30 May, 2015

Dull and cool again this morning, but no rain.  We’re up early and keen to be off.  It turns out to be perfect weather for making good progress.

The first 50 kilometres are all up hill and down dale, we’re well away from both the river and the canal for this part of the route.  The scenery is unspectacular; we are travelling through a less prosperous region which is mostly farmland.  It is, however, a very quiet area and we see only one or two other cyclists, which is a change from the hustle and bustle of the more popular tourist areas.  We make really good time, clocking up 50 kilometres before lunch.  After lunch we are back to the canal tow path for another 40 kilometres of easy riding.

When we arrive at the campsite we see one or two cycle tourists following the same route, that we have seen once or twice before over the past week or so.  They are a funny bunch, cycling tourists, funny peculiar, not funny ha ha (not us, of course).  One very cheerful Dutch guy we met a couple of weeks ago tried to convince us of the merits of cutting down your toothbrush handle to save weight – hardly matters when you’re carrying a jar of jam in case you fancy a jam sandwich does it?  At the other extreme, here is a couple travelling the same route as us who have a poodle in a carrying box on the handle bars and a couple of folding chairs and a picnic table on the back rack, none of which would I consider as essential gear for a cycle tour.  Still, each to their own as they say.