After ruling out the high-alps and the Mont Blanc region for that period of the year (see https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...Is-it-possible [thanks again for the info guys]) me and 2 other friends are now destination-less for a 1 week tour in mid-end October.

We really want to keep the budget to a minimum so we'll be cooking our own food and re-supply where we can, and want to sleep in tents for the majority of nights, but we want to travel to somewhere where there is some kind of accommodation near by in case of heavy rain/snow storm/ too cold. We also want some place that isn't too cold so we won't have to carry too much gear.

We are riding pannier-free, with a medium sized backpack+dry sack on the rear rack and we want to travel pretty light - about 22lbs including food on our backs and on our MTBs.

This setup allows us the freedom to go off-road and even do some not-too-technical single-tracks, and that's just the sort of trail we're looking for.

We've never toured Europe (except for 1 week in Norway but I don't want to go there since it's crazy-expensive), so any ideas and suggestions would be much appreciated.

To summarize what we are looking for:
1. Cement or asphalt free trails. i.e. dirt roads, historic trade routes and "light" single-tracks
2. Warm enough to not carry too much warm clothes (anything above 5c is fine)
3. Someplace where it's possible and legal to sleep in tents, but still close enough to accommodation alternatives
4. At least 2 re-supplyment stops along the way
5. Running, drink-worthy water should always be close at hand so we don't have to carry too much water on us (this is usually not a problem in Europe so I put it last).

Cheers,
Idan & Co.

I'll be curious to see where you go. I know nothing about MTB riding in Europe. The better weather is likely to the south and I think parts of southern Italy are kind of remote. You might also do some research on hiking and find out where trails are and if they share them with bikes. Another neat idea might be to find some pilgrimage routes, although they now probably follow roads but not always. Finally, one option for shelter is staying at monasteries - my sister did that a bunch in Italy a few years ago and had a great time. Might be fun to do that for one night if it works into your schedule, location, etc.

That's actually what I'm doing right now. But since It's my first time biking in any of these areas I'm afraid of choosing somewhere too challenging or unsuitable for riding. I prefer to do somethings that has been tried and tested by at least some cyclists before me
That does sound really cool. I'll remember that if we choose Italy as our destination

Here's a link I just found about staying in monasteries throughout Europe. They're usually in more rural locations, and there is a link to staying in convents, which tend to be in more urban locations. https://mtb.live555.com/mtb-europe.html

I get what you're saying about wanting a tried and true method - I just thought you might stumble onto something when looking at hiking trails. Here's a site that turned up on Google about mountain biking in Europe. Only some of it is in English, but there are some good leads for sure. https://mtb.live555.com/mtb-europe.html

Thanks, keep'em coming

You could try Spain. I've been to Andalucia, and it's great. Check out Grazalema National Park. I'm looking to maybe tour there next year, though on roads. I was there a couple of years ago (non-cycling), and the region reminded me of the Andes (though not quite so mountainous. We drove through the park for maybe an hour and a half and saw about three cars.
I don't know for sure, but imagine there are lots of hiking trails through the park. There are about four airports in the region, so should be no problem getting there.

I'm looking into Spain and south Italy and south France (Pyrenees mountains might be a good option).
If anyone knows of relevant trails in Greece, Turkey or Cyprus that would also be very helpful as I live in Israel and these are the cheapest flight destinations for us.

There's a lot of beer on offer in Munich in October

Not sure if it counts as off road - it's definitely not asphalt - but most of the bloody roads in Portugal are made of cobblestones!

True, but seriously I'd look into tracks in Portugal at that time of the year, aswell as southern Spain as others have mentioned

The Peloponese peninsular in S. Greece is a lovely part of the world as well. I was there once in the spring when flowers bloomed everywhere... magic!

Thanks for all the input guys.
Currently We're debating between the south of Spain, the Pyrenees mountains (from the french or spanish side), south of Italy and also I'm still looking for a destination in northern Italy since I am in love with that part of the world.

We've pretty much ruled out Turkey, Greece and Cyprus since the scenary there is not that different from what Israel has to offer and we want a change. I want to see green and water everywhere as I'm paddling

mind you, the Pyrenees (either side) are not THAT much better than the Alps around October in terms of weather; it gets quite unstable (rainy, melting snow) after September
but yeah you never know these days the climate is all messed up everywhere (we had incredibly unusual hot weather this spring in Northern Europe), but if you have only 7 days to spend it will be hit or miss (way too short to begin with, assuming you're coming all the way from the US)

anyway, i'd go more South than the Pyrenees, perhaps do an island such as Corsica (very harsh mountains in the center, but also beautiful beaches), Sardinia (known for its white beaches), Tenerife (amazing volcanic island, much variation, just stay away from the touristy beach areas)