This is my first attempt at a ride report so be kind. It's an edited version of a private blog I kept for family and a few close friends so if the tone is odd in places that's why
27th May 2013 Blandford to Harwich
Well I'm on way. The bike was all loaded on time.
And that's really all there is to say. It feels a bit odd to be finally doing it after all the thinking about it. Did Dorset to Harwich all in one go apart from a fuel stop I reckon I was down to my last litre or so. I was beginning to contemplate having to admit to running out of fuel before I even left England. Total miles 202.5. According to the sat nav I am 22ft below sea level at the moment. Probably not true. I'm really chuffed to have managed to get the Premier Inn room for only £29. And it's right opposite a Lidl so I've got a beer and some tomatoes to go with my pork pies for tea. The ferry is just down the road so no panic in the morning. It's 9am departure so I can leave here a bit before 8. Breakfast on the boat and a bit over six hour crossing. I want to do at least 100 miles tomorrow night; it's just over 400 miles to my guest house for Wednesday night. I don't know where I will lay my head tomorrow.
28th May 2013 - Let's go Dutch
Well that was the flattest bit of sea I've ever crossed. The ferry was really good too. Clean and comfortable. Little caged basket/football area on the deck, Chairs and tables outside the lounges and not too many people. Only 3 bikes which is quite a contrast to last year. Free, though very slow and almost unuseable, wifi. Pulling away from Harwich was good as we passed the old town
with the huge container port on the opposite bank and on down to the mouth of the Orwell which stretched mistily behind us.
Old defences as we crossed the bar and set off to sea.
The arrival was not unattractive
It turned out not to be a good time to take to the roads. It must have been home time and I had to do some determined filtering to make any progress. I reached the hotel in Apeldoorn by just after seven, including a slight detour due to sat nav misreading. I found it on Booking.com and booked it using my phone and the free wifi on the boat. I was quite chuffed with that. No kettle in my room so I had to get the stove out in the bog to make my cup of tea.
Long day tomorrow so shower book and bed I think. I'll give dinner a miss so I can do justice to the breakfast I've paid for. No free internet either.
May 29th May 2013 - A Cellar Full of Beer
Not really much to say about today which was a motorway slog through Holland and Germany.Thunder and intermittent rain were the order of the day and it was a case of just getting it done. I had a collection of Bob Harris's Country podcasts from R2 (Don't judge!) which helped.North Germany is very flat, like Holland. Pleasant green farmland and very windy. There were wind turbines everywhere.
The best bit was arriving. I'm now in the guest house on Fehnman. A pretty place:
On a farm with a Dovecote and a big barn which provides a hiding place for the bike
With a sophisticated security system to keep it safe
Mein host is very helpful. His last act before disappearing back to Mrs Host was to show me the cellar which was full of crates of
"Help yourself," he said, " 1 euro a bottle and pay me in the morning." So I will.
30th May 2013 - What Bloody Bridge?
So, ten minutes after a good breakfast, which also yielded a good ham and cheese roll for lunch, in a room stuffed with antiques , the bike was safely strapped down on the Puttgarden/Roby ferry. Leaving Germany and entering Denmark.
This is Fehman, flat and wind turbines
I didn't understand why there was a mad scramble for the shop. Turns out it was only open for about 20 mins and only sold booxe, fags and chocolate. You can see why some people came:
There was nothing to see except more wind turbines in the sea.1,400 tonnes!
Denmark was more flatness and more oil seed rape. And then it all went a bit wrong and I went to Elsinore by ferry instead of over the bridge because the sat nav decided it was quicker and forgot to ask me. So a lonely bike on another ferry
I wasn't too upset; it was quicker and cheaper. And no dead bodies. I liked what I saw of Elsinore and then on to the E4. Sweden is made of trees. This is what the rest of my day looked like.
Not bad taken from a moving bike at 70mph with gloves on! I was making such good progress I kept going stopping only for petrol and coffee. Still life with Danish, except it's Swedish, and very nice too.
And this one helps give an insight in to my second childhood. It was for my son (32) and his friends because they will giggle like I did.
By 8 o'clock I had done 500+ miles, which takes a big bite out of the distance to my Finnish hotel which is booked for Sunday. But as the sun set I had nowhere to sleep. The first hotel wanted £200 for a single room! The second was much better value at only £140. I pushed on and took a detour through Uppsala where booking.com found me a room in a hostel for £31. And that's where I am now, drinking black tea. Total miles today, 557.
27th May 2013 Blandford to Harwich
Well I'm on way. The bike was all loaded on time.
And that's really all there is to say. It feels a bit odd to be finally doing it after all the thinking about it. Did Dorset to Harwich all in one go apart from a fuel stop I reckon I was down to my last litre or so. I was beginning to contemplate having to admit to running out of fuel before I even left England. Total miles 202.5. According to the sat nav I am 22ft below sea level at the moment. Probably not true. I'm really chuffed to have managed to get the Premier Inn room for only £29. And it's right opposite a Lidl so I've got a beer and some tomatoes to go with my pork pies for tea. The ferry is just down the road so no panic in the morning. It's 9am departure so I can leave here a bit before 8. Breakfast on the boat and a bit over six hour crossing. I want to do at least 100 miles tomorrow night; it's just over 400 miles to my guest house for Wednesday night. I don't know where I will lay my head tomorrow.
28th May 2013 - Let's go Dutch
Well that was the flattest bit of sea I've ever crossed. The ferry was really good too. Clean and comfortable. Little caged basket/football area on the deck, Chairs and tables outside the lounges and not too many people. Only 3 bikes which is quite a contrast to last year. Free, though very slow and almost unuseable, wifi. Pulling away from Harwich was good as we passed the old town
with the huge container port on the opposite bank and on down to the mouth of the Orwell which stretched mistily behind us.
Old defences as we crossed the bar and set off to sea.
The arrival was not unattractive
It turned out not to be a good time to take to the roads. It must have been home time and I had to do some determined filtering to make any progress. I reached the hotel in Apeldoorn by just after seven, including a slight detour due to sat nav misreading. I found it on Booking.com and booked it using my phone and the free wifi on the boat. I was quite chuffed with that. No kettle in my room so I had to get the stove out in the bog to make my cup of tea.
Long day tomorrow so shower book and bed I think. I'll give dinner a miss so I can do justice to the breakfast I've paid for. No free internet either.
May 29th May 2013 - A Cellar Full of Beer
Not really much to say about today which was a motorway slog through Holland and Germany.Thunder and intermittent rain were the order of the day and it was a case of just getting it done. I had a collection of Bob Harris's Country podcasts from R2 (Don't judge!) which helped.North Germany is very flat, like Holland. Pleasant green farmland and very windy. There were wind turbines everywhere.
The best bit was arriving. I'm now in the guest house on Fehnman. A pretty place:
On a farm with a Dovecote and a big barn which provides a hiding place for the bike
With a sophisticated security system to keep it safe
Mein host is very helpful. His last act before disappearing back to Mrs Host was to show me the cellar which was full of crates of
"Help yourself," he said, " 1 euro a bottle and pay me in the morning." So I will.
30th May 2013 - What Bloody Bridge?
So, ten minutes after a good breakfast, which also yielded a good ham and cheese roll for lunch, in a room stuffed with antiques , the bike was safely strapped down on the Puttgarden/Roby ferry. Leaving Germany and entering Denmark.
This is Fehman, flat and wind turbines
I didn't understand why there was a mad scramble for the shop. Turns out it was only open for about 20 mins and only sold booxe, fags and chocolate. You can see why some people came:
There was nothing to see except more wind turbines in the sea.1,400 tonnes!
Denmark was more flatness and more oil seed rape. And then it all went a bit wrong and I went to Elsinore by ferry instead of over the bridge because the sat nav decided it was quicker and forgot to ask me. So a lonely bike on another ferry
I wasn't too upset; it was quicker and cheaper. And no dead bodies. I liked what I saw of Elsinore and then on to the E4. Sweden is made of trees. This is what the rest of my day looked like.
Not bad taken from a moving bike at 70mph with gloves on! I was making such good progress I kept going stopping only for petrol and coffee. Still life with Danish, except it's Swedish, and very nice too.
And this one helps give an insight in to my second childhood. It was for my son (32) and his friends because they will giggle like I did.
By 8 o'clock I had done 500+ miles, which takes a big bite out of the distance to my Finnish hotel which is booked for Sunday. But as the sun set I had nowhere to sleep. The first hotel wanted £200 for a single room! The second was much better value at only £140. I pushed on and took a detour through Uppsala where booking.com found me a room in a hostel for £31. And that's where I am now, drinking black tea. Total miles today, 557.