clairedavieswriter

Today we left behind us the flat lands of northern Germany: it was time to cross a watershed to the valley of the river Fulda. And that could only mean one thing:

Faced with such a challenge, the serious cyclist obviously thinks of fuel. And I’ve learned that, much like French boulangeries, German bäckerei are the place to go, not just for breakfast (they serve coffee and often a choice of set menus), but also for picking up lunch and snacks for the road. Today I gave my breakfast rosinenschneke only 6/10 – too much greasy pastry, not enough raisins – but carbs are carbs at this point (see ‘serious cyclist’, above).

Although I have to say that my lunch selection was top drawer. Undersold as a cheese sandwich, I was surprised to find that as well as several thick slabs of Camembert, it also contained egg, tomato, and a generous squirt of mayo:

And the taste and texture of my teatime waffle rang all sorts of childhood bells but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it reminded me of.

Suffice to say that, far from under-fuelling, I think I’m in danger of putting on weight in this trip (not something I plan on worrying about):

Before breakfast, I bid farewell to a Dutch cycle camper whom I’d chatted to last night – Paul from Arnhem was, I’d guess, 10-15 years older than me and was spending June riding to Prague, ‘not using hotels unless I absolutely have to’. He looked at my tiny tent and said, with a smile, ‘I used to have one like that, but I learned’. As the rain came down last night, and I tried to find space to lie down among all my belongings, I took his point

Today was another day of dodging the rain:

And the approaching storms often had an apocalyptic look:

But incredibly, apart from a light shower on the way out of Witzenhausen, Team Bernard once again did not get wet, thanks to the serendipitous appearance of bus shelters in the villages of Hasselbach (where I detected a disappointing absence of fancy roast potatoes):

And Dankerode – where I only stopped to warm up after a freezing descent from the second climb. But then I saw the black cloud overhead, and decided to wait, which turned out to be an excellent decision

Highlights today included the variety of the route itself, and the many different ways it kept us away from traffic, from this agricultural road:

Which encouraged users to share (Google translates this as ‘consideration widens the paths’, but you get the idea):

To this (cycle path to the left, car on the road above):

And this (though it did involve a steep climb away from the road):

This was a fabulous descent along a deserted track;

And towards the end of the day, this was our first introduction to the Fulda, which we’ll spend all day following tomorrow:

On the approach to Bad Hersfeld, this wasn’t the most scenic, but it was reassuringly safe:

A number of people have commented to the effect that I’ve ’found a really nice route’. Honestly, I can take no credit. It’s simply a testament to Germany’s brilliant cycle network, which allows you to go anywhere you want safely. So much of it is traffic-free that you can really relax. And the drivers are so patient and considerate that I’m even learning to relax when we have to share the road:

Other highlights included: managing a 13% climb with 15kg of luggage, and the subsequent thrilling (if chilling) descent:

This wasn’t really a highlight but was perhaps the exception that proves the rule about German consideration, because no fewer than three men passed me as I was removing my panniers and carrying Bernard up this bridge and down the other side (that ramp was far too steep to be useful). None offered to help. But did I need them? Reader, I did not.

But on a day of spectacular squalls, it’s the clouds themselves that were my top highlight, whether they promised rain:

Or shine:

Finally, I thought I’d point out that I’m now halfway through my end-to-end in terms of cycling days. Conveniently, I’m also pretty much halfway in terms of mileage and location (see Bad Hersfeld on the map, below). Though not in terms of meters climbed: there are more of those ahead than behind!

Stick around for the second half folks. Hopefully it won’t end in penalties.