Riding along the Rhine!

Back on the tour! Part three of the summer cycle adventure has begun with the start of a descent of the Rhine. The temperature is still sky high here in Germany, but we didn’t rush to get going (or do anything for that matter - it’s too hot to rush anywhere!). Handily, there is a very nice coffee shop literally right next door to where we are staying, so we started things off the same as yesterday, with coffee and banana bread for breakfast!

At about 10:30, we were ready to get the wheels moving…



We wanted to cross the main city bridge as it’s a famous landmark around here, but we almost got thwarted trying to find the right cycle route! 



The cathedral, station, roads and bridge all seemed to be on different levels and we narrowly avoided disappearing down an tunnel on a duel carriageway! 



After a bit of head scratching, Google Mapping and a few laps of the Cathedral, we made it to the bridge, which is completely covered with padlock. We’ve seen this before in a few cities, but this was on a different scale - there could have been a million of them clipped to the railings!







It was a relief to be riding away and getting moving again. A glance back over a shoulder gave a nice view of the spires.



We were finally on the Rhine Route!





Almost immediately on reaching the far side, we lost the route and got frustrating stuck under a main road, while trying to guess which cycle route to pick! It was way too hot for such faffing, so we chose one and got moving, finally glad of the breeze we were generating with our forward momentum.

There wasn’t much in the way of relaxing stops or ice cream shops. We were just focused on getting to the campsite we’d located about 30km away.



The scenery was quite industrial and built us as we left the city limits. The heat also sapped the urge to take photos! A dusty trail led the way and after a lunch stop on a park bench, we eventually made it.



We put the tent up and went straight away for showers. They cost a euro, but cold showers were free - even the cold water didn’t seem cold enough as I scraped the dust and sweat off my glistening body! While we were washing, to our amazement a sudden and torrential downpour soaked the area. It was over in about ten minutes drenching everyone and everything and ten minutes later everything was bone dry again! 

There was no shade by the tent, so we got established under an umbrella in the bar. Beer looked to be the cheapest and coolest thing to order, so we did and it went straight to my head!



A few hours have now passed and cloud cover has taken the heat from the sun and has allowed us to return to the tent. We are fed, watered, showered and ready to sleep. Heavy rain is forecast later tonight, so hopefully that should bring the temperature down for tomorrow!

Total Ride: 36km