South coast

It was a sunny arrival in Dover, excellent weather to bike. I had been in the region before, did not visit Folkestone though, so planned my trip accordingly to pass through. You know the Dover cliffs, well those same cliffs you have to hop over to reach Folkestone.

There is a national bikeway along the coast, which sometimes keeps you away from other traffic, but then you have to open the gates yourself. The first gate seemed locked, the solution was the passing local who handled the lock.

That’s my finger on the left 😦

Passed through Folkestone with its scenic harbour.

Shortly after I was back into the boonies, biking quiet roads, some pitch dark as they were completely overgrown with huge trees. It was climbing and descending, Limburg 2.0. As I had only planned 60k to Rye it was fun with some very fast descends which put the disc brakes at the test.

It was also today I found that hotels are hard to get at the English coast, now the Brits are on a their national yearly holiday. Ultimately I found a place to my liking – other than the price – in Rye on the ‘river’ .

I wonder if they ever allow water in it..

An early rise, early enough to be the first in the hotel breakfast room. Chatted with the receptionist and told her I planned to go to Portsmouth today, just over 100 miles but an easy coastal ride with little elevation. She smiled – I think now sarcastically – and she wished me luck.

Immediately after Rye the hills set in, not very high, 120 meters max. The roads are narrow, no bike lanes, so cars need patience to overtake a cyclist.

But all British drivers are patient with this Dutch biker who climbs some hills at walking speed. I expected to deal with these hills easily, but brutal as they were, it made me perspire and the ride had only just begun. Still time though to enjoy the amazing countryside.

That did not prevent me to fall of my bike. On the last slope-with-no-end I was seriously lacking climbing speed. Once at the top I noticed the 14% climb sign, I did not feel so bad anymore.

What goes up must come down; there is even a song with that name. The descends were frighteningly fast, by braking I restricted my maximum speed to 45 kilometers. Probably still too fast, but I had to use it to go with the traffic flow into Hastings and later Brighton. On a long safe stretch I let it roll and topped 65 with my heavy bike. All biking is on the left side to which I got used quickly, I only had to mount my bike mirror on the right. Out of the hills the bike path returned, apparently I am partly following a national bike route which runs often next to the sea and the pebble beaches.

Passing cities like Hastings and Brighton was a joy, especially Brighton with its long boulevard with its parallel cycle path. In this city I could have spend days with a camera, I found it very photogenic with the British people enjoying there holiday.

I guess most of them will retreat for the night in one of the many caravan resorts. That does not surprise me any more as hotel prices easily double or triple in the summer season. And they are already higher than I am used to, be it in the States or in Europe.

Landed in Porthmouth for the night, preferred to have stayed in Bognor Regis but could not find accommodation.

It made it shorter to Poole for next day’s trip to visit friend/colleague Kees and his Brenda. The ride was only 85 km but I had a cycling off day, I did not bike as smoothly as usual. It was not the fault of the scenery; it started in Porthmouth with a ferry, nice, though a simple bike crossing costs you 6 pounds, to cross a river as wide as the IJ in Amsterdam!

Then slowly climbing into Southampton, a city which is very confusing to pass by bike. England is developing its bike route system, but the signposting of these paths and lanes is unclear or just not existent. Then imagine the roundabout system with sometimes 6 spokes and you’re lost easily. Or you have to bike the roundabout circle twice..

Biking the New Forest was straight forward, it just went up and down. The navigation directed me to the – now sandy – beach at Bournemouth, cycling along the sea with many pedestrians around. It could have been Spain too.

In the end they got me as the path closes July and August for bikers and as Bournemouth/ Poole are both situated on a cliff, high up, I had to put my climb abilities to the test – and passed..

Enjoyed a great kind of tapas meal in Poole with Kees and friends and rode a cab back to my bed. From today I am going North, direction Bristol. One of the reasons is that it is next to impossible to find accommodation on the coast and it only gets worse direction Cornwall.

Tourists 😦

On the road again

2 days on the road already, time flies and kilometers roll.

A few months ago I did not expect it would work out this well; after my escape earlier this year into Spain and Portugal from corona and the cold in the Netherlands, I picked up corona on the first day of my arrival back home. Nothing big, just a few days feeling awkward, but I needed to mid April to fully recover, so I got worried. Anyway, I completely recovered; by mid May I had my condition back. Did not last too long, as I developed a hernia which had to be fixed in hospital. In Holland it would take ages, the hospital in Genk, Belgium came to the rescue to repair the hernia within weeks. My cycling and hence my condition was at an all time low, but from mid June I was up and cycling. Set my yearly benchmark – Amsterdam to Limburg – so I considered myself in shape.

Zaltbommel

Italy is still high on my list, but way too hot right now. The UK was the other option, which I choose. So, heading West to Land’s End in The South-West and up North. I won’t go any further than John o’Groats in Scotland, as that’s where the UK ends. By the way, I doubt if I can make it, but when I have enough of it – probably hard to imagine-, I turn right to the English East coast to find a ferry home.

That is the only plan I have.. I left Monday to Duinkerken, which I wanted to bike in 2 days, each of some 150 kilometers. Sunny weather, shirt and shorts were enough, but the strong westerly headwind effected speed immediately. I knew, as I check wind forecasts with windguru.com, for the prevailing winds I check the reports from the meteorological services at the airports.

This is not a bulb field..

Really, if you think the Netherlands or Belgium are overpopulated, go biking! I met hardly any people when I passed the Kempen – where my bikestand broke when I was admiring the abandoned railway station of As. I travelled the outskirts of Genk, then on to Hasselt and Scherpenheuvel where I missed the pilgrimage church. I was behind schedule due to the wind – which in itself is not important – but I also spurred problems in the gear shifting of my bike, though the shift cables were checked two weeks before☹️ I found loose wires everywhere which had to be cut; unfortunately I carry a lot of tools but no wire cutters.

Luckily I had just passed an Action! No wire cutter available, they had large pliers only. Did not really work, Action pliers are only good as paperweight – and even that is debatable. Checked the Pinion (bike gearbox) website as the cables had to be renewed and found a Pinion bike shop in Leuven/Louvain. Called them, they had no time but wanted to give it a try anyway. That meant a 25 kilometers detour, actually a change in route. But I had to hurry, he wanted me there by 1600. The shop turned to be very knowledgeable and repaired the shifters professionally.

I had decided to go shopping for bolts too for my stand and booked a hotel in Leuven, only 110 k from my home. Many of you know Leuven and true, it is not a pain to be delayed in this city, you don’t have to feel sorry..

This day had knocked me out – so I was looking forward to tomorrow. An early sleep means an early rise and next morning I was on my way, just after 7. Coffee and croissant was all available for breakfast in hotel Professor at this early morning hour, Leuven was still asleep. 25 kilometers in the ride I stocked up for the day at Aldi, yoghurt, sweet breads and juice. Biking is eating, if you skip it you’re over and out, like a car without gas.

I tracked on Google Maps, which I could program along the edges of Brussels and Zaventem. Komoot, my other nav app, is always looking for the rural routes. The wind was less than yesterday, but the forecast said it would veer NorthWest, more like a crosswind.

Continued, ignored ‘no-go ‘ construction works as everyone seems to be on holiday in Belgium which kept me from too many deviations. With my car I would not have done it, but my bike is as much an outlaw, just as I sometimes feel. Or it might be the combination 🙂

After having biked enough road shoulders against the wind, I returned to the Komoot navigation app. Whether it was the program’s fault, mine, or just the road sign posting I don’t know, but the path was a dead end. The choice was returning – or hauling the bike on a 10 meter high 45 degree sandy and slippery slope. Of course I chose the last option, you would have done the same, I am sure..

The better way was the path along the train fence as railways have very little slope. If you have to cross a railway they often opt for a tunnel in Belgium, which I don’t find in Holland. I was surprised by the amount of car dealers and car handlers. And breweries, that does not surprise. But I did not visit any of them, honest!

Wind took it easy, it veered and it’s strength took off. Initially I wanted to bike to Torhout, some 135 kilometers. As biking eased over the afternoon I decided to continue to the coast, De Panne, to smell the sea. The area approaching De Panne is flat as a pancake, like the Dutch polders.

In Veurne I found this kind-of -funny church, which was no church but a railway station!

Closing in to de Panne, over a beautiful pedestrian bridge,

I felt I might as well continue to Dunkirque, which is still 20 kilometers north of the ferry. I did not see or smell the sea in de Panne, but spend a great evening with good food at Duinkerken boulevard!

This morning I skipped breakfast, went shopping on the way to the ferry which I thought would leave at 10.30 At check-in the guy booked me for the 12 o’clock boat, in the end I boarded the 10 o’clock one. It suddenly all became a little hectic, ferry closed immediately after my boarding and I am sailing a very calm sea. In Dover by 11 !