York to the Hull Ferry

First day of the IJssellmeer tour moving onto the long haul down to the Alps after a week. A hard 92k day into a brisk headwind. Beer in hand on the Hull-Rotterdam overnight ferry now where so many ofOkumaya devam et
Rotterdam Europoort- Barendrecht

A shorter ride today seeing some of South Holland south of Rotterdam, then spending the afternoon in Barendrecht with Jan.
As ever, the cycle path network (including lifts and tunnels, wide smoothOkumaya devam et
Barendrecht -Muiderberg

Felt quite a big day after a late night - 102k. Strong headwinds again for the first couple of hours. Hot and sunny cycling through beautiful polders, along canals and through small villages.
LoadsOkumaya devam et
Muiderberg - Koudum

An early start as we had a ferry deadline for the last ferry of the day. Skirted Amsterdam on busy cycle tracks before heading up the West side of the IJsselmeer, via Edam.
Really varied landscapes,Okumaya devam et
Koudum-Kampen

A really varied day characterised by a strong headwind. The wind really blows in NL and on the dykes and generally in the open, you really feel it.
We diverted through the Weerribben-Wieden NationalOkumaya devam et
Kampen-Soest

The highlight of this day was riding through the Veluwe Nation Park. Great cycle tracks in magnificent forest, intermittently breaking out into clear areas reminiscent in parts of the AfricanOkumaya devam et
Gassell - Venlo

Huge rainfall on the campsite last night so it was a relief to get going on the route to Venlo. It started out on small roads and then alongside the Maas.
Like all the Eurovelo routes, EV-19 (whichOkumaya devam et
Venlo-Schinnen

It’s strange. You’d think after days of cycling you’d not be up for it but cycle touring is addictive. After a rest day, well timed avoiding huge thunderstorms, we were itching to ride today.Okumaya devam et
Schinnen (NL) - Liège (BE)

Well that changed abruptly. After a great evening on a perfect campsite, we were both woken up by nausea then sickness. In the morning we were quite weak, but decided to push on as it was a relativelyOkumaya devam et
Liège - Namur

We felt 70 - 80% better after a huge sleep so good to go and the relatively short hop to Namur. The Liège traffic wasn’t fun but we eventually found the riverside route.
If gradually got lessOkumaya devam et
Namur (Rest Day)

We had a chilled day wandering around Namur, still recovering a little from our little bout of illness and very much still drying out! All mixed in with a few jobs on the bikes.
Namur is a greatOkumaya devam et
Namur (BE) - Haybes (FR)

We left Namur on a balmy Sunday morning and rode along beautiful smooth riverside roads/paths with the odd bit of pavé thrown in. The scenery changed entering the Ardennes and we were soon surroundedOkumaya devam et
Haybes - Remilly Allicourt

Another classic day along the Meuse. The river getting a bit more tranquil now, with frequent weirs and dams. Quite a view boats navigating the locks. As ever, wild flowers and birdsong the whole way.Okumaya devam et
Remilly Allicourt to Verdun

Quite a hard day after setting off in the pouring rain. We were well fuelled having spent a couple of nights in a small simple country hotel - which happened to be a renowned restaurant. In fact onOkumaya devam et
Verdun - Euville

Rolled out of Verdun on the right side so we didn’t have to cross the city again. Soon we were on D-roads which got quieter and quieter until we virtually had them to ourselves. Some elevated roadsOkumaya devam et
Euville - Neufchâteau

Another amazing day, again a bit shorter than our average. We have to overnight where we can sit this means shorter days (& occasionally longer) sometimes.
More rolling French countryside, lots ofOkumaya devam et
Neufchâteau (Rest Day)

We need the rest days, not just to rest our legs, but to get sorted, organised, regrouped, dry.
So today, we fettled the bikes, washed clothes, dried out and had a wander round town.
In between, aOkumaya devam et
Neufchâteau - Bannes (Langres)

One of the bigger days and had more climbing which is good training for the days ahead. Lovely narrow lanes initially and, as we approached the Langres area, more exposed roads higher up.
TheOkumaya devam et
Bannes (Langres) - Rest Day

Resting, organising, planning, stretching, strolling, fettling, reading…
Still quite cool grey weather, but dry at the moment. Météo France announces this Spring as the 4th wettest since 1959.Okumaya devam et
Bannes (Langres) - Auxonne

A big day - 118k starting with a Cat 4 climb up to Langres. We knew a long day was ahead of us. But in the end, it was the surfaces that were the most challenging. Highly variable with some roughOkumaya devam et
Auxonne - Lons Le Saunier

After a fantastic rest overnight in Auxonne we wanted to be up and away early, but I found my rear tyre flat. No real hassle but I never like punctures where I don’t locate the source and I foundOkumaya devam et
Lons Le Saunier (Jura) - Matafelon (Ain)

Quite a big climbing day at 1134m of ascent and ended up a hard day due to getting caught in heavy prolonged rain at the same time as a stick tried to chew up Caroline’s front mudguard. Just aboutOkumaya devam et
Matafelon - Artemare

Matafelon - Artemare
Great day. We pushed on as we’d stopped for our rest day on a rather wet and muddy campsite next to a lake and under attack from swarms of flies.
The trip was about 65k, theOkumaya devam et
Artemare (Rest Day)

A rest day on a great campsite in Artemare. Again lots of sorting, fettling, resting (of course!) . There were some showers in the middle of the day - making it rainy,, I think, on every camping dayOkumaya devam et
Artemare - Annecy

We left the campsite in Artemare, our last planned camp for the trip. Initially we rolled along fairly flat terrain before heading up a steep gorge. The road was fairly wide which was just as well, asOkumaya devam et