Cycling in Albania

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Aug 2021
4:27pm, 23 Aug 2021
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GordonG
Great info Cerre, thanks

Ally, yes Explore are currently high up my list, thanks. It seems to me that 95% of the sites I've found are agents, not the guides themselves. But Explore go in to far more detail than most, which gives me greater confidence.
Aug 2021
7:28pm, 23 Aug 2021
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12barDavid
Gordon, I'm a life member of the CTC, or Cycling UK as it's now called. I've never cycled in Abania, but I have just been through their archives of cycle touring blogs & reports.
It's pretty much the same as Cerre says. The latest blog was from two blokes who cycled through there in June this year. They wrote that the roads are in a pretty bad state in the rural areas, but between some major cities, there are some pretty decent motorways where you can cycle on the hard shoulder. Apparently, it's safe to do so because of the lack of traffic.
They commented on how friendly people were & on a few occasions, they were offered accommodation in local peoples houses, which they accepted & never had any trouble. That seems to be the norm everywhere though, those with the least are often the kindest.
The did comment on the fact that they seemed to be cycling in the middle ages, i.e. lack of traffic, being overtaken by a hay cart pulled by a bullock etc.
If I find out anymore info I'll let you know.
I hope your trip goes well, you must blog about it. Oh, I forgot, they reckon it's a cheap as chips over there.
Aug 2021
7:30pm, 23 Aug 2021
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12barDavid
I forgot. They did also say that they were surprised by the amount of people who could speak some English, even in rural areas.
Aug 2021
7:33pm, 23 Aug 2021
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Ally-C
I did a cycling holiday in Mongolia two years ago, that was the Middle Ages😀
Aug 2021
7:51pm, 23 Aug 2021
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GordonG
David, fab thank you very much. I have to admit it's the 'middle ages' bit that appeals to me most. And the cheap as chips, TBH!

And yes, I do hope to put a blog together when I'm there
Aug 2021
10:49pm, 26 Aug 2021
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ChrisHB
Here are two accompanied bike tours on a German site - I expect Google will translate it tolerably or you can ask me. Three more behind the button Passende Reise finden

wikinger-reisen.de
Aug 2021
7:43am, 27 Aug 2021
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gribb0
I have been looking at the Albania tour offered by Explore and also Exodus - they both look like great trips. I know someone that has done one of these trips (they did the guided version) and absolutely loved it. Would you consider guided as it takes a lot of the stress out?
Agree with you on the expense side - it is a very cheap country to visit and looks really interesting.
Aug 2021
9:29am, 27 Aug 2021
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GordonG
Well, my mate Gary and I have gone for a self guided tour with a company called Beyond Albania, not least because their site has more useful detail and info than many others and I just felt more confident with them. And they were really quick to reply to my emails.

3rd May, 10 days, with an extra night's stay in Tirana at the end*

We may well have gone with Explore, but we really fancied self-guided - maybe we're just unsociable gits!! - and Explore didn't do self guided. There certainly is more to consider when self guided, but we're viewing that as part of the fun :-)

I've read up on a few other blogs and they're fairly consistent with their description of the roads: on even their biggest roads you're likely to be overtaken by a Merc as much as you're likely to overtake a horse and cart, though for large stretches between towns there will be very little traffic anyway. Traditionally the roads have been awful but there's been a massive building programme over the past 20 years and many of them are now a lot better.

Very much looking forward to it and will try to blog and post pics as much as i can.

*cheap, you say?? almost booked an apartment overlooking the main square in Tirana - think an apartment overlooking Trafalgar Square in London - that sleeps 10 people very comfortably. £51. Not per person, all in!!! In the end I booked an hotel that's also very central and includes breakfast, for about £30

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Maintained by GordonG
I'm thinking of doing this in 2022, two of us, self-guided. Anyone got any experience of cycli...

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