Ybbs to Melk, and Emmersdorf, then a scenic train ride to Krems 34km

I had planned an easier ride today from Ybbs to Emmersdorf via Melk, as it was possible to take a scenic train to Krems, with bikes! Tom and I rode together again today at a leisurely pace although the rain was chasing us all the way to Melk. Tom was also keen to check out the train ride. It is the Wauchau Railway and takes you through the world heritage UNESCO site. 

We ran into Vincent and Helen from Holland, having coffee in Melk so decided to join them for a chat. I’ve camped at the same campground as them a couple of times earlier on the Danube so it was nice to see them again and share stories. 

The ride to the train station wasn’t far but what we didn’t realise is that it was at the top of a very decent (unrideable for me) climb. I was pushing the bike so slowly that my Garmin didn’t register the gradient. 

The lady at tourist information indicated that it was too late to book the bikes on the train but it should be okay given it was a Monday. As it turned out, we were the only bikes onboard! It was a very scenic train trip with information in German and English. We travelled through amazing vineyards hanging to the sides of steep cliff faces with incredible stone walls that seemed to continue forever. Much of this view is not possible from the Danube cycle path. We spent the night in Krems with the next big push to Vienna and a rest day! 

Linz to Ybbs 86km

I left Linz at a leisurely time, around 8:30am with the intent to ride to Grein. It was quite industrial on the way out of Linz but the signage and infrastructure was fantastic. 

The weather wasn’t looking so great and I’m not keen to camp in wet weather so I was keeping an eye on my options for accommodation. I made it to the campground in Grein by lunch time, noting that most of the campgrounds are closed until 2-3pm. I met Tom from Florida who is also heading to Budapest, outside the campground and we chatted about route options and the advice he’d been given to back track slightly and cross the Danube to ride the South bank. 

Tom and I decided to ride together for a while and headed to Ybbs, where there is a bicycle museum. We had a great time exploring the museum (thanks for the tip Brian!). We decided to stay in the town for the night and had been looking at options earlier due to the impending wet weather. We found great apartment accommodation at Travel and Bike Apartments right in the centre of Ybbs. These apartments are great, newly refurbished with secure bike storage. They have full kitchens and can easily sleep four. They are also very well priced for anyone looking for somewhere to stay in this area! Just a short distance from the Danube cycleway. 

Rest day in Linz

After such a big day yesterday on top of some consecutive days, I took a day off cycling today to explore Linz. It’s such a pretty city with beautiful architecture and lively streets. I took a tram ride on the Postlingbergbahn. It’s been operating since 1898 with many renovations over the years. It takes you from the main place in Linz up to Postlingberg and the pilgrimage basilica Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, built between 1742 and 1747. 

Some other pictures from my wandering around the city.

Passau to Feldkirchen to Linz 98km

A beautiful day on the bike with mostly riverside riding. There were a few climbs but nothing more than 8% and most around 4-5%. The cycling infrastructure today was fantastic, completely sealed apart from a very small section. I crossed into my fifth country, Austria with Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Germany also visited. The Danube signage here seems amazing with very little need for a GPS apart from in the cities. 

I had planned to camp just outside of Feldkirchen. Unfortunately, campgrounds are closed in the afternoon, not opening anywhere from 2 to 5pm which can be tricky. I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the campground when I arrived so decided to do the extra 22km into Linz. Campgrounds tend to be outside the cities which is a bit different to my experience in France. I opted for accommodation again in the heart of Linz to allow me to easily see the city on my day off.