of work, particularly if you are a migrant and don’t have the right to work. If this is you, please get in touch with us at [email protected] This money covers the costs of the trip, the £500 fundraising is separate and goes directly to Help Refugees. Scroll down to find out more about the fundraising. |
|
You might only be riding for five days, but don’t be deceived - this week is packed with oodles of climbs as we ride up and over the Štiavnica, Low Tatras and Western Beskid mountain ranges, with views cut straight out of Tolkein. After a relatively flat first day, we’ll spend three days exploring the forest-coated peaks as we hop from national park to national park across Slovakia to Poland. We cross the border and climb to 1,000m under the gaze of Babia Góra - Witch’s Mountain. Gliding down the other side like steely eagles, we’ll join the Amber Trail greenway all the way into historic Krakow. We’ll wild camp in a collection of beautiful/hilarious/weird places through the week. Each day, the core team in the van goes ahead and knocks on doors and tries our very, very hardest with charades and charm to get permission for us all to camp somewhere nearby. As ever, expect cold mountain lakes and streams to be nature’s luxury baths and showers. This week is a real adventure. We’ll be using our brain cells and wisdom to keep ourselves out of unnecessary risk, however, if you like predictability and the bear-wolf-lynx possibilities will keep you up at night then… this might be your idea of hell. If not, hurray! See you there! |
|
By coming on a week of the ride, you’re committing to fundraise a minimum of £500 for awesome grassroots refugee organisations.
Together, we’re hoping to raise £60,000 for Help Refugees. Every penny of this will be given to projects such as Khora, who are supporting refugees to move forward under exceptionally difficult circumstances. We're confident you won't find it too tough to raise £500, to give you a head start, here's a load of ideas and tips from Thighs cyclists who've fundraised gazillions in the past. We're always around to help you come up with new ideas as well - drop us a line if you’re worried. Read more about your incredible impact as a Thighs cyclist on The Reason page |
|
|
- 545km of downhills.
- A bike. ( BUT! We have two bikes available for hire for £70. Let us know in your sign up form if you need one)
- A luxury week away. We'll rotate all the jobs that need to be done to make communal life a dream. Be ready to cook, do the washing up, and put your own tent up and down as required.
- A daily shower. There's no guarantee. More often than not we simply head for the nearest body of water, or tip a water bottle over our heads!
- Most days we’ll have a quick break at a café, bakery or a shop so that you can stock up on caffeine and carbs. Sometimes, depending on the group vibe, we might get lured into a fantastic-smelling restaurant en route. For all of these, you'll pay your own bills.
- Your journeys to the starting point and then homeward after the trip. We strongly recommend that you book travel as early as possible to get a decent price.
- Insurance. Boring but essential!
SATURDAY 8 AUGUST // At 7pm we’ll all come together, have dinner and chat about the week ahead. Then rest our excited nervous heads! We suggest arriving around 5pm so that you have time to put your bike together first. You’re welcome to arrive even earlier than that, to have a bit of time to explore the city and prepare for the week ahead.
See this page for more important arrival info, including airport pickups where necessary.
SUNDAY 9 // A relatively steady, flat day to kick off the week. Don’t expect it to be easy though, as we’ll look to go long distance so we can spend more time in the mountains. We’ll wild camp somewhere or other!
MONDAY 10 // Our first day of climbing as we bust our way into the Štiavnica Mountains, which were created by a collapsed volcano. The volcano won’t be the only thing collapsing when we pitch camp for the night!
TUESDAY 11 // More wicked climbs and whooshing descents as we tuck into our second mountain range, the Low Tatras. We’ll wild camp somewhere adventurous...
WEDNESDAY 12 // After polishing off the Low Tatras, the Western Beskid range takes us up and over the border into Poland. We’ll wild camp somewhere adventurous...
THURSDAY 13 // Our last day will be a biggie, but after a climb in the morning we’re more down than up and finish the day on the flat as we power into Krakow. We’ll celebrate with pivo and pierogi!
FRIDAY 14 // Wake up, a mixture of tired and elated, wander around the city in a happy daze. Set off home with Thighs a little steelier.
* NB: All the above details are loosely collated from our route planning, the internet and our imagination. What we do know for sure is that this is a real adventure and that plans and itineraries mock you in retrospect.
See this page for more important arrival info, including airport pickups where necessary.
SUNDAY 9 // A relatively steady, flat day to kick off the week. Don’t expect it to be easy though, as we’ll look to go long distance so we can spend more time in the mountains. We’ll wild camp somewhere or other!
MONDAY 10 // Our first day of climbing as we bust our way into the Štiavnica Mountains, which were created by a collapsed volcano. The volcano won’t be the only thing collapsing when we pitch camp for the night!
TUESDAY 11 // More wicked climbs and whooshing descents as we tuck into our second mountain range, the Low Tatras. We’ll wild camp somewhere adventurous...
WEDNESDAY 12 // After polishing off the Low Tatras, the Western Beskid range takes us up and over the border into Poland. We’ll wild camp somewhere adventurous...
THURSDAY 13 // Our last day will be a biggie, but after a climb in the morning we’re more down than up and finish the day on the flat as we power into Krakow. We’ll celebrate with pivo and pierogi!
FRIDAY 14 // Wake up, a mixture of tired and elated, wander around the city in a happy daze. Set off home with Thighs a little steelier.
* NB: All the above details are loosely collated from our route planning, the internet and our imagination. What we do know for sure is that this is a real adventure and that plans and itineraries mock you in retrospect.
A WEEK NOT ENOUGH?
After one week, most people are seeing showers as mirages on the horizon and are shuddering at the sight of a bicycle, but not you! You’re craving adventure and muscle ache, and god damn it, you will not be stopped after a measly week! You may be wild enough to be considering 3 or 4 or ALL of the weeks, but because places on the ride are limited, we only allow people to come for a maximum of 2 weeks so that as many people can come as possible, and therefore fundraise as much as possible. It's possibly obvious, but you’ll pay £385 for each week, and fundraise £500 per week too. To sign up, you have two options: 1. Fill in the sign up form on each of the weeks you want to join for e.g. sign up on weeks 2 and 3. This is the quickest way. 2. If you'd like to pay in 4 monthly instalments to spread the cost, email us at [email protected]. We'll reserve you a spot on both weeks if there space and then set up a payment plan with you. BIKE-LESS BUT WANT TO JOIN US?
This year we have not one but two spare bikes for you to borrow. The aim of the game is to make overland travel easier and encourage people who want to avoid flying - but we understand how hectic life is and welcome all-comers. The cost of hiring a bike is £70. The first bike will fit a human 5’5” - 5’9” (166cm - 175cm) tall. The second bike will fit a human 5’9” - 6’1” (175cm - 185cm). If you would like to reserve one of the bikes, let us know when you sign up. Note: We will provide lights, a day bag for your lunch, a variety of pedals Please bring your own helmet and 2 inner tubes. Bring your own saddle if you have a favourite one, otherwise we have a few to choose from. WHAT WILL I NEED TO BRING?!
What on earth do you bring on this trip!? Don't panic! We have a kit list for everything you need, HERE. We're fans of doing things as cheaply and greenly as possible, so there's not much on our 'essentials' list. We really recommend asking buddies and pals to borrow bits and bobs to save on buying new! TRAVEL & LOGISTICS HELP!
We understand travelling is a bit of a logistical puzzle sometimes! SO...we've researched the routes and the best ways to get there! Head here to see how! |
