Today we had a 45 km ride to do, so we weren’t in a hurry to leave. It was a beautiful morning at the winery and we had a relaxed breakfast and caught up on some internet-related chores. After drinking a bottle of their delicious wine last night, we ordered a whole case of it to be sent home this morning! Then it was 11am and time to get going.

It was getting hot and we set off along a paved farm track, both feeling slightly cranky for some reason. (Perhaps the late night, bottle of wine then sleeping in a tent?) We’re planning on finishing the cycle tour early and heading back to the UK sooner than originally intended in order to help out family and friends on a project that Dave co-owns. This means trying to find affordable transport back and deciding whether we’re going to travel together and whether Dave is going to miss the last rewilding project. The debates got heated as we sweated up a few hills in the midday sun but cleared up after our lunch stop.

Enjoying a nice paved farm track

Then Google had some more delights in store for us on our route. Most of the farm tracks had been paved so far, but a few of them were becoming gravelly and then the ‘route’ went along a field boundary that was barely a footpath, let alone a cycle route. We followed a detour along a minor road to rejoin the route, carried on along it for a while before it disappeared into nothing once again. Then we abandoned Google in favour of Maps.me and planned our own route along minor roads through fields and villages, which was very pleasant in the end, a lot faster and a lot more direct!

At this point we’re supposed to turn off…. into the field?

Suspect but still doable (slowly)

Let’s find a detour

That’s better!

When we made it to the edge of Hochspeyer village, it was somehow almost 5pm. We went to find an affordable hotel in the absence of any campsites in the area. We rode down a steep hill into town and found one of the two hotels, looking very much closed. So we rode back up a steep hill to the other side of town and found the other hotel. This one at least had a doorbell, but there was no answer. We met one of the guests outside, who said it was open, so we just had to wait. We sat around in the garden in the sun for half an hour then checked into our room.

Not feeling excited about having to go shopping and cook, we went for dinner and then watched a movie, which was all very nice and relaxed. Tomorrow, we visit the Lynx project!

– Anna

The wind was insane last night, we both woke up a few times and were glad we had big trees protecting our tent from the worst of it. On the plus side, against all expectation, our washing was dry this morning, hooray!

Apart from the good air-drying facilities, this campsite pretty much sucked, and we were happy to leave. Never good when you arrive in the pissing rain and the manager shouts at you that you can’t put your tent together under a shelter. Oh well. We said goodbye to our fellow cycle tourist and headed off. It was really complicated following the Google route through Frankfurt, if we didn’t have GPS it just wouldn’t be possible I don’t think. We’d have to take the road or something crazy like that.

As we were going along a river path beside some allotments, Anna spotted a red squirrel with its head stuck in a fence. She was so quick to jump of her bike and release it that I didn’t even see the thing until it scaled the fence and launched itself into an allotment. Anna Heslop, Nature Protector!

We stopped for first lunch in a park and discussed all the stuff we need to do when we get home. There’s a lot of stuff! Dunno how we’re going to find the time, or the money! Ah well, we’ll worry about that in a few weeks!

We eventually escaped Frankfurt and headed towards Alzey. We were still following Google Maps, which was taking us on some weird and wonderful routes to keep us off the roads, but thankfully none as ridiculously agricultural as yesterday. We went through some lovely woodland and along some horrible windy riverside. We also crossed the good old Rhine again, pity about the lorries whizzing past right next to us!

Nice ride in the woods

Get me of this bridge now please!

Just as we were wondering if we’d taken one diversion too many to make it to Weinheim tonight, Anna found a cycle track along an old railway line that suddenly sped us several kilometres in the right direction, and the game was on once again.

Railways – great for cycling!

We tried to follow the line till our destination, but sadly they must have given up restoring it at some point because we had to revert to horrible busy roads and very roundabout cycle paths, but at least the end was in sight!

When we got into Weinheim we were full of trepidation. If the campsite was closed there was nothing for miles. We’d already decided we would just go knocking at farms until someone let us lay down our stinky carcasses in a field. Luckily this proved unnecessary; the campsite here is tiny, but amazing. It’s part of a Winery, the facilities are brilliant, and the lady here welcomed in with a tasting of four delicious white wines, which worked pretty quickly on our dehydrated brains! We liked them so much we bought a couple of bottles. We were worrying if we’d have enough money to pay for them, and them they turned out to be €3.50 each. Best campsite ever. So we just had dinner with a delicious chilled bottle of Gewurtzstraminer and we have another in the pannier for tomorrow. Bring it on!

Guess we’re back in wine country!

Oh yes

The view was nice too

– Dave

Today we had to ride 10km into Gießen then stop there to go the shops for food and try to find an eye doctor. Since we went swimming in the sea in Holland (3 weeks ago?), my eyes were itchy for a while, then the right one was sore and never felt better. I was worried there might be something stuck in it and wanted to get it looked at.

After shopping and using McDonald’s internet to load up the day’s directions, I found an eye clinic on the map just 1km away. But when I went in and asked if I could see a doctor, the guy told me that was a university building! He sent me in the direction of likely clinics and off we went. The first clinic I tried said that since my eyes weren’t swollen or gooey, it wasn’t an emergency. “I can book you an appointment. The next available one is in the new year.” What?! By then I’ll either be blind or better and I’ll definitely be in the UK. I asked in the optician but he said they can’t look into your eyes, perhaps I should try another clinic and make it sound more urgent and push for an emergency appointment? Hmm, good advice!

So I went to a second clinic and said I was worried there was something in my eye, can I please see the eye doctor! She said yes of course, can I see your ID? Being a foreigner, I would have to pay privately. It turned out to be only 25 euros though so I was up for it! How long will I have to wait? Oh, about… 5 minutes. Awesome!

That means that after finding out how the system works, I managed to see an eye doctor within 10 minutes of asking to see one, for only 24 euros. Bloody amazing. She looked in my eyes, told me I had an infection and gave me a prescription for some antibiotic eye drops and I was on my way.

A trip to the neighbouring pharmacy then we were on the road again, happy that I was going to continue to have depth perception. By this time it was almost midday and we were going to have to stop for food before we’d really gone anywhere, but at least we rode out of town a bit.

After a pit-stop, we’d probably done about 20km in total and it was the afternoon. We’d better get cracking! But there were a few things slowing us down. One was the wind! It had been in our faces since we left Rothaargebirge and it was still blowing fiercly. The other thing was that we were following a Google maps route, and it was all over the place! It started off not too bad, just a few nice tracks through field and forest. Definitely a longer route than taking the road, but quieter too. Then things started to get dodgy. One track turned into a narrow trail with the odd large stone to swerve around – not easy with a heavy load. Then we were on sandy forestry tracks in the creepy middle-of-nowhere. Then it told us to turn off into the trees. No path at all! Just trees. And it was starting to rain. So we switched to Maps.me for a bit to find a way back to proper little roads.

I directed us over the motorway, around a golf course and through a village to meet the B455. In the rain. We joined it but then pulled over after 200 meters. It was so busy! There was no shoulder and nobody slowed down to pass us, not even the trucks. Dave was eyeing up a farm track opposite and I tried to map an alternative route. There wasn’t anything good though, so farm track it was. The gravel track turned into a grass track and we were riding between fields in the wind and rain, hoping we’d meet up with a path soon! Luckily we came out onto a track and some dog walkers looked at us like “where did you two come from?”. Good question.

Thanks Google!

On the paved tracks we made it to the outskirts of a village for second lunch on a bench under a lovely tree with dense rain-stopping foliage. We were aiming for City-Camp Frankfurt, just north of the city, and it was still a little way away. But we got back on the bikes to re-find our lost Google route and make it there. Thankfully the route redeemed itself in the latter stages and we found ourselves on a gorgeous riverside cycle route as the rain started getting heavier. With no more route finding to do before the campsite, we enjoyed the ride. We even found an abandoned airstrip to play in on the way!

Joining the riverside route

Ready for takeoff…!

And at 6pm we finally arrived dripping at the campsite, got set up in the rain and went for warm showers. It was a pretty crappy campsite but we’ve learned not to expect much from city campsites. We did meet another tourer there, who was training for a spring charity ride to the northern most point in Norway!

The rain stopped in time for us to hang out the laundry, and we snuggled up in bed as the overcast sky went from grey to black, hoping tomorrow would be nicer.

-Anna

When I went to bed it was raining.  When I woke up it was raining.  When I was packing away it was raining.  I ate breakfast in the damp vestibule of the tent, staring at the wet grass.  Thankfully the campsite had a laundry room, so I hung out the inner tent and ground sheet to dry whilst I was packing everything else away.  The outer shell of the tent was completely soaked inside and out.  My shoes were sodden, my bags were all damp and, by this time, the dry clothes I’d put on in the morning were wet again too.

I was finally ready to leave around 10:30, it was still raining.  I rode the 4km back along the dead-end road I was on (without taking the cycle path this time!) and joined the main road.

My breaks had worn down so much yesterday that they now were barely slowing me down, let alone stopping me!  But if ever I’d had the feeling like I was in the middle of nowhere, it was here.  There wasn’t really anything except managed woodlands, farms and tiny villages.  But perhaps the next village has a bike shop?  You never know.

Luckily it was uphill to the next village.  A lot of uphill.  But there was no bike shop there.  Luckily it was uphill again to the following village.  So much uphill!  I hope I find one before I have to go down again…

Worn out brakes

I saw a man on his bike collecting his son from Kindergarten and asked about bike shops.  He said there was one in the very next village, only 3km away – hurrah!  He was even going that way for a bit, so we rode together uphill and chatted between catching our breath, neither willing to slow the other one down.  When he had to turn off, he pointed me on a small road through the fields and gave me directions to the bike shop.

After the fields, I came to the top of a hill with a warning sign that the descent was 12%.  Gulp.  I pulled over to try and make the best of my shitty brakes.  They were worn down so far past the wear line that they were giving off weird grey goo when they scraped on the rims.  I tightened them up so that I could at least use them and hoped that they wouldn’t wear out completely and ruin my rims on the way down.

This sign…

…made this face

It was a steep hill but not that long and I made it down, letting the front brakes off half way down because they started making a funny noise.  Now I was in a tiny village.  This place has a bike shop?  I rode along ‘main street’, that was nothing but fancy country houses, took a side street past some more houses, then there it was – quite a big bike shop!  But it was closed until 3pm.  I phoned the number on the door, explained my predicament and the man said, “Wait, I’ll be right there.”.  And no sooner had he hung up than he was walking up the street towards me!  The shop belongs to his son, but he just lives next door and works here occasionally too.

He replaced both pairs of brake blocks and I was ready to hit the road again!  The way I had to go out of town was UP a 13% hill.  Shit, how is there so much uphill today?  I struggled to get up it – it was almost 1 km of 13%.  Then there was a short, gentle downhill to the next town.  Then straight back up again.

Leaving Medebach, I saw a bike sign for Winterberg, where I was heading.  From there, it said 22 km – about the same as taking the road.  So off I went along the cycle route.  (Haven’t I learned anything these last few days?!)

To my happy surprise, it was a beautiful new paved cycle path through the countryside. Up and down a few crazy inclines, through the fields, still in the pissing rain.  Then the path went past a farm and turned into a gravel track.  Then across a narrow wooden bridge over a river.  Then along a wet, muddy, overgrown trail.  It was hard work pedalling through the mud, over rocks, around puddles, through puddles.  I even had to ford a fucking stream – my feet got dunked and everything!  Not that they were any wetter as a result.

Back on a proper road, or is it a river?

Then back onto a gravel track, then back onto a small road, phew.  At this point, a few cars went past me.  Where the hell they were coming from, I hadn’t the faintest clue.  But we were all heading to the main road, so I knew I was close.

Finally I came out onto the proper road and the sign said Winterberg 4 km.  Salvation awaits!  A bus full of pensioners went by and I waved and grinned at them from under my soggy raincoat.  Straight away on the road to salvation, I was going uphill again.  My tired, unenthusiastic legs weren’t exactly eating up the road.  ‘At this rate, I’ll be there in an hour’, I thought jokingly to myself.

It actually wasn’t a bad guess – it took 45 minutes, because it was uphill all the way.  I must have gained a bit of altitude today!

I arrived in Winterberg and rode down the main street, past enticing hotels and restaurants towards the campsite.  The campsite was quite out the way and I kept taking wrong turns, unable to check the tablet without being under cover.  After another half an hour of back and forth and up and down, I found it.  And the office was closed.

By this time, I’d really had enough of the whole thing and the thought of getting the sodden tent out in the fucking rain was unappealing to say the least.  My feet were cold and all my skin was rain-wrinkled.  I turned around and headed for a hotel.

After hanging all my stuff in the ski room to dry (so gloriously warm!), I enjoyed a shower that didn’t run out after 4 minutes and did my laundry.  Then I got myself a pizza and a beer and sat on the sofa in my room watching TV until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.  Oh yeah, worth every penny.

-Anna

I was worried that today was going to be the most boring day so far because I didn’t have far to go, but luckily the day had better things in store. I woke up to the pitter patter of rain falling on the tent. I thought I could wait it out, but it just kept coming. Eventually I started packing up. Putting away a wet 3-person tent by yourself when you can’t lay it on the gritty ground is really hard!

At 11:30am I was ready to hit the road. But where should I go? Without any wifi, I couldn’t look up a cycle route to the National Park. So I found the cycle path I’d arrived on yesterday to look for a sign towards somewhere useful. There was a signpost for Wolfhausen, which was vaguely the right way, so I took it.

It started off as a lovely cycle path along an old railway line. Then it went on a cycle path along a road, which was also fine. Then I got into the next town and the signposts disappeared. I checked the map and took a likely-looking path through the woods. It was difficult navigating, especially in the rain when I can’t get the tablet too wet. There was nobody around anywhere, which seemed weird for a Sunday. Even when I arrived in Wolfhausen, it was really quiet.

I hadn’t gone that far yet but it was 1pm and I was hungry. Of course, it’s Sunday again and on Sunday EVERYTHING is closed. Except cafes and restaurants. So I headed for a Greek restaurant and the waiter immediately brought be a shot of their home-made cherry liqueur, which was delicious and did wonders for my cough! A tasty lunch and hot chocolate later and had my route in Google maps and was ready to go back outside in the rain (ugh).

Once I got out of town, the route was along a ‘cycle path’ through the forest. At first it was a lovely little paved road and I tried not to think about how creepy the forest looked. It was used for forestry so it was all dark underneath, with the occasional cut-down trunk looking a little too much like a person squatting in amongst the trees. If it had been sunny, it would have been fine, but it was dark and the hood on my raincoat made it hard to hear properly or use my peripheral vision, so it was all the creepier.

Then my smooth little road turned into a gritty little track. And I came to a junction that wasn’t on the map. And the way that Google said I was supposed to go said ‘private, no entry’. There was clearly nobody around and I got the feeling that I shouldn’t be there at all, like it was only logging trucks that ever came down here. Then I heard a car coming and saw that it was a camo-painted Landover. Who owns a camo-painted Landrover?! Definitely only serial killers. I wanted to hide somewhere when it drove past but I didn’t have time and only saw the passenger staring unsmilingly at me out the window and they turned off just ahead of me. I’m in a horror film.

I took the track that lead back to the road and tried not to get taken out by the trip-wires that the serial killers had undoubtedly left out for me. When I made it to the road, I felt so much better! A little bit of space between the trees let the light in from above over the wider road and I could hear a car coming. I happily rode along, making sure my back light was on and in position.

At the end of the road, I had to join a bigger road and pulled over to sort out my luggage. With the tent wet, I’d had to split everything up differently and the way it was packed was pretty unwieldy. There are two bags on top of each other on the rack behind my saddle and they kept sliding off to the side, so I kept having to put them back. I was busy doing a full re-shuffle that involved removing the bags and wriggling them around when a lady wound down her window to ask if I needed any help. “No, it’s all fine, but thanks for asking!” And I felt the warm glow you get when strangers help each other out for no reason other than kindness.

After just five minutes on the busier road, I had to head back onto a cycle track. This one was in really bad condition and an ominous sign read ‘cycling at your own risk’. I had to watch the ground so closely to avoid bumps and dips that I couldn’t really look around, so I could just feel the darkness of the forest around me and imagine the creepy things that were lurking there. And it was still pissing it down. Please no flat tyres here, please!

Eventually I met up with a proper road again and took it through a town, where I started to feel a lot better. There were some people around and even a shop that was open – and it was a camping shop! I took the opportunity to get a new can of camping gas before heading down a 4km-long dead end road to find the campsite.

There was one more cycle path to take before I arrived, and it was a good one! Whilst the road went gently downhill, I was led into the woods again, up a gentle incline, along the flat for a bit, then I saw a warning sign saying ‘cyclists dismount’. I peered out over the abyss that stood before me – an absolutely insane descent! My breaks were worse for wear on account of the constant rain and there was no way I was getting down it on the bike without incident. At the bottom on the hill, there was a 90-degree turn and the path was covered in wet leaves! I also couldn’t get off my bike and walk next to it, because I wouldn’t be able to control the unwieldy weight effectively from the side. So I stood straddling my bike with the brakes pulled full on and skidded cautiously down the hill at a snail’s pace. When I was almost at the bottom, I got back on in an attempt to gather some speed before the impending up-hill, but I hadn’t seen the huge rut in the track after the corner! Donk, donk! My unhappy wheels clattered down it and my back wheel skidded out on the gravel as I started to crunch my way uphill again.  Man, touring is hard work!

When’s it going to stop raining?

Then, after the next corner, finally, there was the campsite! Somehow it’s 6pm by now, so I set up my tent, do my chores and head to the pub for a hard-earned pint. And perhaps a schnitzel.

– Anna