Epilogue

Looking Back.

EPILOGUE

Looking Back.

There are abiding images from our 2018 cycle trip: the heat wave that seemed as though it would last forever, the colours of landscapes, of water, the changing shapes of hills and mountains, cobbled streets and buildings, ancient and modern, of cities, towns and villages. The contrasts between hectic city streets, industrial wastelands and the beauty and quiet of small villages and open natural landscapes. We loved the proximity and accessibility a bicycle gives to such places. All senses are engaged in this intimacy. Sight, sound and smell- both pleasant and otherwise. Above all, is the, mostly serendipitous, element of chance, regulating weather, route conditions, and people met.

Frequently we were confronted by sights natural and man made that seemed quite surreal- Swiss lakes, French Chateaux, Venetian canals, nuclear power plants; smell- the pungent, though not always unpleasant, odours of the agricultural world and the alluring scent of cooking food, as well as the unexpectedly persistent perfumed scent wafting on the air from a passerby-the feel of the elements- cold, the heat of sun, the sensation of rain and wet, not always unpleasant, and the avoidance of flying bugs- mouth shut, eyes narrowed. All accentuated the 'assault' of the senses.

Our initial plan had been circular in shape, starting in Nice and cycling the Mediterranean, the canals to Bordeaux, and on to St Malo, and later the Maas / Meuse River Route south towards Dijon, and back to the south along the Rhone, finishing eventually in Nice. As with most ideas it grew and another circle, the UK, was added. Partly because of the online allure of so much possibility and partly because additional routes seemed to attach easily.

The availability of an Emirates (30kgs luggage- 2 pieces including cycles) flight to Geneva made the Via Rhona an attractive proposition for a starter and Ann’s suggestion of the Via Francette from La Rochelle through Normandy to the coast at Ouistreham, provided an alternative to St Malo that not only sounded appealing, but seemed like a neat way to complete an almost circumnavigation of France, as well as providing a port from which to reach the UK. We also kept the Lot River Route as a possibility, though declined the privilege while en route, as also with the Bodensee to Konigsee.

In the UK, cycling to Mid Wales from Portsmouth through Salisbury, Bath and Bristol looked interesting and challenging, especially the Severn Bridge crossing, and also the across England path in the north, the C to C. Or Hadrian’s Wall. Lake Konstanz, offered an exciting way to access the Bodensee to Konigsee Route taking us to Salzburg and placing us at the start of the final leg, the Alpe - Adria cycleway, which in turn gave us a chance to enjoy beloved Italia and a finishing point- Venice which is an Emirates destination.

Our route had morphed into something bulkier- but still manageable, we hoped. In fact, we realised almost all 4,000 kilometres of the plan, though we made several changes before leaving and en route. The path of the Canal du Midi, according to blogs, is difficult to negotiate and so we opted for a train from Sete to Toulouse, and in England we cycled as far as Hereford before the heat and hills persuaded us to take a train to our Welsh destination, Newtown. In the North, we chose the Hadrian's Wall cycle route instead of the C to C. The two paths run almost parallel but the C to C's path includes more unsealed sections. As an alternative to Bodensee to Konigsee, we opted in favour of Munich to Salzburg.

The quality of the routes we used was invariably high and frequently the visual perspective was more than impressive. We only occasionally lost our direction, partly due to Ann’s careful map reading and her insistence on double checking signs to ensure we were not being lured onto an unintended route or boucle- loop. We used no GPS but Google maps was useful.

Some paths were simply heaven to cycle, either because of the quality of the surface or the spectacular scenery. Others, particularly those sited on rivers or coastline, were appealing because of the way they could deliver us into the heart of a city almost without our being aware of it. This route was not particularly hilly, but where there were hills, the views were magnificent and the downhill race relaxing.

The way geographical features of a country reveal themselves en route always adds interest. Leaving Geneva and the Swiss mountains behind on the horizon as the route heads south along the Rhone gives a very real sense of mountains to sea as the landscape changes from mountains, lakes, rivers and hills to the flatlands around Arles and the legendary Camargue. La Francette, the cycle way running east of La Rochelle through the Marais was also a delight. Shady and quiet, the route weaves its way through small villages, alongside the peaceful Mayenne river and past drainage streams engineered by the Dutch in the 18th century.

A number of cycleways built along an old railway cuttings were densely shaded by foliage, and provided wonderful shade from the intensity of the midday heat. This was particularly true around Mayenne where the cutting among the foliage was like a tunnel. Further north, once the challenge of the Suisse Normandie had been negotiated, we picked up a brand new trail that took us all the way through Caen to the D Day beaches at Ouistreham. For speed and great views, this 60 kilometres was a wonderful way to end the Via Francette.

In the UK, the Bath to Bristol route, also along an old railway cutting had some spectacular tunnels, one of which had Vivaldi's Four Seasons echoing off its walls. And despite its convolutions, which left me seriously doubting its existence, the Bristol to Wales route across the Severn Bridge, can only be described as spectacular, as you cross, hundreds of feet in the air gazing down with trepidation at the murky, fast flowing waters below. Hadrian's Wall was notable too because of its its misty coolness in places, and quiet, something we hadn't anticipated for peak holiday time, as well as its beautiful sweeping countryside and leafy valleys.

In Holland, just to see the extensive system of cycleways was something, but to ride on them .... Losing one's way on such well signposted routes (distances provided too)would seem an impossibility.

Something we accomplished at least once though. The Maas / Meuse route took us through a varied range of landscapes from the patchwork agricultural plots and neat towns of The Netherlands to the historic cities of Belgium and on to the wilds of the Ardennes.

By the time we reached Verdun we felt the need for a change, and shift to Strasbourg provided that. The Alsace wine route was relaxing with enough hills to provide and interesting landscape. Perhaps the Alpe - Adria was a case of leaving the best till last.

For us, the excitement of heading towards those blue mountains began in Munich with the Mangfall Radweg and continued until the final spectacular section between Tarvisio and Venzone on the old railway line, when we were truly amongst them. The view from our hotel room window in Udine, showed how a day's cycling could return these mountains to a blue silhouette again.

Finally the joy of surprise- the unplanned and the unexpected. Our Swansea weekend factory cleaning enabled us to experience free camping on an ‘island’ of a tidal inlet, and swimming on local beaches - the Gower Peninsula and Rhossili, during a long hot Welsh summer.

The excitement of finding Sarah Losh’s church at Wreay was also wonderful, because, although we had planned our visit, the cycling was pleasant and the ambience of the church- the warmth and light of its interior on a damp day, was a unexpected delight.

Finding concerts and performances, gratis and otherwise, in some of Europe’s main cities is also a wonderful bonus and we enjoyed those we found by chance and the advertised performance in Strasbourg.

Meeting people when touring is invariably a pleasant experience and sometimes develops into close friendship. The response to appeals for directions and dealings with locals often show how the fear of the stranger is so unfortunate. We used Warmshowers for the first time on this trip, and although we only made use of this form of accommodation on three occasions, we really enjoyed the experience with our hosts in Southampton and later in Belgium. It’s a wonderful way to find out about local politics and history, as well as sharing cycling and life experiences. We are very grateful to our hosts for such generous sharing. We look forward to continuing our own hosting.

We were pretty fortunate with the equipment and bikes that accompanied us. The Kona Sutra, I found to be a very stable and well balanced steed. I really liked the barend shifters and adapted to them very easily. I fitted some clear plastic hose over the levers so that they were a less threatening protuberance. Ann’s Giant Liv, although designated as a hybrid or commuting cycle, was capable of carrying a good load and the aluminium frame, hydraulic brakes, gearing ratios and tubeless tyres all performed faultlessly. The Giant Brand, tubeless tyres were fine on the tracks we cycled, as long as their fluid was replaced every couple of months. Our solar charging panel was great for phone and sometimes light charging and we also took a small power bank.

As for sleeping- once discarded, our Exped mattresses were replaced with simple roll-up mats and these worked fine. Our Marmot Tungsten 2 performed really well, providing a dry haven from some of the worst sturm und drang the heavens could pour down on us. Just to ensue seams are sealed well, I have sprayed it with waterproofing solution before each trip. Our rule of thumb for clothing was that it should cover two or more eventualities. It seemed to work, though we were not the judges of our sartorial splendour. The solution to keeping warm and keeping cool was layers of course.

And so, until next time. We look forward to another opportunity to take on the physical challenge, face the organisational decisions and experience new landscapes, cultures and people.

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