Day 8: Wörth am Rhein to Speyer

July 28, 2023

I feel as though our time with the Rhine is coming to an end. We’ve had a good time together but the relationship is becoming more transactional. What do I want out of the next couple of days? A route to a parkrun on Saturday morning, of course, so we will hug the Rhine a little longer.

It hasn’t helped that we’ve experienced one grey, drizzly day after another while cycling through great swathes of German countryside – woodland, waterways, grass, maize – though on admittedly fine pathways. The European cycling infrastructure continues to impress us. At least 90%, maybe more, of today’s ride is on a dedicated bike path or shared path, all sealed, all at least 3 metres wide. We can only dream of this at home.

It’s a leisurely start to the day at the Vater Rhein hotel in Wörth am Rhein. Right next to a multi-lane bridge across the river and opposite a massive Mercedes distribution centre, it felt as though we were spending the night in an industrial hinterland. This morning though, Bruce walks to find breakfast and discovers a huge shopping mall, including restaurants, within a bright orange facade that we assumed housed something mechanical or agrarian.

We’re on the road just after 10am, already thinking about morning coffee. It’s to be a short ride of some 4o km today so there’s no rush. We initially swing away from the river, looping to the west and around various small waterways, before returning to ride north, parallel to the Rhine. A quick detour around the village of Leimersheim confirms the sad lack of a café culture in this part of Germany. (I do miss my flat whites and date scones, staples of the Kiwi café scene, but it’s a small price to pay for this experience, I tell myself firmly.)

Fishing huts? These structures line both sides of the river, spaced about 30m apart.

Not too long after, looking for a spot to make a cuppa, we come across a forester’s hut, with seat outside and a rubbish bin even. While drinking our tea, we come up with a plan to have a substantial lunch at a restaurant we’ve seen on Google Maps, right on the path. This means a picnic tonight in our hotel room. At this stage of the day, we’re expecting to have plenty of time to fill in before arriving at our B and B at the agreed time of 4pm.

Google Maps helpfully points out that Restaurant Schleusenhaus is “busier than usual”. Great. Must be popular with the locals, always a good sign.

The restaurant , an 1820s building restored 30 or 40 years ago by the local community, looms up sooner than expected. There are no vehicles or bikes in the car park. There are no diners sitting outside. There is no one here other than mine host, who’s startled when I wander inside. He offers us bratwurst with sauerkraut and bread – good cycling fare, I guess - and leaves us to rustle the meals up. It’s not unpleasant sitting outside, watching a stream of cyclists whizz by. I’m thinking about what to write about on a drama-free day. I’m tempting fate. . .

Germersheim is the next distraction. A town of some 20,000 people, it has its roots in a Roman village established in the 3rd century AD – and seems to have been fought over ever since. Its fortress, built in the 1850s, had to be destroyed in the 1920s as part of the Treaty of Versailles. The most interesting fact about Germersheim, though, is that it has a café that’s open ALL day, serving seriously good cakes and tortes.

I'm a sucker for these plant pot faces..at Germersheim café

The rain, which has held off all day, becomes serious at this point. It seems to follow a pattern of the last few days which means we arrive at our destination totally bedraggled. We resign ourselves to this scenario and take off, relishing the challenge as we pass a group of e-bikers. It doesn’t pay to tempt fate.

Moments later, Bruce has lost his chain. He puts it back on but the back wheel won’t spin. The rain is now really persistent and we’re still 7 or so km short of Speyer. After removing the wheel and hand tightening the cassette, Bruce feels we can limp into the nearest bike shop. Which we eventually do. The first shop that Google directs us to is unwelcoming so we find another. Here, the mechanic is away, sorry, but . . the owner takes a look at the wheel, agrees with Bruce’s diagnosis and gets to work with the specialist tool that’s needed. Thirty minute later we pedal away, over the Rhine bridge, to meet an increasingly grumpy B&B host, then return to town to buy food before hunkering down in our room for the night. Enough drama.

Today's ride: 53 km (33 miles)
Total: 433 km (269 miles)

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