Day 293 8th May
47miles (Groningen to Weener) Average speed 10.9 mph Top Speed 18 mph
A good day if a little cold and windy
After four days of partying in Groningen it is time to hit the road again.
A big thanks to Guy for organising a tour of Groningen by bike and securing tickets to the footy and even feeding me with some Dutch delicacies.
I was up at 9 and had brekkie of Camembert sarnie with two teas, showered and packed and waited for the rain to stop. After a few emails and FB updates it was a challenge to follow the cycle paths east out of town, but I soon made it and followed a cycle path along the canal. Once out of the city I was rewarded by seeing lots of wildlife including two deer in the fields, a heron, birds of prey and frogs croaking in the dykes.
I was very tempted by a campsite offering a sauna after only 10 miles but hopefully I’ll find plenty in Sweden. I stopped off for a sausage roll and free coffees in Spar and continued on before stopping for lunch, today by a lake for bathing with a nice beach where a red admiral joined me. It was a lovely ride and reminded me of Canvey Island with marsh land and white cement paths.
Good countryside soon gave way to some very flash farmhouses as I got closer to Germany. I checked out the last campsite in Holland but I wasn’t impressed, so crossed the border and arrived here after visiting a couple of Aldis along the way to stock up for dinner. I tried a few places to get gas but no luck so it was handy to find I had a kitchen at the campsite to cook my bratwurst.
The campsite is next to quite an impressive marina and it was good to look at the boats before cooking dinner. No wifi but it’s a good campsite and the second cheapest I’ve found lately, so I managed to stay on budget today after such an expensive few days celebrating my birthday. Still I did win another £75 on ERNIE so that should cover some of it!!
I was sad to have missed the O’s last day in the league but I know we will be back because we have a fantastic fan base and they will not let our club die. I listened to it on orient player and the fans sang throughout a very tough last game. Proud of you all. The only way is up. I’m heading east first but soon I’ll be going up to Sweden.
Camping Weener 6€ with a kitchen