Sand, and a Statue...

Agnieszka and Bartosz point out a hare hopping about in their back garden, and describe how earlier in the year flocks of cranes descend on their lawn. We are so well feed on their families honey, salad from their garden and locally produced cheeses, breads and cured meats, washed down with a beer or two and red wine.
The route on Sunday morning heads virtually south on a very good road that is light with cars, as it is bypassed by a brand new dual carriageway. We pick up wifi at a service station along with buns and good coffee.
Sweiebodzin has a truly enormous statue on a hill, of Christ the King (massive, the little dots around the base are people!), and the church in the square spills out a congregation from a large confirmation with youngsters dressed in their white robes accompanied by families.





In a village the roads becomes terrible, at best large cobbles but mainly potholes and sand, causing me to fall off in one front of most of the village population, sitting at the bustop. I am sure there's no Sunday bus, but expect they are just waiting for such entertainment. No harm done but nerves not helped by this, and the very dilapidated bridges over wide tributaries of the Warta. We reach Zielona after 62 miles by 4:30pm, to find the forest camp site has shut as a posh modern factory has been built over it! Luckily there us a clean hotel with wifi, just next door. For 180 zloty ( £31 ) room en suite, breakfast, good wifi, and the bikes in our room is all included.





Miles to date 1923.

Location:Lipki Wielkie to Zielona Gora

Into Poland...

With our washing dried over the hotel heated towel rail, we set off Friday morning south to Schwedt, with some sandy / broken concrete cycle paths, but mostly good tarmac country lanes. After 60 miles we camp at a big, new canoe club, on the banks of a wide canal. Despite it being a warm sunny evening there are no canoeists, but all the 6 fellow campers are middle aged German touring cyclists. None speak English, but we manage a few pleasantries.


A nearby Lidl's provides our provisions.



Next morning we stow the tent in record time as a shower approaches, then set off in drizzle over the bridge across the river Oder and into Poland!
The first few buildings are all vegetable shops, then a large brothel! The next village on the map is just a very big modern petrol station and cafe, where we buy two very good coffees and Danish pastries the size of plates, for about £2.00.


The many shelves behind the tills are filled exclusively with Vodka bottles. The day is sunny from here on. We don't have to take the unsurfaced side roads as the main road is quiet so a very speedy cycle. At Debno there is a big busy street market of mainly second hand goods.The shops around the square have dusty windows and very old fashioned stock of granny clothes and shoes.
Through glorious oak woods and fruit farms to the city of Gorzow Wielkopolski. An enormous Tescos on the outskirts and a smaller one irreverently, on the central square opposite the church. We spend a tiny sum on two large bags of groceries, including a bottle of wine! Frequent trams rattle by. Our Warm Shower hosts are five miles on in a village, with a beautiful modern house set in an orchard of cherries, apples and nut trees. We hang the tent from two trees in the evening sun to dry out. condensation, then take it down dry 1/2 hr later, just before a five minute thunder storm and downpour-phew!




Miles to date 1861

Location:Pasewalk to Gorzow Wielkopolski

Unsurfaced route...

We leave Jonas early in the morning as we have a challenging day's cycle, and he has to get to school early to prepare a Chemistry lesson. At 7am school grounds are already busy with pupils, and the rest are pedalling on their way. The Thursday market is setting up in the historic town square; refrigerated meat and cheese lorries parking, and a lady setting out her fresh herbs.
We are following a national cycle route south, west of the Oder River. Mostly unsurfaced tracks - the worst of sand, but cobbles or loose stone not much better. We do, however, meet a good number of other tourers, in small groups, including one pair of blokes on electric bikes with four panniers on each bike and a trailer each!
It is worth the difficult terrain, to ride along the dykes by lagoons where we see hundreds of cranes grazing, the first time we have seen them anywhere in such numbers.


The odd stork appears too. Just as we reach Pasewalk, after 65 hard miles, the sky darkens and for the first time this week there is rain - then a deluge. We dive into the only hotel and are soon ensconced in a huge room, the bikes locked in a store, watching tennis on the TV.


Miles to date 1728

Location:Wolgast to Pasewalke

Cobbles & bricks...

Once we navigate our way out of Rostock harbour we pass dozens of identical 8 storey blocks of flats, built in the Soviet era. Enormous pipes, carrying the centralised hot water, link the buildings. Occasionally there's a restored Trabant. There are still dedicated cycle routes to follow east, along the edge of vast strawberry fields, the nets in giant rolls at the side, waiting to protect fruit from birds. At the end of every row is a little bee hive. Then the route avoids big roads by diverting us through beech and conifer woods, where we meet no one except a few folks picking up wood. We emerge under the windows of an ornate castle and through their enormous iron gates.
To the north are lagoons with small towns and marinas along the shore. At one village of cobbled streets we enjoy buns from a mobile Bakery van, parked by the Rathaus. Greifswald is a bigger town, with magnificent squares surrounded by brick Gothic buildings including a Cathedral.


It has an enormous yacht marina, and a good cycle path on top of the dyke. We are staying with Chemistry teacher Jonas in his flat in Wolgast.


Miles to date 1660

Location:Rostock to Wolgast

2 mile bridge...

Whit Monday morning disappoints as there is intermittent drizzle. However we set out with a bag of Dorte's scones, still warm from the oven, through countryside still managing to be pretty, including acres of little Christmas trees, a staple crop. By lunch the rain is replaced by sun, drying a wooden bench and table for us to have lunch. There are these picnic spots every few 100 yds in Denmark! Then over the 2 mile bridge again to stay with Tage and Pia once more.


The dining table is installed in their ample glasshouse, where we eat barbecued bratwurst and all sorts of home grown salad, under two grape vines, overlooking the garden, fields and woods beyond in the long sunny evening.
Next morning we are heading south for a ferry to Germany, this time one more to the east, from Gedser to Rostock. The big ferry , full of lorries arrives at 11.00 and departs only 15 minutes later. We are joined by one more bike and a lot of lorries. The 50 mile, two hour crossing costs us about a fiver each - the bikes go free!


Miles to date 1540

Location:The commune to Ekilstrup

Harold Bluetooth's wifi...

Heading south now, retracing our steps. Dawn is at 3.45 and the dawn chorus, including a very loud Cuckoo, ensures no one lies in on the campsite.
The weather is the best so far, hot sunshine with no wind. A fjord in the middle of Zealand has a cycle track alongside. The occasional Sunday dinghy sails passed, gorgeous thatched cottages are dotted through the beech woods.


There's a fair in the grounds of Ledreborg Slot (castle) attracting thousands of visitors. The quiet stony cycle path through the estate loses its charm after 2 miles, so we decide to rejoin tarmac farm roads, but not before a deer jumps across our path. The museum of the house of the old king of Denmark Harold Bluetooth (the English translation calls him) is in an impossibly pretty rural location. The thatched house can be inspected outside but is closed for Sunday. Harold has left his wifi on so we pick up emails. We arrive at the home of Dorte and Heiner, one of a group of former estate houses around a peaceful green, that was bought by a collective 32 years ago. The families have a house each which they have restored. The outbuildings contain a communal wood pellet boiler, work shops, a communal dining room (used once a week) in beautiful gardens of veggies and flowers. The massive orangery produces tomatoes and grapes. Sitting in the evening sun on the terrace we hear of cycling in Japan from Dorte, who has just returned from a trip there.


Miles to date 1475

Location:Louisiana to the Commune

Hamlet's wifi...

We are camping in a woodland campsite for two nights so we can do a 45 mile loop north without our panniers for a change. Our nearest neighbours on the site are a young couple from our favourite city Leiden. They have no bikes with them as they commute on bikes so like a rest on their hols. The loop north is on firm off road tracks through beautiful beech forests, passing enormous calm lakes and the ubiquitous immaculate thatched cottages. We go through a point-to-point with at least 100 well turned out horses and their horse boxes. All the riders are ladies, mostly with long blond hair! The northern point of Zealand is in a small town, rather like Salcombe, with very posh holiday homes and stylish shops. The harbour however is full of small working fishing boats. We eat a brunch of mouthwatering Danish pastries in a bakers, so much better than anything called a Danish pastry in the UK. Then along the coast road with Sweden always so close across the water we can see individual houses and vodaphone is confused, sending us a " welcome to Sweden" text. Hamlet's castle at Helsingor is on a promontory visible for miles. It is very well preserved, surrounded by a moat and embattlements.


It's purpose was to stop boats sneaking past without paying tolls - hence big cannons facing out to sea. The castle wifi was free, and easy to log on, so we plotted our next route on line, and read our emails. We bumped into our Dutch "neighbours" enjoying their first visit here too.


Miles to date 1415

Location:Humlebæk area

Louisiana...

North out of Copenhagen is cycling paradise, with private roads linking farms and country houses that are barred to all but residents and bicycles! A postie is delivering letters from a crate on the back of his motor bike. After beech forests, 30 miles up the coast, is the magnificent Louisiana Art Museum. It commands a position above the shoreline looking out directly at nearby Sweden. It is a fine afternoon so we stroll the gardens taking in the large sculptures including many Henry Moore and Max Ernst.





Then the extensive galleries, many with the back drop of the gardens or sea, for Hockney, Gormley and the tall bronze figures of Giacometti.







Miles to date 1365

Location:Copenhagen to Humlebæk

Market and Mermaid...

We ride into the Copenhagen city island over a bridge busy with cycling commuters and the cycling school run. There is even a cycle taxi. An enormous stone paved square with two glass boxes is the posh covered food market. On northwards we passed the C19th rows of identical ochre painted houses used for navy's personnel. Next are old fortifications, then a tourist coach parked up shows us the location of the Mermaid statue.


She is a rather beautiful life size bronze on a large boulder just offshore, near a park. There was a short queue of tourists taking it in turn to jump across and have their photo taken with this famous maiden.
Two big cruise ships can be seen anchored across the bay. Finishing our circular cycle we go past the palace quadrangle where blue and grey soldiers wearing bearskin hats are waiting to change the guard. A very ancient policeman is stopping the few tourists from getting too close. Finally we pass the vast Tivoli gardens with the big amusement rides towering above the trees. At railway stations there are acres of bikes, and when we stop for coffee it is difficult to find a spot to lean our bikes as every spare bike stand and lamppost is already occupied with a pile of others.
Miles to date 1330

Location:Copenhagen

Fowls and Frescos...

Karen and Keld live in a restored farm cottage surrounded by an orchard of pear and apple trees, smothered in blossom. We spy on a nestbox of baby blackbirds through a glass panel on the side. The house is surrounded by woods, out of which deer emerge at dusk, kept out of their extensive vegetable patch by a high fence. Also staying this evening is Daniel, a retired American army officer , revisiting Copenhagen on his Bike Friday. He was last here as a exchange student 40 years ago! We all enjoy chatting over dinner and home grown cider. The Danes speak perfect English.
In the morning Keld shows us to a bird reserve where a Marsh Harrier and Red Kite are feeding. Then we visit the village church to see the amazing frescos on the ceilings. As we pedal North to the suburbs of Copenhagen we spot small "hills" , man-made burial chambers from 5000 years ago!
Our host near Copenhagen, Lars, pedals a recumbent three wheeler encased in a carbon body, to keep off the rain.








As the 3 of us cycle to the shops, a group of boys clap and cheer as he passes!







Miles to date 1288

Location:Barum to Copenhagen suburbs

Great Danes...

Our first Warm Showers hosts in Denmark, Tage and Pia, live in a modernised typical farm house on the edge of a little village. We learn from them that the closed level crossings that disrupted our ride to them are part of a project to upgrade the rail system, in preparation for a new tunnel from Lolland Island in Denmark to Fehmarn in Germany. Tage is a clarinet player in the Copenhagen symphony orchestra and Tia a local sixth form Chemistry teacher. Tuesday morning P leaves for an outdoors rehearsal as they are playing a concert outside, this evening, in the Tivoli Park.
We set off north, crossing the longest bridge yet, 2 and 1/2 miles to the island of Zealand. Fortunately it is not windy or raining (for either us or Tage)! Black and white Eider Ducks bob on the sea below.





The Margarita tourist route is perfect, car free, through hamlets of ochre painted thatched cottages, red churches, and a Slot (castle).





The field edges and gardens are a mass of white and mauve flowering lilac.


Miles to date 1250

Location:Falster Island to Zeeland

Island hopping...

Everything in Germany has been a lot cheaper than in UK, so on anticipation of Denmark being a lot more expensive, we eat a cooked breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and endless inclusive coffee, at the campsite bakery, before setting off North across the island, to catch the fast car ferry to the Danish Island of Lolland. It runs every 30 mins and is the size of a cross channel ferry. We are the last passengers allowed on the 9.30am boat. There is nothing to secure the bikes to, but the sea is remarkably flat as the ship powers across the Baltic. After ambling along a rail trail we explore car-less country roads to a lake area, where thousands of Greylag Geese are grazing, and a White-tailed Sea Eagle is mobbed by buzzards.











Miles to date 1190

Location:Fehmarn to Eskiltrup

Windy Baltic...

Our WS host lives in a big modern oak frame house, on the edge of a wooded nature reserve, just outside former East Germany. We have a fascinating evening, hearing of the recent Arab conflict from two young refugees who escaped from Syria, (one by a boat journey across the Med. which he said he would not wish on anyone). They are now studying German at a nearby college. Our hosts are part of a group that help them with their studies.


Early Sunday morning is an ideal time to cycle through the empty centre of the ancient Baltic port of Lubeck, with it's copper twin-towered cathedral, and enormous gatehouse. North along the coast, a resort reminds us of Exmouth, but with many more small, very smart cafés. Along a gravel path on a dyke by the Baltic, then the windiest thing we have ever done! Crossing the bridge to the Baltic island of Fehmarn. Not far from the end is a campsite by the beach. A bit of a struggle putting up the tent, but before we are finished, our caravan neighbour, German Sylvia, produces two chairs for us so we relax, and swig a large beer.



Just as we are cooking our tea, the sun disappears and the rain lashes for 10 minutes. Despite the lid blowing off the Trangia soon we are eating spicy rice and veg, inside the tent and the sun reappears to allow a breezy stroll along the beach. Denmark tomorrow!





Miles to date 1136

Location:Lubeck to The Baltic Island of Fehmarn

The Barum Shuffle...

It was difficult to drag ourselves away from breakfast with Susan and Christian as they are so interesting, S an art restorer in the local East German museum and C a piano teacher who also made the divine blackberry jam. Also plays a good game of Dutch Shuffleboard, a game we were introduced to last night.


S speaks excellent English, so we learnt a lot about her life in the old East Germany.
Not far up the road we cross the wide Elbe river at the very old port of Lauernburg, where it is worth negotiating the big cobbles on the streets to see the ancient old brick built centre and pick up the first wifi in days at a riverside cafe; so we post a couple of blogs.
Next onto a tree-lined canal path, reminding us of the Canal du Midi. There are other tourers, including families, with even the littlest carrying big panniers.


Miles to date 1072

Location:Barum to Lubeck

Barbecue and deer...

After a cosy night in the tent it is a surprise to find it is so cold outside! We break camp quickly and pedal to the bakery in the nearby village for coffee and buns to wait for the sun to warm everything up. Then we are off north East, taking some sandy wald-weg ( woodland tracks ) where we spot a tiny new deer hiding in the leaves very near us. Then dedicated cycle paths through rolling countryside of big wheat fields and potato farms.


We complete 77 miles to our hosts, who live in a big house in a little village, but are originally from Berlin. They have young relatives also visiting from Berlin, and we enjoy a very convivial barbecue, discussing that city we know quite well. Home made beer goes down a treat with the mackerel and bratwurst.


Miles to date 1022

Location:Hamelsee to Barum

Eggs and camping...

With half a dozen hard boiled eggs from our host Petra's chickens added to our supplies, we follow undulating farm lanes. The beautiful farm buildings 3 storey high, timber framed and inscribed with the names of ancestors, going back hundreds of years. This is a public holiday, so the roads are quiet, with walkers and a few cyclists. In villages there are groups of lads pulling trolleys full of booze and barbecue equipment. They tell us they are going to the canal to eat, drink then meet with the girls when they have "Dutch" courage. The whole of the day we meet similar parties.


After an undulating 80 miles, more than half on dedicated cycle lanes, we reach our campsite, by a big lake in the forest, and down two beers and 4 bratwurst to celebrate.





Miles to date 945

Location:Melle to Hamelsee

Wandering woods and fields...

We leave our host's house by 7.30, leaving the two girls to go to school, Dirk to cycle to his office, and us to enjoy the early morning sunshine. The asparagus workers are already in the fields, adjusting the plastic sheeting over the growing spears, each one to be individually picked by hand.
Again we startle hares and are watched by a deer standing in a green barley stalls. We have discovered that all little local bakers shops provide at least take-away-coffee, or a little table to sit at; very useful.
On the map it looked like we were going to tackle 600 ft hills on unmade forestry tracks, but they turn out to be tarmac; the road of the trip, car free and through sun-dappled beech forests. The tidiest farms yet, timber framed with huge tiled roofs, the barn roofs covered with solar panels. Ponies, horses, llamas, and dark sheep and lambs in meadows. A schloss is impressive.


Yet another group of "older" cyclists sweep towards us, all on E-bikes.


Miles to date 865

Location:Münster to Melle

Asparagus...

We stay near Rheinberg in charming little Orsoy, with Ralph, a kindergarten teacher and musician. He introduces us to the local delicacy, juicy white asparagus. The next morning we get the small car ferry North then pass through asparagus fields and paddocks of horses. It is 77 miles to our next host, Dirk, who lives in Handorf on the outskirts of Münster. The cycle route there is brilliant as it avoids all the busy areas, instead taking us along the riverside and canal , through woods and around fields, off-road but with good surfaces. Dirk cooks more of the fantastic asparagus with hollandaise sauce.











Miles to date 816

Location:Orsoy to Münster

E-bikes...

From the dyke path we spot a Spoonbill and several Black Terns. Many of our other fellow cyclists are on electric bikes. The only indication that we have entered Germany is a customs man sitting in a marked car, and the smooth tarmac turned to brick paving. The very full Rhine is busy with coal barges and cruise boats, and the path busy with heavily laden touring cyclists.
Our destination is Rheinberg, as there is a War Cemetery we want to visit. At the cemetery a book tells us exactly where to find the grave of my Uncle amongst the 3000 others. He was shot down near here, whilst on a bombing raid in 1943.


As always, we find the cemetery and graves are all beautifully looked after.


Miles to date 738

Barges and bridges...

On an evening walk with out hosts Dick and Sandra around the Eco-village we discover they recycle the grey water to form the natural ponds that are scattered amongst the communal gardens. A big pole with an artificial storks nest has for the first time been occupied this year. There is a web-cam so we can watch their progress. We also check on the live cam of the peregrine on Norwich Cathedral.


A perfect Sunday summers morning as we cycle passed orchards and through an arch into pretty Buren, then on to Nijmegen, over the most fantastic double lane new cycle bridge attached to the side of the railway. The is a small amount of the ancient city centre remaining but most was bombed in WW2 because of the strategic bridge. Lovely WS host Annmieke is a bus driver in nearby Bemmel. We wander the locality together in
the warm evening along the dyke, with views of the thatched farm houses and big barges along the river.


Miles to date 678

Location:Culemborg to Bemmel

A fair wind...

After an evening sampling beer and good Dutch food in canal side hostelries, we depart from Matt and his flat mate on Saturday morning ( both of them were up ! ) The birding really kicks off as we pass canals and ponds - Great Reed Warbler and our first White stork of the trip, geese and every waterway home to cheeping ducklings, cygnets and mini-coots.
There are lots of traditional working windmills and we watch as 2 blokes struggle to pull the sack clothes over two of the sails to catch the high winds. Like on a boat, the material is furled to half its area as it is so windy. Despite the high winds the ancient ferryman has not gone to the pub, but takes us, his only passengers, across the Rhine in his brand new bike/foot ferry.


The strong winds are on our backs today, easing the ride to our WS hosts who live in a unique Eco village in Culemborg.


Miles to date 633

Location:Leiden to Culemborg

Day off in Leiden...

We woke to the news of the election Conservative win. Young Matthew is off to The Hague where he works as a an EU war crimes lawyer, currently dealing with a former non-elected African dictator, while we spent a less stressful day wandering the ancient cobbles of old central Leiden. Piles of bikes chained to railings and lamposts everywhere.


A walk on the round castle rampart gives a view of tiled roofs and church towers. The Pilgrim Museum is a house on a cobbled square restored and furnished in the era when occupied by the Pilgrim Fathers before they set of to the UK and USA. The big central windmill is not working today as the wind is in the East and they don't want the hassle of turning the top around to face the wind in case it changes again. We manage to find a coffee shop that is not a drug smoking business and enjoy apple cake and fine Rwandan coffee.

Location:Leiden

Going Dutch...

There are some dozen cyclists on the the ferry to the Hoek of Holland, including two lads from Nottingham University on their first tour; the others are Dutch. After the smoothest of crossings we are hemmed in by all the container lorries, but eventually break free and follow the fabulous Nord Zee cycle route along canals, by glass houses, and through the dunes to get lost in The Haag port. Here we meet up again with a seasoned tourer from the ferry on his way home to Leiden. He is as lost as us, but with team work we are soon entering the old university town of Leiden and spot the familiar and historic streets near St Peter's Kirk where our friends live.





Miles to date 579

Location:Harwich to Leiden