Okay, a car journey, not a bike ride but how can you resist the natural beauty we live in here in NZ.
Monthly Archives: July 2011
A slight earthquake
Nothing like a slight earthquake to make you wonder – should I stay or should I go. A 2.9 located just 5 kilometres from us
Rowing on the Thames
After 26 hours on a plane, it’s nice to be on land and by a river again. This is St Georges rowing- but this time it is the college in England, not the club on the Tamaki in NZ.
Although the oars are in the same colours.
Along side the Thames
No, it’s not some dusty old postcard from yesteryear. Just yesterday somewhere between Staines and Walton. Wonderful what you can do nowadays with an iPad
From London to the country
Well, the forecast was for showers becoming less frequent and it was accurate, the intervals went form every 30 seconds to a minute. Even longer in the afternoon.
Rain, wet cobblestones and American tourist make for an interesting and challenging course around Tower Bridge
Left the city going up the Lee Valley following the canals, had a flat tyre, of course it had to be the back wheel, so pulled out the spare tube… oh dear…. I’d got the wrong inner tube .. Note to self, check before leaving. Saw swans, rabbits, otters, even a mouse in London.
Finally reached somewhere in the middle of nowhere that had a good pub and bed. Now for a beer
A long day
Well, I thought I’d only go as far as Colchester, but it was crowded so I continued, now that was a mistake. Instead of being dry and relatively fresh, I hit the showers, some drops very large and hard enough to actually ring my bike bell. Anyway, in Harwich now.
Chelmsford is a very lovely town, even if the one of the guys in the local bike store, didn’t know the way to Harwich and hadn’t been there. I guess that’s what makes one “local”.
The country side was bucolic and rolling
And as ever there was always a good pub nearby. This being the 3 Cats that I came across after getting lost yet again
Occasionally the routes got narrow, this being about the narrowest.
Leaving England
After a very leisurely day in Harwich, with it’s classic English bathhouses
and beaches
now on board the elegant ferry to Denmark
my cabin is right next to the bar, they must know me
Starting out in Denmark
Well WiFi hotspots seem hard to come by in Denmark, but found one now.
As we left Harwich the water was a muddy colour before changing to deep blue, in the morning it looked as if someone had thrown red dye in the water, but apparently it’s pollen from the rivers in central Europe – honest
Heading north from Esbjerg, there were these four giants staring out to sea, too bad I can’t read Danish otherwise I could tell what they were looking for.
The wind decided to make it’s present felt, I got the hint from the dozens of wind turbines- they make quite a weird “whomp, whomp, whomp” noise (that’s the best I can describe it. Luckily the cycle path often went thru forest where the headwinds were so bad.
Although a cup of tea is always nice to stop for.
The next day (Tuesday) can be summed up in 3 words, wind, wind off road tracks – okay, five words. To be expected when you are next to the sea. Average speed almost too low to register on the speedo.
The scenery was good – see how many people you can count at the top of the lighthouse
Although a day of struggle, there was a wonderful respite when I met once again a couple of German cyclists, Peter and Frauke for espresso and muffins in the early afternoon. The only thing slightly unusual was that we were in the middle of a forest. Thank goodness for camping gas and little expresso makers. And at the end of the day, there’s nothing like a hot shower and a quiet place to camp.
Overcast and maybe rain?.
Great start to the day, in need of extra cycling I took off for an extra 4 k uphill (well only considered uphill on a loaded touring bike) before realizing I was going in the wrong direction.
Shall see what else the day has in store….
The wind was hellish, according to the weather charts it was gusting to 60k and that’s a headwind. Anyone who says this is not normal for Denmark. I point out that for the last three days I have never been out of sight of these wind turbines…
Try that as a headwind when the road is straight and without a break. 10k is a good speed.
Just as well my Powermonkey works well (see it sitting on the back of my bike) as it’s an extra charge (10kr) if you want to charge your phone at most campsites.
The weather for tomorrow? More stronger wind and rain…… I could have stayed in New Zealand and done this for a lot less $$.
Yes, rain
There’s an old saying, discretion is the better part of valor (or something like that). I think I won the first few rounds with the wind but then wind called up her friend, rain.
So I headed for Thisted, some 20 km away and found a hotel. Wind, being generous, kept rain at bay until I reached Thisted, past old burial mounds.
I even was able to see some of the town
Until rain came
So now I watch the Tour de France, on TV, going over the Tourmelet and am glad I decided not to do the tour again
Giving the bike a rest
Today’s means of transport is quite difficult, comes with comfortable seats, free Wi-Fi and power outlets. All this housed in this
It does feel strangle to be doing this all on a train. How technology changes things.
I wish the rain would change to sun….
Trains and baked Beans
In the parlance of cruise ship packages, Thursday was a transfer day using four trains to basically do a giant U journey. I think the direct, as the crows fly, distance was about 200k. But I wouldn’t have met a student teacher off to teach in Greenland, or the person who’s sister to going to New Zealand following a Kiwi….
This is one of the rail stations – they are all very utilitarian – I think this was Lange.
In the evening I reached Frederickshaven where I set a new (for me) record. $41 to pitch my tent on my own little patch of wet grass – yeah.
On a more personal note, I wish to acknowledge Daniel and his fellow Gappies for introducing me to Tesco’s Mixed Herbs. They do wonders to baked beans and some strange Danish meat that I think was ham-like.
Onwards to the top of Denmark
Now the cycle path from Frederickshavn to Skagen is a model New Zealand could look at. Sometimes adjoining the main route, sometimes thru the dunes but always enjoyable.
One of the benefits of cycle touring is the ability to eat without guilt. This wonderful sugary danish is ready for eating
10 minutes later.
When I was young (yawn)
I was last in Skagen 45 years ago as a kid. It has radically changed. Then there where 500 fishing boats
And that’s me (3rd from left) 45 years ago….
Now they are less boats and the ones here are more like this.
While fishing is still very important, I think tourism has overtaken it. With fishing boats replaced by pleasure craft, yachts and gift stores.
Skagen has become a tourist destination. Next week there will be 5,000-6,000 motorcycle enthusiasts here for a long weekend.
I am staying with Grethe, my mother’s cousin, I don’t speak Danish and she no English so sign language helps – google translate doesn’t!
Rain, rain, go away
Saturday
Sunday
And the forecast for Kristiansand on Tuesday is…..thunder,lightning and wind – ughhh! So I will stay an extra day in Skagen and go to Norway on Wednesday.
In the meantime here’s a tour of Skagen and surrounds in the rain. This is the original, ancient, lighthouse, the bucket would be filled with burning wood or coals. Not surprisingly, it has burnt down a few times.
Up from there is the start of Germany’s WWII bunker defenses that stretched down to Spain.
But where solid concrete meet fluid sand and sea, it loses. You can also see the tip of Denmark that shifts 10 metres every year
One bunker is now a museum.
One stark fact sheet inside the bunker lists military deaths, civilian deaths and holocaust deaths by country. 16,2 million civilian Chinese were killed. 16.07% of Poland’s population were killed, mostly in the holocaust. New Zealand lost 11,900 – all military.
On a brighter note, this is a danish landmark – the buried church, which isn’t actually buried. Instead the nave was demolished but the tower left standing as it is a was a good landmark for ships.
Top tip of Denmark
I’ve finally reached the Tiptop (oops i meant) top tip of Denmark. It is marked by the crowd of tourists dipping their toes into the two seas.
Here’s a closer look. Funny how postcards always show it without people
Skagen’s population goes from 8,900 to 50,000 in the summer. But just go down the west coast a few kilometers and this is the view
Oh and this is the newer lighthouse ( hasn’t burnt)
