As the saying goes: be careful what you wish for! I awoke at 04:30 to the sound of thunder and pounding rain. Best to get it over with at this time. By breakfast it was overcast, dry, windless and way cooler but very humid. After a good breakfast we retrieved the bikes, loaded up and departed at 09:15. We cycled away to the soundtrack of swifts wheeling above us, and exploding black cherry stones beneath our wheels, pleased to be cooler than yesterday. At the allotted point we found a bar and stopped for mid-morning coffee and cakes at Hohentagen am Hochrhein. As we sat enjoying the treat it started to spit. Then it rained, light rain, but rain nevertheless. Full waterproofs were donned and we set off on the pre-lunch leg. The miles rolled by, the kilometres even quicker, until we reached Rheinfall, the highest navigable point due to the high waterfalls. When we cycled the Rhine on the Swiss side 2 years ago we eschewed the view due to the high cost of the ticket to get to the viewpoint. Just as well, the view from the Swiss side was rubbish. The view from the German side was awesome ... and free! I suggested not stopping here for lunch due to cost (tourist trap) and suggested the adjacent town of Schaffhausen. Bad decision. We took a wrong turn due to bad signage and roadworks. The Garmin alerted us and we retraced, but it delayed us. Then it looked like the route may by-pass the centre. The early stages of a hunger rage were starting to bubble up in Anne. Not good. We needed to eat, and fast. Cue the Pizzeria that suddenly appeared and we were sorted. Only problem was that it was in Switzerland so a pizza, a large and small beer, and a mozzarella/tomato salad came to the thick end of forty quid! The alternative was unthinkable! On we rode to Stein am Rhein, where we stopped 2 years ago, having decided to avoid the planned short cut to Moos and stick to the Rhine cycle way. The surface was good, the river was visible constantly, and the extra distance was only 6 miles anyway. We arrived in warm sunshine to a fantastic gasthof where we have a huge suite! It's brilliant! After a stomach-engorging tea we retreated to the room during a thunderous downpour which was truly jaw-dropping in its intensity. I do hope it's not like this in the morning! So ends the longest planned day of the trip. Only half the distance tomorrow, but more climbing as we cross the Rhine/Danube watershed. I only hope Anne's bike is fine. I have to adjust the limit screw again so that she can't access bottom gear as it still over-shifts into the spokes. If this happens at speed the its game over!
56 miles at 9.9 mph avg. 5 hrs 37mins pedalling time. 650m ascent.
No comments:
Post a Comment