Out Of Mothballs

England - Netherlands - Belgium - France Read more

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Trip start
September 19, 2025
Out Of Mothballs Traveler
Ready To Go
September 19, 2025 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
It's been a long time since the last time !!!!

2020 : No one went anywhere
2021-22 : Built a house, didn't go anywhere
2023-24 : Changed jobs, no time to go anywhere
2025 : We're going anywhere
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In Transit
September 20, 2025 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ 🌙 31 °C
Just passing through ... enough time to stretch the legs, get some coffee, and find the airport gate for the next flight.
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Arrived
September 20, 2025 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Such a long time to be sitting down.

There's food, there's movies, there's nap time, but there's no sugar-coating it ... it's 21 hours of sitting down
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Sleep !!!!
September 20, 2025 in England ⋅ 🌧 21 °C
We booked our first accommodation in Cambridge ... neither of us has been there for many years, and it's a nice place to battle jet-lag.

A minor hiccup with the train service from Stansted Airport to Cambridge being out of service this weekend, but we found the bus terminal and arrived only slightly later than originally planned.

After a loooong hot shower, we had enough energy left to wander down the road, find a pub, and settle into a cosy corner for a pint.

Our chosen watering-hole, the Champion of the Thames, was one of the pubs on the list for the [infamous] King Street Run challenge. Initiated in the 1950's, participants in the Run were required to down 8 pints, at various locations on King St, without 'leakage' i.e. without urinating or throwing up. The penalty for 'leakage' was another pint.

We couldn't find any reference to the penalty for falling asleep at the table, but better to be safe than sorry ... we wandered back to the comfort of our hotel and hit the pillow.Read more
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Tourists
September 21, 2025 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
We had a lazy Sunday morning, and a leisurely breakfast whilst more energetic people in Cambridge ran around the streets in the annual Chariots of Fire charitable relay race. Most of the lycra-clad teams had dispersed by the time we hit the streets but we did spot quite a few people proudly wearing their medals.

A relaxing day wandering around Cambridge with the words "are you punting" ringing in our ears. Punting on the River Cam provides the ultimate Cambridge tourist experience of sitting in a flat-bottomed boat, being pushed along by a Uni student with a big stick, and seeing the lawns and buildings of numerous Colleges. We didn't punt.

Instead, we climbed the narrow winding staircase of Great St Mary's bell tower and enjoyed 360 degree views of Cambridge. Bonus for us, the bell ringers were fully employed while we were up there. Our views were accompanied by the peals of the "Cambridge Chimes" with the bell tower swaying beneath our feet.Read more
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No Time To Rest
September 22, 2025 in England ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
After a day of rest, we have a day of commute.

4 trains, 3 changes, no probs

Our long distance hike starts tomorrow
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Yorkshire Wolds - Day 1
September 23, 2025 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Hessle to South Cave
21 km (by the book), but 26.25 km by the GPS

No, we didn't get lost on our first day of hiking. It was a couple of km stroll from our accommodation to the start of the trail, and then another couple of km deviation at the end of the day. It was a long day.

We're hiking the Yorkshire Wolds Way. 97 miles, or 127 km, from Hessle to Filey (not including the extra bits to and from accommodation). The guide book promises peaceful, rolling chalk hills and deep green valleys tucked away off the beaten track.

The first part of today's route was along the Humber Estuary, passing under the Humber Bridge. The bridge was the world's longest single span suspension bridge for 16 years until 1998. It is now in 3rd place.
Further along the Estuary is the site where two brothers spotted some wood sticking out of the mud and, being curious lads, dug around a bit and found the remains of Bronze Age boats.

Turning right and leaving the Estuary behind, the trail took us to the village of Welton where the career of legendary highwayman Dick Turpin came to an end in 1739. He was arrested here, not shot dead.

Woods, farmland, country tracks, open views ... a great start, despite the extra km (and a blister forming).Read more
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Yorkshire Wolds - Day 2
September 24, 2025 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
South Cave to Market Weighton
21.4 km

The guide book warned that there are no facilities for walkers on today's route. We prepared well with a huge breakfast, and set off with a packed lunch for another day on shanks pony.

Mostly gentle terrain today which was nice for a small blister. Unfortunately the blister is in an awkward spot on the inside heel. In the battle of sock vs bandaid, the sock won and the bandaid was unstuck. A lot of tape was required to keep a new bandaid in place, it looked more like 'major injury first aid' than just a blister.

Our ramble took us through grassy valleys, which are a feature of the Wolds, and a lot farmland with farmers doing farming things. The last part of the walk was along a disused railway line, now a green-way for cyclists. This took us to the main street of Market Weighton and, a pleasant surprise, our accommodation was only 7 steps to the left.Read more
Oh no - no beer drinking facilities - how did you cope [Dianne Stott]
9/29/25Reply
TravelerAn added incentive to get to the end 😊
9/30/25Reply
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Market Weighton
September 25, 2025 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Market Weighton was once a very busy place. Located on trade routes halfway between York and Hull, it grew over the centuries until five main roads and four railway lines converged here. Roads are now diverted, railways are dismantled, and station buildings have been demolished. It's much less busy these days, and is a lovely place for a day out of the boots.

Our accommodation is a former coaching inn, built by the 5th Duke of Devonshire (of Chatsworth House fame) in the 1780s. There are traces of its former glory in all areas of the building. A local chap told us that Winston Churchill spent time here on his honeymoon. It's unlikely Winston and Clementine had the same room as us, on the top floor at the back of the building.

We spent the day wandering around town, reading the many plaques describing historic events and places. There were regular references to Giant Bradley, the town's most famous resident. Born in 1787 and weighing 6.4 kg at birth, William Bradley grew to be the tallest recorded Englishman at 2.36m (7 ft 9 inches). One of 13 children, all siblings except one sister were 'of normal size'. His sister was expected to be close to his height but she passed away when she was a teenager. Giant Bradley made his living as a fairground exhibit, his fame brought him an introduction to King George IV.Read more
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Yorkshire Wolds - Day 3
September 26, 2025 in England ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Market Weighton to Huggate
23.8 km

Today, we walked past some lumps and bumps in the ground which were the grassed-over foundations of a deserted medieval village.

Our guide book went into some detail about the village but we can't honestly say that our day was better for the knowing 😆

Not long after leaving Market Weighton, we entered the gates of Londesborough Park. The Park is all that remains of a once great estate which included an Elizabethan manor house, owned by a series of high-faluting members of the English peerage. Kings of England attended shooting parties here (now demolished). The trail took us through what used to be carefully landscaped grounds and the village of Londesborough, which was owned by the estate.

Midway through the estate, our peace and quiet was shattered by the sound of many voices ... children's voices ... lots of children's voices !!! Within minutes, we found ourselves in the middle of an annual fund-raising event where local school kids are sponsored to complete a long hike.
Today !!
On the same trail as us !!!
Hundreds of kids !!!!
Argh !!!!

Fortunately for our ear drums, the kids veered right when we went left and we were able to get ahead of them before the 2 parts of the trail came back together. We did meet other school groups a little later on the trail but we just stood aside and let everyone pass before getting back to our quiet solitary walk.

Our finishing point today is Huggate, the highest village in the Wolds.Read more
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Yorkshire Wolds - Day 4
September 27, 2025 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Huggate to North Grimston [Scagglethorpe}
26 km

A day of two adventures.

Mr Fit-Body set off early for the long hike through the Wolds to North Grimston. Highlights for his day included an unusual land sculpture, the ruins of a deserted village (courtesy of that pesky Black Plague and changing agricultural methods), more dry valleys, and rolling hills.

The pub at North Grimston is now permanently closed so our accommodation is at Scagglethorpe. The planned itinerary included a taxi from North Grimston.

Ms Office-Body decided she didn't care for a long hike and opted to hop from village to village by local bus. Highlights for her day included a leisurely drive through the rolling hills, a great view of York from the upper level of a double-deck bus, a cream tea in a quaint coffee shop in Malton, and no sore feet.

Rendesvous point: The Ham and Cheese Inn, ScagglethorpeRead more
I was wondering when Mr Moose was going to make an appearance. So glad you are having so much fun [Dianne Stott]
9/29/25Reply
TravelerHe's a constant travel companion 😊
9/30/25Reply
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Scagglethorpe
September 28, 2025 in England ⋅ 🌙 11 °C
A quaint name for a quaint village of Roman and Viking origin.

Today was a lazy day for our weary feet. A sleep-in, a leisurely breakfast, and then a slow wander around the village filled in the morning timeslot. The afternoon timeslot was just as relaxing, and included basking in the sun with a couple of pints. Seemed to be a Sunday afternoon thing for the locals (and their dogs) as well.

So many dogs 😆Read more
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Yorkshire Wolds - Day 5
September 29, 2025 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
North Grimston to Ganton
24.8 km

A local taxi picked us up from Scagglethorpe and deposited us back on the trail at North Grimston. After a bit of rain yesterday, today was bright and shiny ... a great day for a walk.

Today's route was totally rural. Up hill, down dale and through woodlands, with a couple of steep-ish climbs and descents. Clear views for miles.

The guide book recommended a short detour into the village of Wintringham to visit the church, describing it as "rather big for a small village". We took the detour and explored a very nice ancient church but we were pleasantly surprised to also find a vending machine providing hot drinks, a range of chocolate bars with payment via an 'honesty box', and a self-composting toilet for walkers.

Today marked the end of our south-north walking. The rest of the walk is all west-east, towards the coast and the North Sea.

Lots of hard surfaces today ... farm tracks, country lanes, and well trodden paths. It was tough on our feet. Between us, we have four feet; three of them have blisters, and one of them is quite swollen after going down a rabbit hole.

Only one day to go !!!!Read more
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Yorkshire Wolds - Day 6
September 30, 2025 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Ganton to Filey
19.3 km (but we cheated a little)

Another day of sunshine and light winds for our final stint on the trail.

We got a bit of everything on this leg. Farms, villages, meadows, woods, dales, valleys, and a variety of walking surfaces. It was lovely to see glimpses of the coast, especially knowing that it was the finish line.

Today was our shortest distance but confess that we cheated. We had to walk 1.5 km past our accommodation to get to the finish point on the headland, and then back again. When we got to the outskirts of Filey, we unanimously decided to go straight to a hot shower and a celebratory beer.

We'll put on fresh bandaids and shuffle out to the finish line tomorrow .Read more
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Filey
October 1, 2025 in England ⋅ 🌧 14 °C
Perfect timing for finishing our walk ... yesterday was gorgeous weather, today was cold and windy and wet. From tshirts yesterday to beanies and gloves today.

Filey is described as a 'charming seaside town', located on 7 miles of beach. It isn't far from Scarborough but doesn't have the crowds or excessive tourism.

Originally a fishing village, it grew to be a fashionable resort in the Victorian era when 'sea bathing' was the latest thing.

It's easy to imagine holiday-makers enjoying beach and sea activities but, today, no one was in the water and only a handful of dog-walkers braved the wind on the beach.

After battling the wind to walk out to the headland to officially finish our long distance hike, we explored Filey and hit the highlights on the tourist map. Given the weather, we ducked into the charming pubs to warm up (with a pint) and we couldn't leave the seaside without having a traditional fish dinner.

Mushy peas were optional, we opted out.Read more
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Lemm-xit from the UK
October 2, 2025 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
It's time to pack the hiking boots in the suitcase and kick off our next adventure.

But first:
A train from Filey to Hull
A bus to the Hull P&O terminal
An overnight ferry to Europoort, Netherlands
A bus from Europoort to RotterdamRead more
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Rotterdam - Exploring the Old
October 3, 2025 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
The weather has turned chilly, and a bit rainy, and very windy. We only have a couple of days in Rotterdam so we got warmer clothes from the bottom of our suitcases and spent the day exploring.

Our hotel is just off Nieuwe Binnenweg, a 2km stretch of road connecting the city to the historic district of Delfshaven. We started at the city end in and casually strolled the full length, stopping for great coffee on the way.

Delfshaven escaped WWII bombing relatively unscathed and is known for it's 17th century architecture and canals.Read more
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Rotterdam - Exploring the New
October 4, 2025 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌬 14 °C
Rotterdam has a vibrant and edgy atmosphere, great food, and some amazing buildings. Mr Fit-Body was in modern architecture heaven all day.

We spent most of the day exploring on foot but, when the weather got a little nasty, we jumped on the 'tourist tram' and were chauffeured through the city for a while.

The unique Markthal (market hall) complex, the very unusual 'cube houses', inner-city surfing lessons, award winning hamburgers ... what an amazing place to explore.Read more
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Amsterdam - Just Passing Through
October 5, 2025 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
On the move this morning from Rotterdam to Amsterdam. We only had a little over an hour to kill in Amsterdam ... this passed far too quickly with a stroll around some of the gorgeous canals near the train station.

After a quick lunch, we were on a ferry and heading to the mooring point for the barge which is going to be our home for the next 7 days.Read more
Was it a bit like Venice, with all the canals? [Dianne Stott]
10/9/25Reply
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Flanders by Bike - Day 1
October 5, 2025 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
After our very short visit to Amsterdam, we boarded our barge 'De Holland' and found our cabin. It's a good size, plenty of room to unpack what we need and store the suitcases under the bed.

The barge set off mid-afternoon for a leisurely cruise to our first overnight stop near Utrecht. We indulged in the welcome drinks and met a few of our fellow passengers. We're quite a small group. The boat will take 60-70 passengers but there are only 44 people on this trip. It is the second to last trip for this barge before it hibernates for the winter when it's too d@mn cold for cycling holidays.

Before dinner, we had a briefing for tomorrow's cycling. As well as explaining signage and road rules, our tour guide (Marcel) explained the route and how to read the directions. He made it sound so easy, let's see how we go tomorrow.Read more
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Flanders by Bike - Day 2
October 6, 2025 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Breakfast on the barge is from 7.15am to 8.30am so we set the alarm to ensure we were up 'n' showered in time. The barge was already in motion by the time we started eating, making its way to Vianen where we would start our cycle tour.

Part of the breakfast ritual will be to make our own packed lunch each day. The breakfast buffet includes fruit, breadrolls, sliced meats and cheeses, salad items, and pastries ... plenty on offer to fill our brown paper lunch bags.

Fortified by a big breakfast, and with our lunch supplies packed into the bike panniers, we set off to cycle through Netherlands and Belgium. Today's route covered 60.3 km, it was quite flat (not surprising) but very windy (also not surprising given this is the land of windmills).

Navigating was quite easy once we got the hang of it. Instead of a map, we had a list of numbers. Every intersection, or connection, of the cycle paths or routes has a number, and there is a signpost at every intersection so you know which direction will take you to your next number.

The first part of the ride took us through a couple of small towns and many kilometres of what we think were originally linear settlements along a small canal. The second part was more rural, and we battled a strong headwind as we rode through the Kinderdijk UNESCO site. Unfortunately the weather was dull and grey so our photos of this very scenic area are all the same colour.

Our ride concluded at a ferry terminal, we very luckily arrived at the same time as the ferry was docking. This took us south to Dordrecht, where the barge was moored for the night. The ferry ride was part of the official route, we didn't just give up and catch it instead of riding the last section :-)Read more
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Bikes, Action, Camera
October 6, 2025 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
A quick video from the camera attached to the handlebars of Ms Office-Body's bike.

The sound has been muted to remove the huffing, the puffing, and the swearing 🤬
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Flanders by Bike - Day 3
October 7, 2025 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
A leisurely start to the day as the barge pootled from Dordrecht to our starting point near Tholen. The resounding chorus at breakfast was "oooh, my aching bum-bones" !!!!
It was unanimously agreed that the upright riding position on the bikes puts a lot of pressure in one place, despite squishy seat covers and padded cycling knickers.

By 10.30am we were ready to go, with strict instructions to be an unpronounceable location on the map by 3.00pm to meet the barge for an afternoon cruise into Antwerp.

We followed the route numbers for 35 km through mostly rural countryside. We stopped briefly to wander around Fort de Roovere, built at the time of the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, but stopped longer at a cafe where we could rest our aching backsides on hard, wooden benches and sip coffee whilst eating our packed lunches.

Everyone made it to the allocated meeting point by 3.00pm and re-boarded the barge. Destination: Antwerp.

After dinner onboard, we had our briefing for tomorrow's route and then went ashore to stretch our legs. The barge was moored near the MAS museum which has an open observation deck on the top floor so, after 10 floors of elevators, we had a birds eye view of the city lights of Antwerp.

It was cold. We retreated to the barge for an early night. More cycling tomorrow.Read more
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Flanders by Bike - Day 4
October 8, 2025 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Antwerp to Dendermonde .... 50 bum-numbing kilometres alleviated by looking at lovely scenery.

We started the day by riding into the market square of Antwerp at 9.00am and almost having the place to ourselves. We finished the day by riding into the market square of Dendermonde at 4.30pm and absolutely having the place to ourselves. Where are all the people ????

For today's route, we had the choice of leaving Antwerp by cycling through a tunnel under the river or staying above ground and catching a waterbus. We took the bus.

Lots to see as we meandered along the route, following the Schelde river for most of the day. After a coffee break in Temse, a lunch break at a picnic table on the cycle path, and a beer break in Vlassenbroek, we still got to Dendermonde with plenty of time to spare before re-boarding the barge. So we enjoyed a quiet pre-dinner drink in the very empty market square and then tackled the final 650m to the barge mooring.Read more
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Flanders by Bike - Day 5
October 9, 2025 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Sun !!! We have sun !!!!!

The weather so far has been cool and cloudy .... good for cycling but a little drab for our photos. Today, the sun popped out from behind the clouds and we basked 😊

We had a 9.00am start and a 46 km route to Ghent, although the barge mooring was 10 km on the other side of the city so it made for a longer day. And there were quite a few cobbled areas today. Our eyeballs were jiggling, and our bum-bones were smashed. People who ride regularly in these areas have bikes with suspension. All we could do was hang on tight and stay upright.

Quite a relaxed ride today. A lazy coffee stop, a castle, lovely scenery ... the day whizzed by and we arrived in Ghent mid afternoon. We'll be back here in a couple of days so, instead of trying to see the sights, we found a sunny spot at an outdoor cafe in the main square, ordered a couple of beers and just watched the world go by for a while. Our tour guide, Marcel, joined us and we chatted the afternoon away until it was time to hoist our cobble-weary backsides onto the bike for the ride out of town to the barge mooring.Read more
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