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Photo by Mark Newton, Mexican camping

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Mark Newton,
Camping in the Mexican desert



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  #16  
Old 30 Apr 2014
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Estonia
Posts: 787
I find incredible how uncreative often the overlanders are on route planning by only taking direct main roads

Looked at your intended route: that's by far the most boring road one could take through Estonia. You will not see much other than semi-overcrowded road with near-zero scenery and utmost absolute zero experience on tasting the Estonian true soul.

I quickly compiled a vastly spiced up route for an overland traveller seeking experience over boredom who enters from the place you intend to and end up in Tallinn for a ferry.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Goes through various places assuming you aren't alien to some decent gravel road dash and some very ridable "two-line" trails (even with a heavy bike or a shiny street bike if you're a rider enough, unless it has rained heavily the same or previous day - then skip those, you can always go around on the main roads) through nice scenery and do some side-trips your own on some locations you like to spend more time, i.e. Soomaa national park, visit the Old Pärnu beach [nice calm beach, not crowded like the main Pärnu white beach] I usually go to swim to. You can official camp in near Häädemeeste or pretty much wild-camp anywhere where's not a private land (almost always marked and you find plenty state-land and forests to camp).
After seeing Paldiski bank head straight to Tallinn (the only boring and overcrowded road on this map, but no other way round to Tallinn). Ends in Lennusadam, Tallinn, which is a nice museum to visit.

Among the best biking is on the Baltic Sea islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa though, but you need to extend your timing couple of more days for that. Second best biking is around South- and Eastern-Estonia, but this also requires some 1-2 additional days. Let me know if you need any local biker's advice for those areas.

Ride safe,
Margus
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  #17  
Old 1 May 2014
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Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 188
Margus

No offence taken.....no really. 'Uncreative'? Well that's understandable as not only have I never travelled in Estonia, my guess is that few Brits can even locate it on a map. The route I've pencilled in is only a rough idea for travelling through countries and with still two months to go, I have plenty of time to fine tune the route. I shall be staying in hostels so expect to meet other travellers and can listen to advise on places to go and roads to try. Gravel? No thanks. I have no intention of riding on trails or gravel mainly because I enjoy the roads too much. My last experience of riding on dirty was some forty five years ago when riding a BSA350 in the Army, so I am completely inexperienced in off road riding. Also at my age (67) I'm neither interested in getting any practice in nor picking the bike up should I drop it.

Camping, whether wild or not? No thanks. I have had my fill of camping over the years and those endless sleepless nights. I also don't want to be encumbered with all the paraphinalia I'd need to take with me. I have joined the YHA so shall be staying in hostels whenever I can. A nice warm bed and a shower and loo in the room is what I can cope with. My wife recons I should never be too far from a toilet.

Thanks for your advice, any advice is of course welcome. I am presently looking into gain access into Kaliningrad via the Curonian Spit and getting a tourist visa (four days, three nights) but as I have no idea when I shall be in the area I'm unsure how that works. Perhaps it works like my US visa which lasts for years?

Thanks again and I shall add your routes to my map.
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