Day 399 22nd August
47 miles (Katzeldorf to Balf) Average speed 10.3 mph Top speed 31 mph
A good day but a stressful end.
I got up at 8.30 and had brekkie of bread and pate with tea and milk. I waved off the man and his daughter on their way to work and thanked them for letting me stay. I used his hose to wash my bike and oiled the chain.
I headed north, to go east towards Hungary and found the cycle path, which was great, but took me up some big hills in the heat. First stop was at a glass pyramid with fantastic views.
Glass pyramid with fantastic views all round
Then onwards and upwards until I stopped for lunch. I couldn’t find a supermarket until I left town where I discovered a McDonald’s and a Lidl, so I used their facilities and bought my lunch in Lidl. Just under the motorway I found a park for lunch and sat with a policeman and his two children.We discussed Vienna where he worked, and shift work, before I gave his kids a magdelena each. I’ve missed magdelenas and Lidl had brought these in especially from Spain. Then it was some more ups and downs over beautiful farmland and I scrumped a corn from the field for dinner. Then I came to the border where the nice lady waved me through and I was in Hungary.
Austria – Hungary border
First impressions were good and I found a bank and a shop and a campsite only 3 miles away. The roads are pretty poor and the drivers not as accommodating. I climbed all the way up an unmade road to the campsite but a nice chap told me it had been closed for about 10 years and recommended another 14 miles away. He told me not to use the one I’m in but the Chinese lady seems OK to me. I then got lost in Sopron and couldn’t find the road to Balf. I ended up on a footpath which took me to a railway track and dead end. My phone died even though it still had 50% battery and I became very frustrated at not being able to cross the rail tracks and the motorway. Eventually I found my way and tried to charge my phone in the sun while I had a beer. It was then a great run down to Balf and I checked in to the campsite and found a shop in the village to buy beer but they had nothing for brekkie.
So I returned to the campsite and cooked on an open fire my leftover pasta sauce and more pasta. Then I made a big fire and enjoyed the stars.
Bed at about 11 still suffering from saddle sores since my rainy day to Vienna.
Camping balf 9000 forin