The Danube Cycleway Volume 2. Mike Wells

mobile phone coverage. Contact your network provider to ensure your phone is enabled for foreign use with the optimum price package. International dialling codes from UK (+44) are:

       Hungary+36

       Croatia+385

       Serbia+381

       Romania+40

      Almost all hotels, guest houses and hostels make internet access available to guests, usually free.

      Electricity

      Voltage is 220v, 50HzAC. Plugs are standard European two-pin round.

What to take

      Clothing and personal items

      Even though the route is generally level, weight should be kept to a minimum. You will need clothes for cycling (shoes, socks, shorts/trousers, shirt, fleece, waterproofs) and clothes for evenings and days off. The best maxim is two of each, ‘one to wear, one to wash’. The time of year will make a difference as you need more and warmer clothing in April/May and September/October. All of this clothing should be capable of washing en route, and a small tube or bottle of travel wash is useful. A sun hat and sunglasses are essential, while gloves and a woolly hat are advisable in spring and autumn.

      In addition to your usual toiletries you will need sun cream and lip salve. You should take a simple first-aid kit. If staying in hostels you will need a towel and torch (your cycle light should suffice). Mosquitoes can be a problem in rural areas in summer, particularly if camping, and both insect repellent and sting relief lotion should be carried.

      Cycle equipment

      Everything you take needs to be carried on your cycle. If overnighting in accommodation, a pair of rear panniers should be sufficient to carry all your clothing and equipment, but if camping, you may also need front panniers. Panniers should be 100 per cent watertight. If in doubt, pack everything inside a strong polythene-lining bag. Rubble bags, obtainable from builders’ merchants, are ideal for this purpose. A bar-bag is a useful way of carrying items you need to access quickly such as maps, sunglasses, camera, spare tubes, puncture-kit and tools. A transparent map case attached to the top of your bar-bag is an ideal way of displaying maps and guidebook.