Day 21 Bebertal I DE – Magdeburg DE

Marion – relinquishing responsibility for my bike before leaving

My host, Marian, was lovely. She served a delightful breakfast, beautifully laid out, but unfortunately that was it! I needed to get my second breakfast elsewhere.

Today’s ride was gentle. I only planned to do 25 mls aiming to rest & explore Magdeburg City.

East Germany back roads can be a little bumpy

What a disappointment! My approach to the city took me past tired buildings, poor roads, weedy tram lines & ugly skylines. Most everywhere was very unkept – unrecognisable from the internet info. There were a few pleasant places, eg the cathedral square & a 0.25ml stretch of park along the Elbe River, but that’s pretty much it. I’m told people do come here for its history. Otto the Great’s relics are in the cathedral, buried 1000 yrs ago, plus lots of other stuff. The cathedral itself is pleasant enough & I sat for an hour listening to an organ recital.

The contrast between yesterday & today is stark indeed. From modernity to tired/retro. Sometimes for the better, mostly not.

Germany has many wind turbines but here, in the east, they seem to be everywhere.

Another observation – people ride bikes here out of need not lifestyle choice. Also, cyclists are slightly less catered for.

Day 20 Stederdorf DE – Bebertal I DE

VW complex with passing barge.
If you look closely, beyond the barge there are many swan boats & other touristy stuff going on

The ride provided lots of entertainment – good & not so good. Great views, quiet lanes & miles of empty canal paths. Also passed by VW’s HQ at Wolfsburg, the world’s largest single car manufacturing facility & includes an impressive car museum & recreation – it’s certainly worth checking out.

The not so good were the quantity of canal bridges to cross bridges – often needing to drag my bike up/down steep steps.

Today the weather was kind. A pleasant temperature & a nice northwesterly gently pushing me SW.

Day 19 Wunstorf DE – Stederdorf DE

School Head, Mrs Wilson presented Mariia her Achievements Award

Mariia with her Achievements Award
& Proud Mom, Oksana

Whatever my journey offers today, it is dwarfed in importance by the achievements of Mariia Topuziak. Today was her last day of primary school at Our Lady of St Werburghs in Clayton, Newcastle-under-Lyme. She started in August’22 without a word of English & little education. In 4 yrs since, she speaks like a native, excels in her studies & today the school presented her with a certificate for ‘The Perfect Role Model’. Not bad at all!!!

Last night’s stay at the WTO hotel – Wunstorf was a nightmare experience! A fully automated hotel, communication by email, text & Booking.com in German, no translation & no online help. In the room – no kettle, etc. – the worst yet!

Industry along the canal
Seeing this had me thinking I’d been here before

Tug pushing two enormous barges – loaded within a few inches of submerging

A slight navigation mishap today – Having stopped for coffee, I crossed the canal bridge, as I should have, then turned left instead of right. It was 10 miles when I passed a familiar landmark that I realised my mistake. Needless to say I’m 20 miles short on my journey.

Day 18 Isenstedt DE – Wunstorf DE

For a world beyond the trail, yesterday was a momentous day: Keir Starmer did his last PM Q&As & England lost to Argentina. For me it was just another day in the saddle.

Minden Lock – built in 2016 to accommodate the larger vessels & to expand the Mittelland Canal

Canal roads come in all forms

Today I rode 55ml to the small town of Wunstorf, just west of Hanover. Though 60% canals & 40% quiet lanes & tracks, things of interest & cooler weather made for a very pleasant day. Also canal riding can be quite interesting. The river traffic & single track diversions around large waterside factories all add to the day’s entertainment!

Day 17 Mettingen DE – Isenstedt DE

Hotel am Ludgerusbrunnen was another lovely stay. I took a pleasant walk around Mettingen before leaving. It’s a small town but is quite special & a tourist stop – period buildings, nice shops & cafes & pleasant walks & with lots of school kids all over!?

Typical farm for this region – most I passed had lots of solar panels

There are also lots of stables – no solar on these though?

This beast had just been loaded – now incredibly low in the water

The Mittellandkanal canal also played its part in the day – its enormous vessels carrying cargo of everything from quarried minerals to recycled steel. We in the UK may have invented the Industrial Revolution, overall, it looks like mainland Europe scaled it up & left us behind.

The canal bank had collapsed & footpath was closed. Stripped my bike & carried it around. Chatting to Mick Shaw throughout the operation.

Day 14 Hamont BE – Geldern DE

The Breakfast Room. A lovely place to look at but nothing works! The front of house lady is like Manuel from Faulty Towers

Last night was a guest house, Carpe Diem, Boterham Carpediem – though not great, I got to watch theEngland – Norway match.

Today I cycled THREE countries, Belgium, Netherlands & Germany!!! All very similar really in style & I didn’t see any photo ops. Germany clearly has the more tired buildings, roads, homes & industrial buildings. Sadly, they all shared the same 10-20mph headwinds & 32C heat!!

My ride is cutting through densely populated Europe rather than the wilderness rides of the past. Therefore it’s always really nice to check-in with family & friends for chats. Through this less interesting section of the ride I am thinking of posting once every few days, unless there’s a major trauma – in which case you will be first to know!!

Day 13 Antwerpen BE – Hamont BE

Today, I tried to get off early & get as many miles in as I could before 11am, before the heat cranked up, but breakfast didn’t start until 7 so packed my bags & waited.

Our friends, Koen & Dian Koenraad live in nearby Merksem, just beyond Antwerp, & had planned to spend time together, but my schedule change meant them being in Poland when I travelled thru. I still diverted to their house & send them a photo of my bike & I outside.

It felt good not to be a vulnerable pedestrian again. The cycleways here serve many people, & the rules of the jungle can apply. Walkers, the gentle peddler, children peddlers on school outings, bikepackers (of course) all the way through to racing clubs, with heads down, wizzing dangerously along at 30+ mph.

My day was another flat one – along the canals is now a little monotonous though the absence of hills allows a few miles in my legs. The weather is not helping though. Hot (27 – 32C) & 20mph headwind. Head down, peddling hard, those coming towards me are freewheeling. My objective is to survive the heat.

Some shots of the day

Day 12 Antwerpen

East Entrance to St. Anna’s Tunnel ( which brought me here last night)

The temperature here was to be 30+ today so decided on a rest day. Also, during yesterday’s ride, a past muscle issue had reappeared & added to the decision.

I had a much needed 1 1/2 hearty breakfast before exploring a little of Antwerp City.

Today I was a pedestrian & soon learnt the need to be very aware of the cycle lanes as well as roads. Also, Antwerpen cyclist, scooters, etc. are different from other Belgians – in the old town, with no cycle specific routes to adhere to, they become speed crazy & scary.

The Waterfront

Antwerp’s Giant wheel didn’t impress. Nice but lacks the elegance & grace of its big sister, the London Eye.

Everywhere I went was there was activity, setting up for the 2026 Tall Ships Races which start tomorrow – 11-14July. On the river, newly arrived sailing ships were already drawing crowds & I joined in. Tomorrow, when it all starts, it will likely be manic & very noisy – over one mile of bars & entertainment venues along the waterfront plus many others throughout the city.

A few Blocks from the Waterfront

Brabo Fountain & City Hall behind. Sculpture of legendary Roman soldier, Silvius Brabo. On the right, construction of a large open air stage for this years Tall Ships Race concert

The View, big enough for Antwerps low skyline

Day 11 Bruges – Antwerpen

Snuffel Hostel was a great find. Modern, excellent facilities, caters for all pockets & ages & only 7mins walk to Market Square. Typical of city hostels, open 24/7, bar, lots of chill areas & great staff.

I set off around 9am. In theory, 70 flat miles seemed fine although the heat, & thermals/slight headwinds made it that bit tougher. Today was the 1st time, since my joint ops, I’d cycled this distance & was happy with the result. Another big first was, once more I can scoot on my peddle to mount my bike – wonderful!

Over 90% of today’s ride was traffic free – along purpose built or segregated cycleways – a phenomenal investment which shows how far behind UK are to the Belgians.

I approached Antwerp from the west, through Linkeroever Park expecting a bridge to take me over the Scheldt River to my hotel 3km on. But there was no bridge! What I eventually found was the entrance to Sint-Annatunnel (St. Anna’s Tunnel) Foot Tunnel. This enormous, impressive 1930’s underground construction serves Belgium’s pedestrian & cycling culture perfectly, & by comparison, dwarfs London’s Woolwich Tunnel. To take you down there’s the choice of escalator or lift, then along the infinitely long tunnel by peddling or walking. I took the escalator up (with my bike) & popped out right in the centre of Antwerp life. Unfortunately, too tired to hang around, I headed on to my hotel.

Day 10 Ostend – Bruges

Last nights bed was at the Cesar Palace Hotel, a couple of blocks from the front. Very nice & reasonably priced.

I tried locating somewhere for breakfast but, except for bakeries, cafes were not open until between 10 & 11. My checkout was at 10 “on the dot” – After handing over the keys, I skipped 1st breakfast in preference to reaching Bruges before the heat.

Typical cycle path through a village (they also have their own crossings!)

Again, exceptional riding along the Belgium canals, showing them at their very best. I arrived in Bruges before 1pm, offloaded my bike at the Snuffel Hostel & explored.

Market Square is the hub from which to explore Bruges, though the square itself has enough to hold you for the whole afternoon.

Marlene & Louis for N Carolina – had me celebrating my birthday a little early

My second lunch was at De Veir Winden, and was sheer indulgence. On a stylish cafe on the square, I needed to try the ice cream & strawberry waffles with fresh cream & Belgium chocolate.

I passed the time with Marlene & Louis from North Carolina, USA, here for the annual, Gent Jazz Festival – drawing such names as Van Morrison – seems my type of event!! On asking about my journey, I mentioned I’d be arriving in Kosmach around my birthday. They insisted on a celebration glass. Many thanks!

On the Square the Ukrainian Flag takes pride of place

The Bell Tower court yard – €16 to walk to the top

In need of a good sleep to ready myself for tomorrow, by 6pm I was back at the hostel, feet up.

The protocol when passing other cyclists is different to the UK. Here, the norm is to divert the eyes, ignore the existence of the other cyclist. If you dare risk a slight wave, the stare of disapproval back is unmistakable. In the UK its obligatory to nod or wave with an 80% favourable response, not to do so may be considered rude. My theory – it may have been the practice here once, but with so many cyclists, it’s just all too much!