eleanor.scot

Pedalling around Europe

2019 – Texel and random touring – Days 1 to 3 (29, 51 and 8 km) — September 2, 2019

2019 – Texel and random touring – Days 1 to 3 (29, 51 and 8 km)

28011E41-476B-488A-A93F-A6225439F556
Outside Castricum

So far this year there has been far too much work and not enough cycling. We have escaped again for some more exploring on two wheels, but this will be a deliberately gentle trip to help rebuild some fitness.

Continue reading

Advertisement
2018 Rhine Trip – Day 27 and Overview (40km Rotterdam to Hook of Holland breakwater and then 27km to Haarlem via train from The Hague) — August 30, 2018

2018 Rhine Trip – Day 27 and Overview (40km Rotterdam to Hook of Holland breakwater and then 27km to Haarlem via train from The Hague)

FF121B37-51CA-46D4-B451-BC0EE1AA9BDD
We finished!

We finished!  Grey, drizzly and windy day for the finish, alas, with full-on rain later. Winding our way out of Rotterdam was slow and made me very glad we didn’t try to finish the previous evening when we would have been tired and hungry. Eventually reached Hook of Holland and cycled out to the end of the breakwater for the obligatory photo before looking for some lunch. 

Continue reading

2018 Rhine Trip – Day 25 and Day 26 (84 km Arnhem to Vianen and 51km Vianen to Rotterdam) — August 28, 2018
2018 Rhine Trip – Day 24 (84 km Wesel to Arnhem — August 26, 2018
2018 Rhine Trip – Day 23 (75 km Düsseldorf to Wesel) — August 25, 2018

2018 Rhine Trip – Day 23 (75 km Düsseldorf to Wesel)

897E0FB3-A7CA-49F8-81F6-C537F7EB7E71
We crossed this bridge over the Rhine twice, in crosswinds and with cross words

A day of detours and wind today.  According to the infallible Wikipedia, Düsseldorf is the seventh largest city in Germany and Duisburg the fifteenth – Duisburg with a population approaching half a million and Düsseldorf well over 600,000. There is only a very limited belt of farmland between the northern suburbs of Düsseldorf and the southern suburbs of Duisburg, so the morning ride was slow and complicated as Bruce navigated us through urban streets.  It’s much more tiring doing the endless starting and stopping at junctions, and quite wearing keeping the concentration up to figure out the route cyclists are supposed to take. 

Continue reading

2018 Rhine Trip – Day 22 (52km Cologne to Düsseldorf) — August 24, 2018
2018 Rhine Trip – Day 21 (34km Bonn to Cologne) — August 23, 2018

2018 Rhine Trip – Day 21 (34km Bonn to Cologne)

D78D1214-C89F-4953-830C-1FE438C5EC2C
Looking across the Rhine at Widdig

The Deutschland Tour cycle race finished its first stage in Bonn today. We had reconsidered our plans yesterday and decided only to cycle as far as Cologne. We spent the morning at Haus der Geschichte, a museum of German life since 1945. This was fascinating and it would have been easy to spend the whole day. It was also tempting to stay and see the finish of the cycling, but that was not going to be till late afternoon – and we still have some way to go. 

Continue reading

2018 Rhine Trip – Day 20 (55km Koblenz to Bonn and 7km cycling round Bonn) — August 22, 2018

2018 Rhine Trip – Day 20 (55km Koblenz to Bonn and 7km cycling round Bonn)

2283F672-6C39-40EF-BAE2-B85FBD95F52D
Museum in remains of one side of the bridge at Remagen

Well over 30 degrees again today, so although not a long cycle, the last hour was quite demanding. There were still cliffs and castles today but fewer, and the valley is broadening out. We didn’t see the geyser at Andernach in operation, but we did see the remains of be famous bridge at Remagen. We also saw Drachenburg castle (19th Century) looking admirably gothic up on the hills across the river, with the ruin of Drachenfels Castle (12th century) sitting higher above it. They do good castle round here. 

Continue reading

2018 Rhine Trip – Days 17, 18 and 19 (11km around Mainz, 108km Mainz to Koblenz and 14km around Koblenz) — August 21, 2018

2018 Rhine Trip – Days 17, 18 and 19 (11km around Mainz, 108km Mainz to Koblenz and 14km around Koblenz)

B625B940-185A-40E7-A516-574D6C0811B3
The Deutsches Eck – Rhine flowing from left to right with the Moselle joining from above.

Since neither of us has visited this part of Germany before, we are taking the opportunity to be tourists and explore a little. We will have to press on with the cycle tour tomorrow as we still have quite a way to go, but it’s been lovely to explore Mainz and Koblenz a little. 

Continue reading

2018 Rhine Trip – Day 15 and Day 16 (67km Speyer to Worms, 59km Worms to Mainz and 11km into city centre and back) — August 18, 2018

2018 Rhine Trip – Day 15 and Day 16 (67km Speyer to Worms, 59km Worms to Mainz and 11km into city centre and back)

CDC4BBF0-D21F-4F35-87B9-D682A3CC9154
Ketscher Rheininsel

You know it’s too hot when a headwind is welcome. You know the route-finding has gone wrong when you are on a bridge crossing the Rhine and that was not part of the plan. And you know that the indecision at a multi-crossroads of bike paths on a slight slope was a bad idea when you lose your balance and topple off your bike sideways in front of two concerned Germans. 

Continue reading