Where next? Six journeys for 2027–2028

01

Bosnia · Serbia · Romania · Bulgaria · Turkey

The overlooked half of Europe, ending in Istanbul

East and south through the Balkan interior. A journey through Bosnian river valleys, Serbian villages, the steep Carpathians, the Bulgarian mountains, and then the long run down toward the Bosphorus. The Balkans feel rustic, authentic and a little exotic, which is exactly why the region is on the list. There are proper mountains, authentic villages and friendlier people than you would think. The trip could end in Istanbul, by many accounts one of the world's most enchanting cities. That finish feels epic: picture three weeks of stillness and then fifteen million people all at once.

Distance

~2,300 km

Climbing

~25,000 m

Length

3 weeks

Window

May–Jun or Sep

The catch Five countries and a bunch of foreign languages in twenty-one days leaves me relying on English where not everyone speaks English fluently. The Balkan interior bakes from July onward, and the road surface is genuinely unknown until you are on it, and the same emptiness that makes it special makes resupply a thing I'd have to plan rather than assume.

02

Slovenia · the whole country

Slovenia, all in

A small country with an enormous amount packed into it. In three weeks I could ride every corner of Slovenia, from the Julian Alps and the fifty hairpins over the Vršič pass, down the emerald Soča valley, across the Karst to the short Adriatic coast at Piran, and out to the vineyards and flat fields of Prekmurje in the east. Slovene is a Slavic language with only two million speakers, so every word I learn in advance will be met with surprise and warmth. It is also a door into the other Slavic languages further down this list. No other option changes landscape this often per kilometre.

Distance

~1,400 km

Climbing

~22,000 m

Length

3 weeks

Window

June or September

The catch Slovene is famously hard, with six cases and a grammatical form just for pairs of things, and almost everyone speaks good English, so practising takes stubbornness. The country is small enough that the route will cross its own tracks. And in summer the Julian Alps are busy, both on Vršič and around Lake Bled.

03

Greece · autumn 2027

Greece, in Greek

The same experiment as Italy, but in a harder language. The idea is to spend the year learning as much Greek as I possibly can, and then put it to the test: three weeks in the autumn through the Pindus mountains, past Meteora, down through the Peloponnese and out to the islands the ferries take me to. Autumn is the whole point: the heat has settled, the summer visitors have gone home, the sea is still warm, and the people who remain have time to talk. That very part is the whole reason to learn Greek!

Distance

~1,800 km

Climbing

~27,000 m

Length

3 weeks

Window

Sep–Oct 2027

The catch Greek is not Italian: a year of practice gets you polite, not fluent, and the alphabet is the easy part. Greece is also far steeper than its reputation: the Pindus goes up at gradients that Italy mostly had the decency to switchback. And once islands are involved the ferry timetable picks the pace.

04

France · 2028

All in on France

A direct sequel to Italy: the same concept, a year to polish my French, and a desire to explore the regional differences. Brittany and the Atlantic coast, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, Provence, the Alps, and probably loads of route changes along the way. France is the country with the strongest cycling culture, and it is big enough and varied enough to deserve a proper odyssey! If anything ever beats my journey through Italy, it might be a French odyssey.

Distance

~4,000 km

Climbing

~50,000 m

Length

5–6 weeks

Window

Spring or Autumn 2028

The catch It demands what Italy demanded: a year of polishing my French and six weeks away from work. That makes it the least spontaneous thing on the list and the easiest to put off for a year. Doing it half-heartedly, in three weeks, would be a shame; I would rather go all in.

05

Morocco · the Atlas

The green Atlas, in the Swedish dark

The exact opposite of home, at the exact moment winter is at its worst. Northern Sweden in late autumn is dark by three in the afternoon; at the same time of year the Atlas is lush and green from the rains, the valleys full of olive and almond, and the light lasts longer. The trip would be three weeks out of Marrakech over the high passes, through villages and ravines, with a mountain range that turns desert-red twice a day. It would be a bright spot in the autumn darkness, right when my wanderlust is at its strongest.

Distance

~1,600 km

Climbing

~22,000 m

Length

3 weeks

Window

Nov–Feb

The catch The greenery depends entirely on rain that may not come, and in winter the high passes can be covered in snow and close without warning. The valleys are mild, but the nights can get properly cold. Daylight is still no more than ten hours, and water supply has to be secured every single day.

06

Bulgaria · coast to mountains

Bulgaria, the unexplored

Bulgaria is bigger than most people think and far less visited than it deserves. In three weeks I could link the Rila and Pirin mountains, the forests and gorges of the Rhodopes, the long ridge of the Balkan Mountains that gave the whole peninsula its name, and the Black Sea coast. Bulgarian is the oldest written Slavic language, and it is close to Macedonian, Serbian and Russian, so a year with it opens doors far beyond one country. The Cyrillic alphabet even came from here. Few places in Europe offer this much variety with this few tourists.

Distance

~2,000 km

Climbing

~30,000 m

Length

3 weeks

Window

September

The catch Road quality drops quickly once you leave the main routes, and village dogs take their job seriously. Bulgarians nod for no and shake their heads for yes, which will confuse every conversation at first.