{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-journal-js","path":"/journal/224","result":{"data":{"markdownRemark":{"html":"<h1>Switzerland: summary and route</h1>\n<p>We didn't love Switzerland as much as we'd expected....but this may be due to\nthe route. Eurovelo 5 follows national route 3, which feels a bit like it's\njust a way to get you from south to north, if that makes sense! It's mostly\nwell-signed; we lost it a few times but soon found it again. Our GPS of\nEurovelo 5 mostly followed the route, as did the app - but not exclusively.</p>\n<p>The Gotthard pass is great, and not too difficult (if you're used to mountain\npasses and don't mind cobbles of course!). After that, we felt like we spent a\nlot of time near main roads, and on them for short sections. The bit around\nLake Lucerne is particularly bad for this, but don't be put off as you can\nride on the pavement! We also encountered a fair bit of gravel, but it was of\ngood quality. We never got to grips with the road markings and priorities, but\nno one seemed to mind! That said, we didn't think the drivers were as\ncourteous as the Italians. The cycling was far better in the less dramatic\nnorth of the country, which looked a lot like Devon! The part of Switzerland\nwe rode through is surprisingly built up, although the mountain backdrops are\nstunning of course.</p>\n<p>Switzerland has a well-known reputation for being expensive, and that is\ncertainly true, but it's possible to live cheaply if you're careful. We found\nthe campsites to be surprisingly cheap - cheaper than Italy, but we have gone\ninto off season. Our first site by Lake Lugano was 40CHF, but after that they\nwere always less than 30, and often closer to 20. Food is expensive, BUT look\nout for Lidl, and also Denner and Migros. Coop is to be avoided - so\nexpensive!! We treated ourselves to one coffee when we missed the ferry across\nlake Lucerne, and that was a but painful at 4CHF each. We even managed to eat\nFondue, albeit bought from Lidl and cooked on our Whisperlite - works\nsurprisingly well!</p>\n<p>Overall, I'd like to return to Switzerland but either to cycle more in the\nmountains, or to do some hiking.</p>\n<p>I'll post a map of our route when I have better wifi!</p>","frontmatter":{"date":null,"path":"/journal/224","title":""}}},"pageContext":{}}}