The Last European Tour
To mark our last summer in the EU, I embraced the concept of free movement and embarked on a farewell tour.
I followed a carefully constructed route, visiting 27 of mainland Europe’s countries whilst sharing the best of what they had to offer along the way. My van and I stuck diligently to this route, ensuring we left a clear message daubed over the continent: Stop Brexit.
The journey, which took weeks of planning, covered approximately 35,000 km, 27 countries (26 of which are EU Member States) and involved over 335 driving hours. I created my work of art live using a location tracking app – full details can be found below.
KEY STATS
Distance: 35,000 KM
Driving Hours: 356
Countries Included: 27
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- France
- Belgium
- Netherlands
- Germany
- Denmark
- Norway
- Sweden
- Finland
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Poland
- Slovakia
- Hungary
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- Greece
- Czech Republic
- Austria
- Slovenia
- Croatia
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- Spain
- Portugal
- EU Member
- Non-EU Member
- Shown in order of first entry
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STOP BREXIT
Full Story Below...
From Loch Lomond to Trebarwith
To kick-off this epic adventure, I started in the beautiful Loch Lomond National Park, made my way across the Irish Sea to N. Ireland and Ireland then headed back over to complete the route through Wales before finishing in Trebarwith Strand in Cornwall.
Key Stats
Countries: United Kingdom and Ireland
Distance: 1697 KM
Estimate Drive Time: 24 hours
Blog Posts
From Gothenberg to Snåsa
Stage T involved a mammoth journey from the UK just to get to the start point: Gothenburg, Sweden.
Once in position, I blasted past Oslo and on to Alesund before spinning around and heading through Trondheim to Snåsa taking in as much of the breath-taking scenery as possible.
KEY STATS
Countries: Norway (+ United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Denmark to get there)
Distance: 3621 KM
Estimate Drive Time: 47 hours
Blog Posts
From Mosjøen to Mosjøen...
Stage O was set in the heart of the Scandinavian Peninsula, commencing in Namsskogan and following a clockwise route through Mosjoen before dipping into Sweden and back around to the start point.
KEY STATS
Countries: Norway & Sweden
Distance: 1566 KM
Estimate Drive Time: 22 hours
Blog Posts
From Narvik to Leipivaara
Stage P was set almost entirely above the Arctic Circle where I enjoyed almost 24 hours of daylight. Starting in the majestic Narvik, I drove north to the “Town of the Northern Lights” (Alta) before heading down to Kaamanen (Finland) and back around to Narvik. Top of the P complete, I began my journey south east through Norway, Sweden and Finland before finishing in Kajaani.
KEY STATS
Countries: Finland, Sweden & Norway
Distance: 2576 KM
Estimate Drive Time: 35 hours
Blog Posts
Chasing the sun, I decided to spell Brexit backwards and finish the journey in Spain...
From Tartu to Ivianiec
After a huge trip down through Finland, I took the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn and positioned myself to start the T. The journey commenced on the outskirts of Tartu (after visiting Estonia’s Jagala Waterfall and Lahemaa National Park). The next stop was Riga followed by Zemaitija National Park in Lithuania. The final stretch involved driving due south from Riga through the Neris Regional Park to Vilnius before finishing at the Belarus border.
KEY STATS
Countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania & Belarus
Distance: 2162 KM
Estimate Drive Time: 32 hours
Blog Posts
From Brest to Sarmizegetusa Regia,
Stage I commenced in Warsaw, Poland. To create the ‘dot’, I completed a circular route (clockwise) through Ciechanowiec, Siemiatycze, Pulway and Radom, before closing the loop back in Warsaw. Dot complete, I headed south through Slovakia, Hungary and Romania ending on The Transfăgărășan Highway…
KEY STATS
Countries: Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary & Romania
Distance: 2009 KM
Estimate Drive Time: 28 hours
Blog Posts
From Dhërmi to Nin via Berlin and Łódź
Stage X is by far the biggest, weighing in at 5152 kms. After driving down from Romania through Bulgaria and Greece, I hope to start the ‘Northern Leg’ in Dhërmi, Albania. From here, the route will take me north through Montenegro, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Germany. From Berlin, I will head over to Lodz to start the Southern Leg and continue south, back through Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. I aim to finish with a cold pint in hand on Nin beach (Croatia).
KEY STATS
Countries: Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Slovenia & Croatia
Distance: 5152 KM
Estimate Drive Time: 52 hours
Blog Posts
From Slovenia to Nuremberg
Stage E was memorable. Starting in Slovenia, I drove into Italy, visited Lake Iseo and crossed The Alps into France. From here, I fired up to Luxembourg City and across to Nuremberg. The final leg comprised of a drive up to Hanover before heading west to Amsterdam and cruising back down to Luxembourg to join the dots.
KEY STATS
Countries: Austria, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Netherlands & Belgium (via Slovenia)
Distance: 3693 KM
Estimate Drive Time: 42 hours
Blog Posts
From Montélimar to Andorra
Stage R is an adventure around France, from the deep south to Bordeaux, Paris and up to Caen in the Normandy region. From here, I will head due south back through Bordeaux and on to the independent principality of Andorra.
KEY STATS
Countries: France & Andorra
Distance: 3162 KM
Estimate Drive Time: 34 hours
Blog Posts
From Bilbao to Bilbao
Stage B almost covers the entire Iberian Peninsula, starting in Bilbao, heading west towards A Coruna before driving down the entire Portuguese Coast. Once in the South, I will head east towards Murcia before cutting back inland via the elegant boulevards of Madrid and out to Zaragoza.
KEY STATS
Countries: Spain & Portugal
Distance: 3935 KM
Estimate Drive Time: 41 hours
Blog Posts
GPS Tracking
MY JOURNEY IS COMPLETE!
- After 27 countries, 35,000 km and 45 stress-free EU border crossings, my Last European Tour is finally complete
- I have created a piece of #GPSart that covers 18,231.7km and spells two words; STOP BREXIT. The full route and gps records can be found below (or at LocaToWeb.com - Search ‘The Rogue Consultant’)
- Europe has exceeded all expectations. The support and kindness of all those met along the way, as well as the 1000s of messages received online has been mind-blowing. Thank you all
- The right to explore as well as live and work abroad, without tiresome red tape, is an immense privilege. As it stands, the ability to freely access and roam our fellow EU member states makes us incredibly fortunate. For me, this adventure has highlighted what is at stake.
- I’ve got a huge backlog of photos and videos to process and complete over the coming weeks. Stay tuned for blog updates! I’m also in the process of calculating and offsetting my CO2 emissions.
- The final list of countries (in order of first entry) is as follows:
- UK Republic of Ireland France Belgium Netherlands Germany Denmark Sweden Norway (non-EU) Finland Estonia Latvia Lithuania Poland Slovakia Hungary Romania Bulgaria Greece Austria Czech Republic Slovenia Croatia Italy Luxembourg Spain Portugal
The 'B' is Complete
The 'R' is Complete
The 'E' is Complete
The 'X' is Complete
The 'I' is Complete
The 'T' is Complete
The 'S' is Complete
The 'T' is Complete
The 'O' is Complete
The 'P' is Complete
