Day

Route

Riding Time

Distance Day (miles)

Total Distance (miles)

Comments Received by Text

Day 1
Mon 23rd July

Brest (France) to Plancoët

07:30 - 23:00

131

131

7:30 start. Met Sandra Morlaix for lunch and forgotten map pages. Road is melting and so am I!  Trying to find route through trading estate out of St Brieuc, all signs point to autoroute. Well down on distance, hillier and hot.  Knocked at house for camping permission, they just came out to offer hot drink and blanket.

Day 2
Tue 24th July

Plancoët to Caen

06:30 - 24:00

152

283

Recommend Dinan for a visit, very old town like big version of Eton & Windsor, bought postcard.  Stopped for lunch, hotter than yesterday, going via Vire as less hairpins and view points.  Hill reps all day, like going through Hedgerley non stop.

Day 3
Wed 25th July

Caen to Doullens

00:00 - 06:00
09:00 - 22:00

133

416

Just in time to meet up with Sandra at the Ibis.  85F no shade for miles at a time, climbs really hard.  Set up camp in grass field with wrapped hay bails, hope it's flatter and cooler tomorrow but don't think it will be.

Day 4
Thu 26th July

Doullens to Leuven (Belgium)

04:00 - 24:00

156

572

Started at 4, foggy and cool, 62F.  Totally flat, 78F and getting hotter.  I hate Brussels - not a single sign post & roads worse than home!

Day 5
Fri 27th July

Leuven to Haltern (Holland, Germany)

05:15 - 23:00

146

718

Just got to Holland, looking forward to breakfast after 5.15 start. 74F.  Stopped in garage to get water and directions, fresh toasted ham, bacon, egg  & lettuce baguette for lunch. 89F. Had a spoke go in back wheel, bought and fitted new one. Running out of places to get blisters!  Tent up in very dark woods, today by far the best day.

Day 6
Sat 28th July

Haltern to Werther (Westfalen)

06:30 - 16:00

73

791

1:30 storm hit, lightening the works, using mat as life raft. Everything is wet including maps.  Bottom bracket busted on bike, may or may not last, worst case it trashes gears.  Just took 5k detour around no cycling sign, 300 feet climb, unmade road, when dropped down to original road other riders using it! Thinking of stopping at hotel to rest and dry out.

Day 7
Sun 29th July

Werther (Westfalen) to Gardelegen

05:15 - 22:15

182

973

Left hotel 5:30, first day with tail wind, feeling good.  Tail wind still there, nice to be on tarmac again, 73F, only had a few short showers.  Lovely evening. First day that is going as hoped. Accidentally reset cycle computer.

Day 8
Mon 30th July

Gardelegen to Karisdorf

06:15 - 23:00

130

1103

Weinmaster cycle shop fantastic mechanic has rebuilt both wheels and stripped bottom bracket from shop bike to replace mine. Impressive work, plus gave me printed tarmac route away from main roads to Berlin.  This map in Berlin is like needle point with a spoon!  The only place pretty routes get you is lost!

Day 9
Tue 31st July

Karisdorf to Gorzow (Poland)
MISSION ABANDONED

05:00 - 12:30

64

1167

Altimeter broken, sunny with no wind, 57F, roads very straight, lots of lorries, road surface like Bucks.
Decided to abandon as main roads in Poland too dangerous. Insufficiently prepared language, currency and navigation wise.

Trip Home

Gorzow to Zwierzyn (train wrong way!)
Zwierzyn to Kostzyn (train)
Kostzyn to Frankfurt (cycle, car)
Frankfurt to Berlin (train)
Berlin to Amersfoot (morning train)
Amersfoot to Hook of Holland (cycle)
Hook of Holland to Harwich (overnight ferry)
Harwich to Clacton-on-Sea (cycle)
Clacton-on-Sea to Stoke Poges (car)

141

1308

Wrong train! Thank ticket collector I don't know how long I would have waited for my stop! Train stopped, no platform, think I was meant to jump, serious!  Now on slab of concrete in field next to railway. Other people got off, when train left crossed tracks and off into field.
Got lift from Canadian last two miles to Frankfurt.
Overnight train to Holland full so sleeping on platform 14 Berlin Hauptbahnhof.
Should have booked bike on train yesterday! May get kicked off at Deventer, will see if still space for bike to Amersfoot.
On board ferry and in cabin. OMG there is a mirror and they still let me on!