London to Switzerland by bike - First bike tour!

I cycled this route in 2019 with barely any planning and no prior experience of bike touring/long distance cycling. We cycled for 12 days and 867k in total, mostly trying to follow the Eurovelo 5 route.
We needed to be in Switzerland to visit family on a certain date so decided to turn it into an adventure and cycle there instead. It was the most epic journey for two total novices! We faced a 39 degree celsius heatwave, a storm and a landslide, but we made it there in one piece, with dodgy tan lines and happy souls. We had to take a train for a couple of sections because we were running late but in total we cycled 867kms and developed quads of steel cycling up the alps.

It was an amazing route and I am happy to share the Strava details if anyone is interested.

One thing we learnt is ANYONE can do this! All we had were basic bikes, bike bags and a tent (and zero experience 😂).Definitely give yourself more than 12 days as this was a RUSH and some of it we had to skip so I would estimate for 14 days minimum instead. Cycle touring should be enjoyed leisurely and with lots of time for photo taking, not rushing!

Eurovelo 5 route- https://en.eurovelo.com/ev5

Music from Epidemic sounds, courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Martin Kelm: To the skies and Railroad trail
Gabriel Lewis: Mountain Spring High
Sunfish Grove: On a clear morning