Thoughts and feelings

In Germany, a lot of my routes have been on gravel tracks, through forest and farmland. The tracks are wide enough for a tractor or truck. They have a grass strip down the middle or a rocky surface. So, effectively it's like two narrow paths. As I'm riding along, I'm constantly looking over at the other path. And I'm thinking to myself,  that looks smoother than the one I'm riding on. It doesn't look as rocky as mine with fewer potholes. Of course, as soon as you switch over, it's no different.  The grass isn't always greener and all that. This led me on to think about being jealous of others and what they have. Is their grass greener than mine?  I've never been bothered about other people having nice things, a fancy car, big house etc. If they've worked hard and want these material possessions then who am I to question it? Just don't be showing off. It's not for me at all. The less I have, the more content I feel. Don't get me wrong,...

I'm sat outside of my tent. It's the morning and it's raining. As I contemplate getting packed up I hear the crunch of tyres on the campsite path next to me. I look up and there's a caravan slowly  trundling past me. The only thing is, it's not attached to a car. Now, I've spent a lot of time on campsites but I've not seen this before. It's heading towards a parked car, about 30 metres away. I notice a woman stood on the grass verge, she's using a remote control to direct the caravan.  Ah! So that is how they can park these things in such tight spaces. I suppose it makes sense, I'm not big in the caravanning world but it's obvious now.  You live and learn, it is 2024 after all. Later that same morning, I'm sat outside Lidl having a break. A guy came up on his bike and stopped next to me. He had a big beer belly and a lycra cycling top unzipped half way down. I liked him straight away. You could see he didn't care. He'd come to do ...

A testing four days for me. I'm using Google Maps now and it's keeping me clear of the roads which is great. But the route instead is leading to madness, gravel tracks around farmers fields with big pot holes in them, single track through overgrown bushes and public bridleways that haven't been used for years. I would say 30 percent of my daily ride has been completely offroad, the rest on cyclepaths. It's rained a lot over those four days as well. One day was particularly bad. I was completely lost in a big forest for about 90 mins. Just loads of tracks going in different directions. I had no signal on my phone so I was just pedalling around, the bike was taking a hammering and I was concerned about the tyres blowing out, as they were road slicks. I had to keep stopping and climbing over fallen trees, it was a proper test of mental and physical strength. I wouldn't say I was worried but I was  definitely getting apprehensive about the situation. Eventually I came a...

I was riding along today and all I had was the hum of the tyres on the tarmac. It was hypnotising.  After a while I started thinking of the scenery all around me. It's too easy to take the beauty of nature for granted. When you stop and really focus on the countryside it's like, " Wow" I've not got my good camera with me on this trip but sometimes I like to just stand and look, drink it all in. I don't always want to capture the scene. In a selfish way, I see it as my reward for being out here, doing it. If the scenery is amazing then I don't want to photograph it and share it. It's my moment, it's mine. This led me on to more thoughts. The views will always be there to revisit and it's great to see them, wherever you are in the world. But, the memory of the view lives with me for only a fleeting moment. I see it, I love it and then I move on. More importantly for me on these trips, are the people I meet. Some can leave an indelible mark on me....

The two Canadian guys I met last week were both called Michael and both were 69. Last night I camped on a great little site, had everything you needed and was 7€, you just put your money in an envelope and dropped it into a box. A guy wandered over for a chat, he was from New Zealand. During the conversation he mentioned he was called Michael and was 69 years old. I didn't say anything, he then told me that the previous night he'd camped with a man from Scotland, who was called Michael and was 69. If this carries on it's going to freak me out. I met a great character who was from Denmark, he'd got his son to put his flat on airbnb for him and he was off cycling for 3 months down into France. He'd done loads of stuff, walked the West Highland Way, plenty of cycletouring. He'd also run a marathon in Morocco, he said it was funny as the local runners were getting a lift from their mates on their bikes! Then jumping off to claim their finishers medal. Met a couple w...

Nice ride today from Leeuwarden, last night I  camped at a little harbour, 5 euros. When I arrived the owner was washing his car, I asked if I could camp and he said its campervans only. Ok, I said, no problem. He then smiled and said put your tent up behind the office and I'll bring you a cup of tea.  I stopped on today's ride about halfway. A lovely tiny little hamlet. As with everywhere here, it was very quiet and so clean. I sat on a bench next to the canal  glad to be off the bike for 10 minutes. I was thinking to myself, this is the life. I looked up across the canal and about 20 meters away from me some guys shed was on fire. And I mean proper on fire and smoke billowing out. The owner came out and walked past me so slow it was funny. He went into the cafe  behind me and got a fire extinguisher. His walk back was even slower because he could hardly carry the thing. The fire brigade turned up and sorted it out, so all good. I arrived at a campsite, not what I w...

So, I woke up this morning and my phone was saying it had moisture damage and would not charge. This affected me in a different way to normal. Maybe because I'm away on my own and your phone has your bank on it and you can look for campsites, ferries, routes and all sorts of things. I got really worked up about it, during the days ride its all I could think about. But in the end as always, I thought bloody hell Keith, pull yourself together. You've got bank cards, you can buy a map and in the grand scheme of things it's no big deal at all. I'm riding my bike in Europe, I'm healthy and I have food in my panniers. A wash of calm came over me. Find a town, find a shop and get it sorted. And you know what? That's exactly what I did. The campsite was a big garden in some guys house. Not long after I arrived two guys from Canada turned up on bikes. I spent most of the night in deep discussion with Mike, 69 who was a lawyer. We told each other some stuff that we'd ...

First week done, rode 215 miles and walked 35 miles. Solid start to the trip. I have to say, the Dutch are great fun. Every conversation I've had with them has ended in lots of laughter. They seem a bit manic and they love the outdoors, that's obvious with all the cycling. Bikes are everywhere and the separate bike paths encourage you to get out. Not got a map, I'm just picking a town about 30 miles away and trying to navigate to it using the cycle paths, I have to check my phone now and again if it feels the wrong way or just for reassurance. But when you haven't really got a destination then you can't get lost I suppose. I need to eat more during the day, I'm snacking while riding then trying to have a big meal in the evening.  I still feel calorie deficient though. I've eaten out a bit and virtually all the meals, vegan, have been good. Although today I had a pizza and it was drier than an Arabs flip flop, am I allowed to say that? People are so friendly ...