Up to the Dales

Got a few jobs given me to do in the garden by the Mrs, but I reckon its too wet for that so I'm off out on my bike for the day.
Its me last chance for a few more Round Britain points before it finishes at the end of October so a few today and I'll qualify for a bronze. So its up to Keighley first then into the dales proper.
Now you remember I said it was too wet for a day in the garden? Well I should have looked at the weather forecast as they've had some rain up north and the rivers are brimming.

Outside the Tennant Arms at Kilnsey Crags waiting for the tide to turn!

Watched a few cars go through and I reckon about a foot deep on the left, but only 4 inches or so along the right hand kerb line, which is where I went.

There were a few more sections of the road in a similar state but none as deep, so I carried on.
Whilst waiting outside the pub I spied a poster for next years Tour de France which is coming along this road on the Grand Depart on 5th July. This has given me an idea for another ride sometime soon which is to follow the route. I'll choose a drier day.
The RBR quest for the day gets me to turn off at Buckden and go along Langstrothdale to Oughtershaw. This is where I meet another road part timing as a stream, this one probably about 150 yds under water but only 2 or 3 inches deep.

I arise from the surf and look back. I followed a post van through so he cleared it a bit and I followed in his wake, but he turned off here so I'm on my own but only short stretches flooded until the road rises and gets some altitude.

Up and over the fell, and I'm heading for Hawes and the Pen-y-Garth cafe for egg & chips.

Looking down Sleddale on the road to Hawes - bit breezy up here.

Heavy showers coming in as I leave the cafe, so the original plan to turn off at Wensly and go along Coverdale towards Kettlewell, Skipton and back towards M62 gets scuppered as it means going past Kilnsey again, so I settle for Leyburn, Bedale and the A1.
As it happens I've always meant to have a look at Marston Moor next time I pass, and the route home on the A1 means I only have to turn off at the Wetherby services and its only a few miles from there.

 

I get home about 6pm just as its getting dark. Done about 290 miles riding today, 2 miles or so under water!

Return leg part 2 and home

I can here water running as I lay in bed at the le Florence - tipping it down outside but as its 06:00 time still to clear up & stop so roll over and nod off again until 08:00 as no hurry to get up today.

As it happens, at 8 its stopped raining and its down for breakfast, loaded up and on the road for 0915.

If i get me finger out I've got time for a 90 minute stop at the blockhouse at Eperlecques, which is only 25 mins from the ferry.

I've seen the big brown signs for this place everytime I go up or down the A26 but never been in a position to stop & visit ( also there's La Coupole but that'll have to wait for another day and then the mysterious big brown signs on the A26 will no longer hold any mystery).

The blockhouse was built by the Germans in 1943/44 to accommodate over 100 V2 missiles at a time and to launch up to 36 daily. It was never completed as a result repeated bombing, but what was built is staggering in scale.

only about a third of the original design of the bunker was built - up to16 feet thick walls, but they forgot to put in windows to let some light in as its very dark inside.

Inside, with a V2 rocket in position for rolling out and firing, the rocket is 45 foot high. They'll have a problem launching it as they've blocked the door and theres no hole in the roof - at least for the first one they launch, after that they'll be a bloody big one!

Wrecked north side of the complex from bombing - it was the americans that did this particular damage in 1943. The Brits hit the big bunker a year later with a 'tall boy' bomb (dropped 32 hit with1)

The tour is easily completed within 90 mins and I get to the ferry in perfect time for check in at 12:45 - and rolling straight on, no stopping from check in to strapping down. Flat calm crossing and after 6 days away and 1600 miles later, back in Lincoln for 1730. A good trip overall and will be worth repeating in the future with probably a stop in Luxembourg chucked in instead of 3 in Germany, but would try & organise it around a wine festival for definite (if going in October)

Return leg part 1

On me way back starting today, and I'm heading for St Quentin to stay at a hotel in the town centre that I've stayed a a few times - le Florence.

Only a couple of hours if I do it straight through, but if I do that then I might as well get home in a oner, but I'm taking it steady (sharp intakes of breath from Nige & Steve) , a bit of motorway down to Metz then head west on the D603 to Verdun. I'm going to spend a few hours at Verdun checking out the forts etc. as it was a flying visit in May.

A cracking day weather wise and I'm away from Mike & Lynne at the River Valley by 09:15. I've measured my fuel stop to perfection and I squeeze 25 litres of Luxembourgs finest and cheap 'sans plomb 95' as the E44 crosses the border at Wasserbillig.

Off the autoroute around Metz and on to Verdun and Fort Vaux - I pay for the tour and have and hour or so with the natty little iPod they give you that gives you all the commentary plus pics and video excerpts. Good value at 4 euros or 6.50 if you want to visit Fort Douamont as well ( I'll leave Douamont for another day)

Fort Vaux

Main Gallery inside the fort

 

Next up is over to the Ossuary, and this time I go up to the top of the central tower for the view of the battlefield, and get to see the film show explaining it all.

Up to the top you go, stairs all the way, not recommended in all weather bike togs which turn into your own personal sauna 2/3 of the way up.



one of the views out of the top windows, looking SE with Fort Vaux in the forest to the left of the pic and Verdun itself away to the right of the pic

 

Around the corner is the Bayonet Trench, - interesting story behind this but I think it has a whiff of a myth about it. Apparently a squad of soldiers were waiting to go over the top with bayonets fixed, got shelled and buried & killed in the trench where they stood and all anyone could see was a dozen or so bayonets sticking out the ground.

Trenchee des Baionnettes - when first opened, the bayonets stuck out next to the crosses, but over time they've been nicked/rusted away/ replaced with replicas, but now only the crosses remain.

 

Got to say it looks like the entrance to an underground carpark over the actual trench - horrible cast concrete monstrosity.

 

Car park Concrete cover over the trench

 

By now I've been there for about 3.5 hours so time getting on and another 2 hours or so to St Quentin and the A26 beckons. Ok it's quiet on the road and I can crack on but its peage, cost a few euros and I'm bored so drop off onto the Rn roads after Reims and hit traffic with the rest of the skin flints - however French drivers expect bikes to overtake and filter so give you room as soon as you appear behind them and I'm making good progress and the scenery and towns are interesting even if the roads are just as straight as the autoroute.

 

These D roads are the same all over France - the D1044 coming into St Quentin

 

Get to St Quentin for around 18:30 after popping into Laon for something to eat ( knew somewhere to go after May visit)

Showered and out for a drink. Doing this blog in the town square sat outside Le Carillon with a glass of La Chouffe. Its occurred to me that beer is expensive in France and and I should take the hint and drink the wine in future.

 

Ferry at 13:30 tomorrow so time for a quick look at something or other if I get me finger out.

I've just wandered into another bar and they have wifi ( bar de l'avenir) so I'll have another draught Leffe blond and publish this - I'll stick some pics up from my camera later when I get back to hotel .

 

Udate - back in the hotel for 21:45 as France seems to shut down around nine and I've broken out the last of the emergency grog - a bottle of Kwak.

Kwak in a plastic cup - seems to make it froth more for some reason

The challenge was opening the bottle as my opener has gone awol

 

 

A design classic - the french hotel radiator come bottle opener

 

After a good day on the bike......

........another beer in the Kloster Machern.

Lederhosen out today, and red gingham shirts and hot pants are in.

 

 

Echternach & Trier

Mike said stop and have a wander around Echternach. So I've had a wander got the missus some tat and now having a coffee. Lots of old buildings and little streets, but according to some tourist blurb the place was smashed in WW2 and alot of it is rebuild but you'd never know.

 

Next stop will be Trier and I follow the N10 along the river to get there,

River Saure - forms the border, Luxembourg(with petrol 20cents/litre cheaper) on the left, Germany on the right

 The thing to see in Trier is the Porta Nigra so thats where I'm going. Its a roman era gate and now slap bang in the middle of the city but I manage to park around the back - the roads are busy and traffic's heavy so once I've had a look I battle my way out - hot work, stop & start and I've got the panniers left on so filtering a bit dodgy as i'm a bit wide for that malarky.

Front gate



Back gate



Somewhere in the middle

Lunch in Luxembourg

Just stopped in a town called Vianden just inside Luxembourg. Lunch on the terrace of Hotel Petry - mushroom omelette & frites.

Mike at the guesthouse has given me a cracking route to follow which ends up in Trier via Echternacht, so far been absolutely spot on - dry roads and a bit of blue sky don't do no harm either. You cant beat local knowledge, and all of the 70 miles so far have been outstanding - all sweeping up & down, very scenic and amazingly deserted. I'm sure the next 70 will be just the same. 

Vianden and its castle - every other place has one.

This is the B&B in the village of Bruch

Contact details if you need them!!! I bet its not 25euros a night.

German sense of humour

Who says the Germans don't have a sense of humour. Found this in a bar tonight

Translates as 'please help us to separate'.

I did my bit and went in the ' bier' piss stone. Even had one of those little pictures of a fly to aim at so you don't splash your boots.

Local beer

Having a beer after me 'tour eifel'. Blowing the froth off a teatimer as they say.

The place is an old covent called Kloster Machern just over the river from the digs and within walking distance. It brews its own and its a hefe for starters.

Waitresses are running around in lederhosen but I'll get chucked out if I start taking pics of them.

Teatimer with froth blown off

 

Blurry picture of Brauhaus just after the lederhosen went by

 

Kloster Machern

Kloster machern beergarden

 

 

A run around the Eifel

 

Rough Circular route from Zeltingen , Cochem, Mayen, Gerolstein , Marburg, Wittlich and back to Zeltingen. Route is based on the ADAC tourist routes.

It's a dry day so that's a bonus but the roads are wet in patches. However hardly anyone on them so a double bonus.

Stopped counting castles when I got to six.

 

Cochem - Mosel central as far as the touristy stuff goes

Cant remember exactly where but panoramic of the area to show what its like

Another view point - I think its just outside Kirchwald

Castle no.8 or 9

Himmerod Abbey

Mayen

 

Wine festival........

 

Well that's a first, a German wine festival. Now all I know about white wine is that I like it slightly dry and definitely not sweet, so I'm knackered when it comes to a choice of twenty or so from the same wine producer which is what this particular village/festival was all about. First problem is to find out what trocken, feinherb,fruchtig and schoppenwein mean and I'm in business. For the record its the Schwaab family wine and the village of Erden and I like the 2012 Erdener Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett apparently, according to my friendly festival barman . Very nice it is too.

A pork schnitzel, onions and fried potatoes for 5 euros and I'm sorted.

The Main Street of the village was all set out with a good two dozen food and wine stalls, a couple of brass bands and other live music so a good night out. No trouble and everyone on best behaviour. Pity about the occasional rain and persistent drizzle.

 

BBQ full of steak

 

Tomorrow its a tour around the Eifel side (northern area) and Monday I'll do the Hunsruck side (southern area),

And still it rained.....

Dropped into the Mosel Valley just after Trier at a place called Kenn and picked up a road that followed the river - B53 - all the way to a place called Zeltingen-Rachtig which is where I'm based for the next few nights. Rain was on and off, but more off and nothing really heavy - it is October afterall. Stopped at Bernkastel as it was looking really busy with the river boats and all the folk wandering about. Parked up by the river for 30mins or so watching the boats and it didn't rain a drop. Got back on the bike and it started spitting. Never mind only 10 mins or so to the digs.
Mike at the River Valley guesthouse recommends going to a wine festival in the next village down called Erden, and is also kind enough to play taxi driver - sorted for tonight then.

Boats & boats

Park up and it stops raining

The castle at Bernkastel!!