I slept in a little this morning, not going down to breakfast until 8:30am. On offer was the most sparse breakfast of this holiday (and in fact of any German cycle tour I can remember); just bread, cheese, two choices of cereal (both muesli), preserves, butter, orange juice and tea/coffee. One of the ‘breads’ I… Continue reading Ko2Ko – Stein am Rhein to Waldshut-Tiengen – via Koblenz
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Ko2Ko – Höchst to Stein Am Rhein (Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Switzerland)
Saturday 1 June – Breakfast in Austria, Lunch in Germany, Dinner in Switzerland. or Konstanz Kraving (with apologies to K D Lang) (this title was suggested by Deano from YACF) The forecast today was rain – loads of it! However, when I went down to breakfast it wasn’t raining, nor was it raining whilst I… Continue reading Ko2Ko – Höchst to Stein Am Rhein (Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Switzerland)
Ko2Ko – Meersburg to Höchst (Germany to Austria)
A day of rain in Germany and Austria. Friday 31 May – Meersburg to Höchst Had a bit of a surprise last night when looking at Twitter – it appears I have been retweeted by a large body of water! Bodensee has its own Twitter feed and it had picked up my yesterday’s blog post… Continue reading Ko2Ko – Meersburg to Höchst (Germany to Austria)
Ko2Ko – Konstanz to Meersburg
Thursday 30 May – Konstanz to Meersburg, racing the rainclouds! I slept very well after all that travelling and woke up at 7am. Breakfast didn’t start until eight, apparently, which was a bit disappointing as the weather looked rather good and I was hoping to get out on the bike as early as possible as… Continue reading Ko2Ko – Konstanz to Meersburg
Ko2Ko – Düsseldorf to Konstanz by train
Wednesday 29 May – Düsseldorf to Konstanz by train I was woken to the sound of rain on the window – yesterday’s fantastic sunshine was most decidedly gone! I had my breakfast and then packed up my bags, spending five minutes trying to separate out the flagpole on my trike (so I could stow the… Continue reading Ko2Ko – Düsseldorf to Konstanz by train
Ko2Ko – Great Bromley to Düsseldorf
Monday 27 to Tuesday 28 May 2013 It’s time for the off! After two beautiful days of sunshine in the UK the forecast for Bodensee when I start cycling round it on Thursday is looking a bit awful (heavy rain for four days at least). I slightly amended my packing in consequence, changing the small… Continue reading Ko2Ko – Great Bromley to Düsseldorf
What to take on a cycle tour – if you’re Auntie Helen, at least!
A couple of people have recently asked me what I take with me on a cycle tour. So as I’m heading off in less than a week, I thought it worth writing a short blog post about what I find works for me on my tours. Firstly, it’s important to be aware than I am… Continue reading What to take on a cycle tour – if you’re Auntie Helen, at least!
Some Ups and Downs in Essex and Suffolk
In just over a week’s time I’m off on a 2-3 week cycle tour in Germany/Austria/Switzerland. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great opportunities for riding the local country lanes on a nice sunny day. Add in some random German cycle tourists and that makes for a great day! My friend Peter (also known… Continue reading Some Ups and Downs in Essex and Suffolk
Recumbent tricycling – with dog!
Long-time readers of my blog will notice a fair few photographs where my dog is in shot – she’s always curious as to what’s going on and finds the trike seat very comfortable. In a Facebook discussion on ICE Trikes’ page someone asked me about the dog basket I have on my trike for Poppy… Continue reading Recumbent tricycling – with dog!
New touring luggage – Radical Banana Bags
In just under a month’s time I’m off on another long cycle tour in Germany – Konstanz to Koblenz – and, as most cycle tourers are, I’m always on the look out for things to make touring a bit easier. The other week I was idly perusing the most excellent blog of Dave McCraw (known… Continue reading New touring luggage – Radical Banana Bags
Kempen 19 March – Helen and the Biscuit Factory
Tuesday 19 March 2013 Oh dear. Oh dearie me. Last night whilst chatting to the Rodday family who live downstairs Frank happened to let slip that there’s a biscuit factory in Kempen which has a Werksverkauf (a factory outlet shop thingie). He said Gudula was there buying some more Prinz-Rollen (the factory is for the… Continue reading Kempen 19 March – Helen and the Biscuit Factory
Kempen 18 March – Vaterrhein und Apfelstreusel
Monday 18 March 2013 So today is my last full day in Kempen. However the holiday has been a real success as I’ve found the area is great, I really like the Ferienwohnung (and the family who live downstairs!) and Poppy seems very at home. I have just signed the contract for renting the place… Continue reading Kempen 18 March – Vaterrhein und Apfelstreusel
Kempen 17 March – Kirche, Kuchen und Konzert
Sunday 17 March 2013 The forecast for today was grey skies and showers. The plan was to walk Poppy and then head off to church in Kempen. So Poppy and I ventured forth around the lanes. And she made friends with some random garden ornaments. She had a half hour walk and then I gave… Continue reading Kempen 17 March – Kirche, Kuchen und Konzert
Kempen 16 March – Stammtisch in Krefeld
Saturday 16 March 2013 Today was the date of the English-speaking Stammtisch (a kind of social group) that Babs, who I had met when visiting Mönchengladbach in December, had organised to take place whilst I was here. Originally it was going to take place at the Royal’s Café which is an English-run café in Willich.… Continue reading Kempen 16 March – Stammtisch in Krefeld
Kempen 15 March – Windmills and Beer Bottles
Friday 15 March 2013 This morning was cold but at least there was no more snow. I decided to do a mid-length cycle ride this morning and walk Poppy in the afternoon. This is partly because I’m going out to meet some people for breakfast in Krefeld tomorrow which means I need to leave by… Continue reading Kempen 15 March – Windmills and Beer Bottles
Kempen 14 March – A railway journey on three wheels
Thursday 14 March After another really good night’s sleep I woke up to fresh snowfall. The roads were white, the gardens were white, the rooftops were white. That wasn’t in the forecast!! By the time I’d had breakfast and faffed about the sun was shining and Poppy and I went out for our morning constitutional… Continue reading Kempen 14 March – A railway journey on three wheels
Kempen 13 March – a walk, a ride and a sing
What a beautiful morning! Helped by the fact I had a wonderful night’s sleep. This might be due to one of the features of this Ferienwohnung (holiday accommodation) proudly listed on their website: bedroom with new 7 zone-cold foam mattresses Or it might be just that I was incredibly tired! Anyway, I was woken by… Continue reading Kempen 13 March – a walk, a ride and a sing
Kempen 12 March – Force 9 To Kempen
Tuesday 12 March 2013. Having spent a week slowly packing and organising everything for my eight day holiday in Kempen in Germany (and traumatising the dog in the process), last night it was time for me to set off for Harwich to take the overnight ferry to the Netherlands. Of course, we had a mega… Continue reading Kempen 12 March – Force 9 To Kempen
2013 cycling/cake diary – February
February 2013. This is a summary of my February cycling: And here is the detail of the cakes I enjoyed, using up my 27,934 extra calories! Friday 1 February 2013 Cycling: 26.53 miles in 2 hours 16 minutes. Average speed: 11.6mph Maximum speed 33mph Average heart rate 136, maximum heart rate 180. Calories burned: 1,039… Continue reading 2013 cycling/cake diary – February
Alfie gets a new chain tensioner
I have mentioned on previous blog posts the problems that I have with the Sora derailleur on my Alfine-11 trike. You may, of course, ask: “Why does someone with an internal hub gear need a derailleur anyway?” The reason is that I have a triple chainring at the front of the trike and thus need… Continue reading Alfie gets a new chain tensioner