14 The 2014 tour ends....

A lovely nights rest after 13 hours on the bike, 11 of them pedalling from Bruges to Rotterdam in one stage. My bike is in an underground car park here at Holiday Inn Central Rotterdam and its shackled but I had to remove all the bags for security. It looks like an explosion in my room. I cannot believe Ive cycled all this stuff from St Malo to Rotterdam. Having completed my circular loop of Europe, I am awarding myself a rest day and a train ride to Amsterdam where I catch my ferry home tonight.

Thoughts? Definitely the most challenging of my four long distance tours. Camping was the wrong decision. It is virtually impossible because of the time taken to erect and disassemble the tent and pack then do 80 or so miles. The headwinds were tough and over open sea on the Dutch Dam systems especially difficult. Breakfast today was my first food for 24 hours apart from an emergency Home Bargains Pasta bowl from the bottom of my bag. Thanks Janet Crosby for that treat! I think Ive just eaten 24 hours worth of calories just now....fresh orange x2, muesli, fruit yoghurt, banana, ham cheese egg and tomato bap, cafe au lait x2. And I made another sandwich for later. Have a great Friday or for my Aussie cousins a great weekend. A short train ride now up to Beverwijk then a short padal back into Ijmuiden to catch my ferry. The trains here are cycle friendly too, bicycles having their own space and seat belt!

Met a lovely french couple waiting to board. They speak very little English and me even less French but it is interesting to try to communicate. They are bikers touring Scotland for the first time so I have been able to give them some routes and places in the Highlands worth a look. Can't wait to get home and put some fresh clothes on. These have been handwashed and stuffed in bags for 10 days! Tot ziens!

13 Another big push to Rotterdam

If you'd asked me before last night my favourite European cities from a very short list of a non traveller it would be: 1. Barcelona 2. Paris 3. Nice 4. Amsterdam 5. Milan But after only an hour pushing my bike and luggage around and an hour eating out in the main square..... this, Bruges, is definitely in the top 5 .... probably at number 3. After only a couple of hours here. Lovely ambience, great architecture abounds and seems to have escaped the ravages of war. Will definitely be back. 10/10. Today's plan is to get a plan! Or should I say map. Then head for Breskens where I will need to catch a ferry to Vlissingen. From there it is straight on over islands connected by bridges to Ouddorp. If I can manage that then that puts me in place to complete the ride to Rotterdam and as time is against me, to catch the ferry I will probably need to catch a train to Beverwijk and pedal back over to IJmuiden. I had completed Amsterdam to Rotterdam in 2011 on the Snooker Club ride DCT1 so by getting to Rotterdam it will complete my "circle" of the North Sea English Channel and Bay of Biscay by cycling lands end to john ogroats, and the mainland European coastline from esjberg Dk down as far as Santander ES But lets see how it goes today. Crossing the sea at Vrouwenpolder - you are really exposed to high winds!

Traffic fee cycling is wonderful in this part of Holland

Safely in Rotterdam after 100 mls without a map! Can hardly think Im so battered by headwinds and rain. Too late too tired to go out to eat. I'll recover and report later.

12 Hello Belgium! - Long, long day to Bruges.

My planning this year was questionable. The daily estimated mileage was way out. I didn’t allow for strong headwinds all the way through France and now although almost at the Belgian border I am still some 80 miles from Bruges where my scheduled stop for last night was. At this rate I will miss my ferry by at least a day if not two! So my new plan is to visit the war graves in Ypres and then onto Roselaar. That should be about 50 miles today. If I can find accommodation in Roselaar I will then cycle onto Bruges and catch a train to Amsterdam. Missing home now! Sore, acheing everywhere. My body wants to relax a little I think.

Later .......  Where to begin? Well the mind body and bike were all in perfect harmony today and absolutely nothing was going to stop me from getting to Bruges today. Early morning rains sent frequent showers so the waterproof top and overshoes were needed. Everything was going so well. A long climb into Cassel was punishing but doable with a lovely town at the top. Panoramic views of the climb just executed.I have now made it into belgium in rain. First thing you notice is that you are separated from traffic with a cycle lane. Well done Belgium. Very moving that every few hundred metres there is a sign like this one. And the Union flag is everywhere.

I took lunch at Ypres where the war graves are numerous. And wild poppies abound. Very moving to see huge cemetaries of those who gave their lives for a free Europe. The tour de france is also coming in to town this summer. But then things started to go wrong. I stopped for some water and energy drink and must have left my glasses behind. Many miles later a map check was necessary and I couldnt read it! I ended up hopelessly lost with only motorways showing signs for Bruges. I called into a pharmacy at the next village Ardoinne but they didnt have any. She rang the next town Koolcamp where they had a pair waiting for me. Probably just enough time to change the pricetags! So new glasses @29 euro and more pedalling. Three miles further on I reached for the map and? ....I'd left it behind in one of the earlier shops! How do you cycle around a strange country without maps? I tried google a couple of times but my phone was getting low. Made it into Bruges at 8pm. 86 miles of good effort. Just to find my phone packed up while tryng to find a room for the night. Got one but not impressed. No choices really without power or an internet connection. Must shower and eat — at Bruges, Belgium

11 Onwards to St Omer

How funny life can be. At 5pm I was definitely taking in water wondering how I might continue the tour when the pannier broke loose. Miles from anywhere. Solutions pretty absent. Still thinking about the problems but my favourite fish soup and a steak with a comfortable double bed and in the words of James Brown.... I feel good! The Abbey here in Abbeville is huge. It seems to have survived two wars. Unlike the rest of this city which was flattened by the allies and rebuilt very oddly. Just checking on google maps as I have electricity and wifi! Im 30 miles behind where I should be after yesterdays oversleep and accident with the panniers. I will tie the bags up as best I can hoping to avoid another break and if I can get perhaps to the Belgian border I'll try and find a bed there. I have a fully charged phone and changed my settings which had been blocking all roaming. The pannier bag hasnt moved yet but a little trepidation on the one long downhill Ive had. Mainly climbing into headwinds again. All on a busy D road. Lunch stop at Hesdin. Where I should have reached last night. Yes that's me resting on the window of the local boulanger.

I hope I can crank out another 40 miles this afternoon to try to get on track. Later........ I have now arrived in St Omer - battered for 56 miles by the headwinds. Bike worked well with me. Even fixed my pedal clip which had worked loose. Doing another hotel. Life can give you the odd treat if you work hard. Showered, clean clothes and in town watching Belgium equalise with a cold pint. Staying in the Ibis courtesy of Mastercard! Another magnificent Cathedral towers over everything. — at Ville de Saint-Omer

10 Problems at Abbeville

After a tough day yesterday of 92 miles to Neufchatel en Bray, I slept very well and started Monday at 7am by doing my washing (by hand!) and used the dryer to get it ready to wear as I cant hang it out all day. I also managed to sneak some electricity into my sat nav by plugging it into a socket in the laundry room. Breakfast was an enjoyable left over banana x2 and bottled water. Then my first error....... the morning was nice and sunny and I stretched out in my tent while my washing was in the dryer and quickly went back into a deep sleep, waking at 11.30am! I couldn't believe I'd slept so long. I quickly packed up the tent and got underway by 12 which is rather a late start when the stages are quite long and challenging. I had bought a map of Northern France prior to setting off but suddenly today realised that it doesnt actually cover the bit I should be reaching tonight at Blangy sur Ternoise. With no power on my phone and no wifi for maps that could be concerning. The wind was in my face again as it had been for these three days. It was very slow progress. Arriving at Abbeville after 40 miles, some of them being lost, I knew that I could not reach my night campsite at Blangy sur Ternoise. I rode on about three or four miles out of Abbeville in the direction of St Riquier thinking of an alternative plan. I saw a sign for camping and followed it but it was just an old football pitch on which they allowed "wild camping". Not for me. I thought of that episode of Bear Gryhlls when he had to drink elephant's urine to survive and here was I, one step away! Lost, no place to stay, not enough hours of daylight to pedal another 40 miles and pitch camp. What to do? And just then the daily creaking of my panniers gave way to a crack and my front bag fell into my front wheel. Happily I was in traffic doing about 5mph and not coming downhill at 30. It could have been nasty. It looked as though some spokes may have been taken out and the housing for the pannier was bent and now without its cracked bolt. I lifted it off and made a temporary fix with cable ties and a bolt from elsewhere on the bike but it does not look too secure but can't be taken off because the other one at the front of the left side would then make it impossible to steer. I decided to turn around and headed back to Abbeville where I am now booked into a hotel with power and wifi. I need to wash and have some food and then make some decisions on whether I can proceed and how.

09 Lisieux to Neufchatel en Bray

Arrived Neufchatel 9pm from an 8.40am start. I did have two meal break stops but the actual cyclng time was over 10 hours. Not a bad effort for an old guy. I really struggled after 30 miles as I had realised I'd miscalculated the mileage. Total today was 92 miles making the running total in three days 225 miles. I am 2mph slower than usual with the tent sleeping bag ground sheets etc on the bike so todays 92 miles is equivalent to I guess around 112 miles on an unladen bike. The steering is very hard - you can't rest on the bike as it will become unstable. The human body is amazing. After 30 miles in tough headwinds, there was no way I could get to tonight's reserved campsite but a little bit of luck at Duclair where there was a ferry over the River Seine surprisingly running on a Sunday gave me some fresh inspiration and after 50 miles I picked up mentally. I got into the zone.... it is hard to describe but it seems as if your body is in tune with your mind calculating the mileage left and it just takes off. Quite amazing how you find the inner strength and more energy to complete a ride of this length on water and bananas! I would mention the town of Cleres which I passed through about 20 Miles from reaching Neufchatel. It was beautiful in bright sunshine and very popular with tourists. A little gem.

08 Saturday ride to Lisieux

Im ok. Feeling like Bear Gryhlls. No wifi. No power on any gadget now. I managed to charge my phone one bar using the shaver socket on the campsite loo. I didnt want to leave it there overnight. it was a very hard slog yesterday 74 miles firstly in heavy rain then bright sunshine followed by strong headwinds. Made it to Falaises for lunch where there is a lovely castle and an even better cafe! A baguette and millefeule for TC. Onwards to Lisieux where the Basillica had just closed for the evening. it would have been good to see inside. Pasta and green salad for supper last night then sleep. Today is Sunday and France is closed. Breakfast was campsite tap water. Honest! But I am hoping to find a supermarket to get some supplies. I've done 10 miles so far today to Blangy le Chateau. Heading for Neufchatel en Bray tonight. Hoping to find electricity. Camping each night after 70 odd miles is tough. Love to all.