Elitz Castle

This morning we didn’t wake up until gone 8am. It was a noisy night again as just before we went to bed the wind really got up and it was also really hot. 23°c outside and 27°c inside. We tried leaving the roof hatch open but the gusty wind just kept blowing the mosquito screens inside so we settled for having the fan on. Then the rain started and we were also peppered with sycamore seeds flying out of the trees. It was very noisy.
As we were parked up at a Motorhome dealers we decided to get some extra toilet cleaner as it’s hard to come by and popped into the shop. It was an amazing store selling absolutely everything for camping, motorhoming and rooftenting and they had all sorts of spares and repair stuff. Unfortunately anything Wanda needed I’ve already replaced but otherwise this is definitely the place to come.
We left the park up at 10:30am and drove 11 miles to our next location, a Motorhome car park about 1 miles walk from Elitz Castle and we arrived just after 11am.
The first thing we did was have a cup of tea while I plotted the cross country hike to the castle. I knew it was going to be hilly so the plan was to walk down the steepest slopes on the way there, take some photos and come back up the not so steep slopes on the way back.
We left Wanda at midday and took the path through the woods, it had an incredibly steep gradient of 16% but we were going down and the only thing that hurt were our toes stabbing the end of our shoes.
Once we got to the castle it was packed. This is the castle that was the inspiration for the Walt Disney castle and I wasn’t going to get any good photos now and the sun was directly behind the castle. I would have to come back when it was closed.
We did the circuit of the castle and then started the ascent back to Wanda. It was only a 5% gradient but 3km longer and then we got lost in the woods before finally finding the right path out and back to Wanda.
Back at Wanda Ellie was tired and this is a great place to go mountain biking apparently so I changed my bike wheels from the 40mm to the 50mm tyres reset the gears and got changed. Then I found a route on my app and set off. It was now 2pm and I had picked a 42km route which would probably take me 2 hours with all the climbing loaded at the back end of the ride.
I set off from Wanda through the nearby field and across a quiet back lane and then onto a wooded track. Here there was steep decent of 20% and it was on slate so I was glad I put my big tyres on and I had my hand on the brakes the whole way down. The decent was Almost 2km long with a few hair pins and it was very technical and was super pleased with myself for keeping the bike upright and making it which makes what happened next even worse.
I left the slate trail and came out onto a main road with a bike path running next to it. The bike path was separated from the main road with big fat white posts and the path and road ran alongside a beautiful lake. I was travelling along at a gentle pace not pushing it and enjoying the view at 27kph and I looked at the look lake rushing by thinking what a great view it was. As I looked back I had one of the white posts rushing straight at me and I didn’t even have time to think about pulling the brakes before I clipped it with my handlebars sending me soaring through the air with the bike.
I remember hitting the floor on my right hand side and smacking my head on the floor and as I was sliding I was thinking “I’m so lucky I had a helmet on”. Then I stopped sliding and the bike continued on its own.
A car swerved and stopped and as I was getting to my feet a lady got out and asked if I was ok and I said yes because I felt like a prat. I picked my bike up, turned around and then realised my gears didn’t work. I looked down at the rear derailleur and it was just hanging there completely out of alignment and as I bent down my ribs went crack and couldn’t breathe. Apparently I wasn’t alright.
I walked the bike over the other side of the road and let it against the wall. And then I realised my right knee was bleeding and my right arm and shoulder were also killing me and breathing was now becoming a problem. I had to sort myself out because there was no way Ellie could come and get me so I took my helmet off, inspected it for damage and there was none. I had no holes in any of my clothes so I thought I couldn’t be that bad and maybe I have just cracked a rib so now I had to get the bike working.
I rechecked the derailleur and realised I had completely ripped the gear cable out but it was still there so I got out my Allen keys and leatherman knife with the pliers and retreaded the gear cable. I thought if I could just get there derailleur back in line with one gear and limp home I would be doing ok but miraculously once I retreaded the cable I had all my gears back, albeit a little jumpy and Grindy.
I set off back the way I came but pretty soon realised I had done major damage to my ribs so going back up the same hill was now impossible.
Once I got to the track I had come down I got off the bike and checked the map. Half way up there was a road. If I could get to that road I could cycle the rest of the way on tarmac. So I started to push the bike up a 20% gradient. It was a nightmare and I’ve never struggled with anything so much. I had to go slow because if I started breathing hard my ribs would hurt and I felt like I would pass out so I had to keep stopping. It took me 45 mins to do 700 meters and all the way up I had my finger hovering over I need emergency assistance button on my GPS.
I was so grateful to reach tarmac and more grateful of the bench at the top of the hill. I sat down. Put my hand on my ribs and as I breathed in I could feel a crunch. This was not good. Once my breathing had calmed I set the bike in its lowest gear before getting back on it and then started cycling up the 15% gradient on the road. Normally this would have been a challenge but having the bigger cog now on my back wheel I just peddled slowly knowing I just had to take my time. Finally after 15 minutes I reached the top and there was the road to Wanda. I limped along at a snails pace until I got there, shut the gps off pulled my phone and lights off and then went and told Ellie what had happened.
Ellie helped lift the bike back on the back and then we both went inside. Ellie helped get my shoes off because I couldn’t bend down then she got some antiseptic wipes for my knee but then I told her that was the least of my worries.
Ellie pretty much stripped me down and then we could see the damage. I had a big cut on my right knee and it’s swollen. Underneath my arm warmers which remained intact my right elbow was cut and heavily bruised and my back is covered in road rash.
After an hour of not being able to breath properly Ellie started googling hospitals and then I nearly passed out but 10 minutes later I felt ok so I said I think I’ll be fine.
I managed to have a little dinner, but leaning against the seats hurts and breathing hurts but I can lay on my left hand side.
3 hours later the bruising was really coming out, it only hurts now when I breathe. Fortunately we have a nice quiet park up because I think we’re going to be stuck here for the next few days until I can properly move my right hand side. We’ll see the real damage in the morning.Read more