The Plan
7 August 2017
It started, as all great things invariably do, with an idea. Since I first heard about The Tube Challenge it’s been one of my favourite
Every Country In Europe, Without Flying
The Race is On!
Hi, I’m Graham Hughes, British adventurer and the world most travelled scouser.
In the summer of 2017, I attempted to set a brand new Guinness World Record™ by visiting every country in Europe, from Iceland to Cyprus, without flying, in less than 3 weeks. Did I do it?! Well, er…
The Visa Run
11 August 2017
With the ferry from Iceland to Denmark only running on certain days, and the People’s March for the EU (at which I’ve been asked to
“Proper Planning Prevents…”
13 August 2017
I would be leaving the UK for Denmark (from whence I would be taking the ferry to Sweden) on Sunday 13 August. Since the visa
Off To A Non-Flying Start
15 August 2017
Sunday 13 August – Tuesday 15 August 2017 I got online and bought a ticket for the Flixbus to Hamburg. I meandered down to the
The Iceland Cometh
16 August 2017
The ferry to Iceland was kinda outrageous. At over 500 smackaroonies there and back it was quite possibly the most I had ever spent on
DAY 1: Hoppípolla
17 August 2017
We pulled alongside in the sleepy east-coast town of Seyðisfjörður at precisely 9:30am GMT. For it to count as my first country, I could not
DAY 2: Muckle Flugger
18 August 2017
It was indeed the wee small hours when we returned to Tórshavn. I arose from my couchette bunk (banging my head on the one above)
DAY 3: Hold The Train!
19 August 2017
The staff of the Norröna wished me well and as the ramp fell allowing me access to the gangway at Hirtshals I ran as fast
DAY 4: A Tale of Two Ferries
20 August 2017
We arrived in Stockholm around 6am and headed straight for the ferry terminal. There we got tickets for the first ferry to Turku in Finland.
DAY 5: The Baltic Blitz
21 August 2017
Arriving in Tallinn at half midnight was always going to be hilarious, but sadly no trains or buses matched my hectic schedule. That’s okay, get
DAY 6: Brussels Lout
22 August 2017
The Eurolines bus we took from Marijampole to Warsaw was “exclusive class” and as far as this expedition was concerned it was the best thing
DAY 7: The Full English Dog’s Breakfast
23 August 2017
The night bus to London rumbled out of Brussels a good half-hour after its scheduled departure time. It was past midnight before we got to
DAY 8: The Highland Fling
24 August 2017
At around 5pm I was awake again and we were coming into port in Holyhead. The first train to Chester and then the familiar Merseyrail
DAY 9: Panic In Portugal
25 August 2017
Cricket and I got up super early for the first train to Paris, arriving Paris Nord around 9am and taking the Metropolitan to Monparess Station.
DAY 10: Ava Andorra
26 August 2017
The guy behind the ticket counter in Salamanca thought we were mad. Yes we’d like to reserve tickets to Madrid and then onto Barcelona. “But
DAY 11: A Swiss Watch
27 August 2017
I didn’t realise but the bus didn’t go to Nice, it went to Nice airport. Which isn’t served by a dedicated trainline. So Cricket and
DAY 12: Czech Booking
28 August 2017
I wanted to get to Vienna, the capital of Austria, as early as humanly possible. That meant getting off the train we were on (which
DAY 13: Moldova And Out
29 August 2017
The train rumbled into Bucharest at 8:22am. Cricket and I walked to the minibus station from where we could get a bus to the city
DAY 14: Uncle Bulgaria’s Tartan Funbags
30 August 2017
After a few hours sleep, Cricket and I were UP AN’ AT ‘EM for the 0522 from Bazau to Bucharest, arriving in good time for
DAY 15: Yugo Slow Show
31 August 2017
After yesterday’s somewhat unexpected blitz through a quite frankly staggering number of countries, today we arose from our slumbers as we arrived in Podgorica, the
DAY 16: 500 Metres To Popesville
1 September 2017
We began the new month in high spirits as the bus crossed over the border into Croatia just after 3am and trundling through Croatia via
DAY 17: The Malteser
2 September 2017
I’m always going to find waking up on a train exciting. It’s just the way I’m programmed. And yet this morning’s awakening included the extra
DAY 18: The Tragedy of Bari
3 September 2017
Today was the day. Today was the day that would make or break The Eurodyssey Challenge. If I was to stand any chance of setting
DAY 19: Doesn’t Mean You Have To Like It
4 September 2017
My alarm went off at 5am. I turned it off. I had paid 70 bastard euros for this room, for €17.50 an hour I expect
DAY 20: The Hellenic Republic
5 September 2017
If things had gone to plan, I’d be well on my way to Silifke on the south cost of Turkey by now, ready to take
DAY 21: I’m A Loser, Baby
6 September 2017
I awoke in the midst of the insanity that is Istanbul’s central bus station, Esenler Otogarı. I quickly gathered my things and got off the
DAY 22: You Old Pirate
7 September 2017
Woo woo Taşucu. Now, if I had arrived on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday I could have taken the daytime ferry over to my 50th
DAY 23: No Borders
8 September 2017
So. Is Cyprus part of Europe? I would say yes. Not only because Cyprus is a member of the European Union (well, half of it