To Amsterdam and beyond

48-päiväinen seikkaillu — AliceAlain Lue lisää

Seuraa Yhteenveto Kalenteri Valokuvat Jaa

Matkan aloitus
6. toukokuuta 2023
To Amsterdam and beyond Matkaaja
We finally start
6. toukokuuta 2023, Sveitsi ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
We are off to Amsterdam. A somewhat rocky start as we deliberately miss the train to Bienne whilst Alice goes home to swap to her old (and not wobbly) bike.
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Le Jura Suisse
7. toukokuuta 2023, Sveitsi ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
Du lac de Bienne à la vallée du Doubs, nous prenons le Jura et ses plis tout de travers. La seule clue, cassure permettant de passer tout droit, est occupée par une grand-route, la voie ferrée et l'autoroute! Les cyclistes amateurs de nature et d'intimité rurale doivent donc passer ailleurs, grimper trois cols et plus de 1500m pour faire 50km de vallée en vallée.

A chaque col sa surprise, sans compter le vent des sommets, averses et rayons de soleil. Pour finir en beauté, le "creux du Doubs", soigneusement préservé en réserve naturelle verdoyante, nous offre un vrai déluge agrémenté d'une dernière grimpette à 20% sur les cailloux. Un petit camping idyllique en bord de rivière nous attend. Les proprios sont merveilleusement accueillants. Bonheur.Lue lisää
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Green green green
8. toukokuuta 2023, Sveitsi ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
It is undeniably spring here. The time of year when one is filled with wonder at the diversity of greens that are possible. And this is a gloriously green corner of the world. We start, after a very wet night, from a wonderful campsite that is right on the banks of the river Doubs. Further along the Doubs we visit the pretty St Ursanne, where the river turns around 180 degrees and decides to head back to the Mediterranean. Then its up and over the col de la croix before we descend out of Switzerland and into Alsace.Lue lisää
Matkaaja So many shades of green! Beautiful!!
12.5.2023VastaaKääntää
Matkaaja Aaaw! It's so good to see Maisie! :-)
12.5.2023VastaaKääntää
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Into Alsace
8. toukokuuta 2023, Ranska ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Its easy to know we have arrived in Alsace:- there are brightly coloured timbered houses and storks and the village names are germanic. We get caught in a huge deluge at the end of the day and decide to call it a day and pitch the tent in the woods. We are pretty well soaked though by the time we can dive inside the tent and it continues to rain whilst we cook and eat inside. The next morning its a short ride into Thann where we have the pleasure of meeting up with Alains lovely Aunt Mariette who generously helps with drying out our large pile of sodden items. We pass a day of gentle chatting and catching up.Lue lisää
So Lovely to see and read where you are! Hope you dried out. [Laura]
14.5.2023VastaaKääntää
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A l'assaut des Vosges
10. toukokuuta 2023, Ranska ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
Soleil du matin. Nous quittons Thann de bonne humeur après avoir rempli nos sacoches dans la vieille ville. Laissant le grand ballon à droite, nous grimpons la vallée de la Thur, pic-nic au lac de Kruth dominé par le château de Wildenstein perché sur le Schloßberg. L'auteur de ces lignes se gargarise de ses beaux restes d'allemand en prononçant ces mots comme l'aurait -- peut-être-- fait Wagner. Un court dialogue avec un veritable alsacien de la patrouille verte le ramène au présent.

Au bout du fond de la vallée c'est les Vosges, le chemin des américains et la route des crêtes. C'est surtout le monde irréel de la brume, de la pluie, des beautés entrevues et aussitôt effacées. Les auberges sont heureusement bien chauffées -- ce pays excelle dans l'art du poêle central.

C'est enfin au bien nommé col du Calvaire que nous trouvons une grande chambre avec vue superbe et choucroute 5 viandes. Vive les Vosges.Lue lisää
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Matkaaja Chapeau Alice et Alain! Wow! Right up in the clouds! :-)
15.5.2023VastaaKääntää
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Along the 1914-18 front line
11. toukokuuta 2023, Ranska ⋅ 🌧 12 °C
We wake to find that our wonderful view from our room above the col du Calvaire is 100% white. Its a chilly start as we continue along the route des crêtes which has the curious property that the several cols we pass are now typically low points and not high points. Then we descend through forest tracks and cross through gentle hills past several first world war cemeteries. Finally, the sun comes out, and we are relieved of our water proofs for a few hours. We pitch a dry tent in the dry and even have the luxury of a picnic table for our evening meal.Lue lisää
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From woods to waters
12. toukokuuta 2023, Ranska ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
The wooded hills of the Vosges are pretty but with few views of anything other than the road and nearby woods. We cross into the Moselle region and the views open out as we leave the hills behind. Soon we are surrounded by water: cycling along Euro velo route 5 along the towpath of a canal that goes through the middle of several lakes. We suddenly meet other touring cycles as they too navigate the steep and not cycle friendly stepped bridge over the canal.Lue lisää
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En passant par la Lorraine..
13. toukokuuta 2023, Ranska ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
...avec mon vélo. Et on verra qu'elle n'est pas si vilaine, avec son vélo dondaine... Le ciel bleu est finalement revenu et nous découvrons l'étrange impression de ce canal dont le niveau est plus bas que les lacs environnants.

Nous voici dans la partie 'francique' de la Moselle -- ça veut dire qu'ils parlent un dialecte allemand-- comme en témoignent les noms des villages et cet étrange calvaire de 1860 sur lequelle une inscription gothique incite le passant à se ranger sous l'étendard chrétien. Était-ce pour décourager les nationalismes qui bouillonnaient à l'époque? Dix ans plus tard ce pays serait ravagé par le premier de trois carnages qui ont rempli ces cimetières immenses. Il y a des monuments à la mémoire des deux camps, d'ailleurs.

Le paysage vallonné-boisé mélange agriculture et industrie, comme le montre un jardin ou sont illustrés les multiples usages de l'énergie (propre) hydraulique ou éolienne.Lue lisää
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Goodbye to Alain in Metz
15. toukokuuta 2023, Ranska ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
Its a sad day. Alarmingly and distressingly, Alain’s crown on his front tooth fell out whilst he was sleeping. Luckily he did not swallow it. However he has decided to head home to go to the dentist. I have decided to carry on (the plan was for me to continue alone after Amsterdam). We spend a lovely last night together in the old citadel of the city of Metz. Then in the morning Alain catches the train home… and I pedal on.Lue lisää
MatkaajaOh! That is such a shame, but so good that you have both had a lovely 10 days of adventures! Happy onward journey Alice x
16.5.2023VastaaKääntää
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Schengen… into Germany and Luxembourg
15. toukokuuta 2023, Saksa ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Today was gentle country and then easy riding along the banks of the Moselle. The Moselle leaves France and then divides Germany from Luxembourg. So I enjoy all of 5 mins in Germany before moving onto Luxembourg, crossing at Schengen where the European cross border treaties were signed (on a boat in the middle of the river). The biggest surprise of the day was the length of the huge barges. It feels very quiet after Alains early departure and I miss him.Lue lisää
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Exploring luxembourg
17. toukokuuta 2023, Luxemburg ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
The last couple of days I have meandered through Luxembourg. Its been hilly and windy, hardwork and not always enthralling. But the rocks, cliffs and gorges around Berdorf are delightful: I enjoyed the old railway cycle route yesterday and the walk this morning through the gorges, some of which are barely a person wide, and including a visit to a medieval mill wheel factory/quarry. I also visited Beaufort and its castle.

Things of note in Luxembourg. Yellow signs, rubbish signing of cycle routes, the worst quality cycle path I have ever encountered (and dangerously in countersense to the traffic), lots of solar panels, ***FREE*** public transport and lots of woods and hills.Lue lisää
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Little adventures
18. toukokuuta 2023, Luxemburg ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Yesterday I packed it in early when faced with a notice of a road closure ahead - when I was already half way along my river gorge route. The road closure was for over a year so sounded potentially serious. After much evening research, in which I enlisted Alain, he suggested I called the campsite near the blockage: ´possible but you have to go around on the grass’.

Arriving at the closure, there is a road-bridge in bits, with a river and electrified railway underneath. Not a chance of crossing over, and no grass either. I backtracked and started asking for help, eventually finding a tiny map showing the cycle diversion.
Meanwhile 2 other cyclists turn up. This proves extra handy as it’s necessary to use the station subway to cross the railway line and my laden bike is heavy. I carry Maisie (bike) down and am about to offload the panniers for the up part - when one of the cyclists offers to swap bikes and carry mine up. I don’t think he had quite appreciated how heavy my bike was compared to his (featherweight). At the top « you’re crazy « giving it to his friend to lift « you’re crazy » he too remarks. « How can you cycle that? » (remember here that actually i am relatively lightly laden for a solo cycle camper). We then set off across the grass and around the field, and there ahead is, lo and behold, a replacement pontoon floating cycle bridge!!! How cool is that.

And then the kind cyclist insists on helping me push my bike up the embankment back onto the road. I award him Hero of the day status (with 2nd prize to Alain as without his bright idea I would not have persevered and found the diversion). Thus begins the ride.
The day also includes a chat with a local at the viewpoint, a tiny becastled village perched on rock in the meander of the river, a climb up beside the lake above the barrage and, crossing into Belgium with several km of beautiful beech woodlands. It was a good day.Lue lisää
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Matkaaja Oh! That's brilliant!
21.5.2023VastaaKääntää
Matkaaja What a wonderful place!
21.5.2023VastaaKääntää
Matkaaja A well earned rest for Alice & Maisie! :-)
21.5.2023VastaaKääntää
Matkaaja I went on a camping holiday around there a few years ago. It was beautiful and I rather fell in love with Luxembourg. Very few Brits, but lots of Dutch, Belgians and Germans who seem to appreciate camping and a less flat terrain.
29.5.2023VastaaKääntää
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Meandering rivers
20. toukokuuta 2023, Belgia ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
I have followed lots of meandering rivers first in France and Luxembourg and now in the Ardennes. Yesterday it was hardwork meanders with lots of climbing up out of the steep sided valleys. Today they seemed to be sending me a crazily long way around a peninsula-like meander. Turns out they had just rebuilt an old railway bridge which was destroyed as the Germans retreated at the end of the war. It allows access to the old railway tunnel through the hill. A short- (and flat-) cut so v nice surprise (and not on my map hence my confusion).

I was also minor rescue service for a family group with a broken chain. Its nice to be useful!Lue lisää
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Matkaaja Alice bicycle repair service saves the day! :-)
21.5.2023VastaaKääntää
Matkaaja Trust you Alice to help others
26.5.2023VastaaKääntää
Matkaaja What a way to save somebody’s day trip! 🤩
5.6.2023VastaaKääntää
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Camping out
20. toukokuuta 2023, Ranska ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Last night was the first night that it has been warm and dry. When its cold the tent tends to get v soggy from dew and/or condensation even without the help of rain. With Alain leaving earlier than expected, and a run of cold nights, I have been struggling to stay warm in a summer sleeping bag and have resorted to wearing pretty much everything I can lay my hands on (other than spare underwear).
Tonight I am camping rough as I could not find a campsite with space. The tent is pitched by a little stream and near a picnic table but its not quite as discrete as I would like so keeping my fingers crossed no one turfs me off. A couple of nights ago I tucked myself into the Belgian beech forest in a lovely little clearing. I was noticed by a deer in the middle of the night but I think otherwise went unnoticed.
One of the pleasures of camping is listening to the sounds of nature, the river or stream flowing by, the dawn chorus (are they singing to warm up I keep wondering). A couple of nights there have been deer barking (its a bit eerie) and this morning there was a woodpecker already at work.Lue lisää
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Matkaaja Aaaw! Just dropping by for a chat! :-)
21.5.2023VastaaKääntää
Matkaaja What a gorgeous spot to stop.
26.5.2023VastaaKääntää
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Marching on!
22. toukokuuta 2023, Belgia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Belgian Pageantry is, it seems, a big thing. I was lucky to bump into a festival in full swing in Thuin. It appears to be an evolution of a religious parade where a statue or relic of the local saint is taken around the village once a year as a kind of blessing/protection. Somehow this has got wrapped up with military costumes from the period around Napoleon for armies coming from all over the place (belgium is a bit of a long-term battle ground). The locals were super keen to impress about how great this is. There were many different marching bands each of which have various uniforms and divisions for drums, guns, women, kids etc.
Binche is famous for its festival with straw stuffed gilles (men) which lob oranges as a blessing. It was not their fete but a few of them were out and about (and I was given but not lobbed an orange ).
I also visited the 2002 UNESCO barge lift (unfortunately closed on Mondays but impressively huge none the less) and the found the older Napoleonic version near by. Finally stopped in the city of Mons.Lue lisää
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MatkaajaJust caught up with your tour so far. Fantastic. Really like the parade here!
24.5.2023VastaaKääntää
Matkaaja Did you join in the beer drinking or just be your friendly self and say hello?👋
26.5.2023VastaaKääntää
MatkaajaI don’t like beer (its fizzy!). Not sure I should be in Belgium really…
26.5.2023VastaaKääntää
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Belgian Bivouac
23. toukokuuta 2023, Belgia ⋅ 🌙 10 °C
A new experience for me (x2). An official bivouac site. What a great idea. Room for 3 tents, non drinkable water and a green toilet which I forgot to photograph. (It was basically just a wooden toilet seat at normal height on 4 legs. Nothing else and no further screening. Add leaves to cover poo. :-) )
The second new thing was putting my tent up on a wooden platform. It had a number of horizontal screws between the planks on which the tent could fasten but not enough to get it tensioned right. Plus we had a v cold night and i think the air stream below did not help with my issues in staying warm.
But still, its a excellent ressource and would be good to have more of these.Lue lisää
Matkaaja Nice platform to rest your weary head
26.5.2023VastaaKääntää
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Ghent
24. toukokuuta 2023, Belgia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
I crossed from Wallonia into Flanders late yesterday. The difference is much more striking than crossing from France into Belgium. I keep thinking I am in the Netherlands. Plus my status as a cyclist has elevated to First Class. Cars keep giving way to me… it is such fun.
It is easy cycling into Ghent along the canal. I spent a lovely afternoon wandering the streets and by canals. Its a delightful place.Lue lisää
MatkaajaWhat a wonderful place! If only all cities were like this...
26.5.2023VastaaKääntää
MatkaajaOh my goodness...when I first saw the pic I too thought you had arrived in Holland. Enjoy and wirh all the bikes ahead of you in Holland you will feel right at home 🏡
26.5.2023VastaaKääntää
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Bruges
26. toukokuuta 2023, Belgia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Bruges, like Ghent, is charmingly full of canals, gabled houses and impressive state buildings. Its wealth derived from trading especially in the medieval period, as at the time it was very near the sea. I visited an exhibition that showed just how much the land and sea had changed over time and how many times they had dug and redug canals and ports to maintain their position. It was a huge ongoing effort. The inland towns that I will visit tomorrow were once defended ports of Bruges.

Bruges is full of gems but rewards exploration of corners a little off the beaten track; there is plenty to discover.Lue lisää
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Feet in the North Sea
27. toukokuuta 2023, Alankomaat ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
Bye bye to Belgium and Hello to the Netherlands and also to the North sea. I am proud to have reached the North sea: over several trips, I have cycled the whole way from the Mediterranean (Nice to Geneva, Geneva to Thann, Thann to North sea!)

A day of full sun and headwinds. Its a bank holiday weekend and by and large the cycle paths have been pretty busy. Its a little strange for someone who is used to cycling alone. However hard not to smile at the 70 plus spaces for bikes on the ferry. And I keep being caught out by cars that give way at any opportunity. As a cyclist that is used to precaution at every possible car encounter, it just seems bizarre (but in a very nice way).Lue lisää
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MatkaajaWhat a fantastic acheivement, taking in the most lovely & interesting places along the way! Fabulous Alice!
28.5.2023VastaaKääntää
Matkaaja I could happily watch this all day! :-)
28.5.2023VastaaKääntää
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Petals in my porridge
28. toukokuuta 2023, Alankomaat ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
My morning porridge is decorated with pink petals that fall from the hawthorn. I am enthralled by the marvellous sounds of the frogs in the ditch. The willows weep on me, dripping tears in the sunshine. The loose tiles in the street clatter delightfully under my wheels. I follow the wind way and the water way, they both have lots of both. The horse is a thief and it steals my (clean) pants that hang drying on my handlebars.Lue lisää
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Matkaaja Lovely camping spot
30.5.2023VastaaKääntää
Matkaaja Wow! That's a great recording Alice!
30.5.2023VastaaKääntää
Matkaaja Very impressive engineering!
30.5.2023VastaaKääntää
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Surrounded by water
30. toukokuuta 2023, Alankomaat ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Last night I tried out welcometomygarden, a perfect description. I camped in the garden of some cyclists and they were incredibly welcoming.
Today was full of windmills and water, birds and fledglings (or should that be waterlings), waterboats and getting mildly lost surprisingly often (as in hmm I can’t get there as there is a canal in the way, now what?).Lue lisää
Matkaaja The wind is really working those sails! Amazing to watch! :-)
3.6.2023VastaaKääntää
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Crossing waters
31. toukokuuta 2023, Alankomaat ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Today I hit a diversion. The “closed road” sign not only instructed cars but also cyclists. I was rather hoping it would translate to “OK for cyclists” but in fact it explained it was also closed to cyclists and walkers. Ah well. Taking an adjusted route after the diversion, I followed one of the dutch cycle node routes and ended up a bit confused. It had an arrow to “pont” (french for bridge but dutch for ferry.) I arrived to find a canal and no bridge and the route on the other side. What was I supposed to do? On closer inspection there was a hand ferry. I managed to translate the instructions and started to turn and turn. Eventually it moved a couple of centimeters so at least i knew I was on the right track. Quarter of the way across I was already struggling but on I turned, the chain that it was feeding through to pull me across now being visible. Somehow I made to the other side (rather pleased with myself of course). Later I found another crossing with a tiny manned ferry which came over just for me and Maisie for the grand cost of 1 euro.Lue lisää
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Matkaaja We went on one of those
2.6.2023VastaaKääntää
Matkaaja Such a brilliant invention! Maisie helping with the winding there!:-)
3.6.2023VastaaKääntää
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Amsterdam
1. kesäkuuta 2023, Alankomaat ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Riding a bike in Amsterdam is quite an experience - there are bikes zipping everywhere. Parking the bike is not easy either, in the centre you have to find and use one of the underground bike parks.
I had a day in Amsterdam exploring the canals and streets in the morning and then digesting the huge (and very crowded) Rijksmuseum in the afternoon. How does a few hours in a museum get to be quite so tiring?

I camped next to another cycle tourer, Pascal, a French canadian en route to Oslo. We ate together both evenings and it was great to have company and time to chat and share.Lue lisää
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Into Friesland
3. kesäkuuta 2023, Alankomaat ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
I am sat in the sun, taking a break from the demoralising headwind as I work my way North and East along the coast. I have had only headwinds in the last 2 weeks. But its been sunny and lovely weather for camping and riding so I am not complaining (much!). The terrain remains flat with dykes and waterways, happy frogs in the ditches, loads of birds, pretty coastal villages riddled with water ways and, of course, oodles of cycle paths. Yesterday I caught the boat across the IJsselmeer and later visited a volunteer-run water-pumping wind mill. When i asked if I could climb up inside the man said “sure, I’ll just go and stop the sails whilst we go up”. Then, as it was closing time I watched them put the windmill to bed, furling up the cloths on the sails and rotating the sails 1/4 way around to get to the next. one.Lue lisää
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I like sheep
4. kesäkuuta 2023, Alankomaat ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
I like sheep. A lot. They are comforting, endearing and daft. Perhaps qualities I aspire to. Plus they live in wild places and remind me of home and the moors. The wadensee dyke has been full of sheep, big hunky sheep and their lambs. Often laid out splat on the tarmac where I cycle, head and neck stretched out and one eye just a fraction open. Not fussed about me pedalling by. I decide they have expressive ears. “You plonker” one lamb’s ears protest to his clumsy sibling lamb who almost tumbles down the slope. It somehow reminds me of my nephews (though not their ears).Lue lisää
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