Day 30 – Schwanewede to Bruchausen-Vilser

52 miles (84 km) – Total so far: 1,788 miles (2,877 km)

A change of the weather today, to be celebrated. The gentle wind now coming from the north east and for the first day since X there was no rain.

For me, I kept heading south, aiming for the Harz mountains and the turn back towards home. For the morning this meant me following the Weser river still, as I had been yesterday, and even crossing it by ferry shortly after starting. There are quite a few ferries that cross the river in this section. There were a few cyclists on the boat, and I chatted briefly to a German guy visiting various members of his family in a round trip from Berlin.

After the ferry it is on the east bank of the Weser around Bremen. There is a Radweg of cycle path for the whole stretch, probably 20 miles, and it was busy on a warm, calm and cloudy Sunday morning. North or Bremen I moved away from the river as it turned east, I still headed south through a flat and rural landscape. I had done more miles than planned yesterday so today was able to finish a bit earlier. I’ve still not been higher than 36 metres above sea level in Germany.

I hadn’t realised, but every supermarket is closed in Germany on Sundays. In Norway and Denmark there was the odd one open, usually one in each town. I have however finished at a picturesque village, and fortunately there is a restaurant open. Again I’ve managed a cheap room in one the most old-fashioned hotels I have ever been in. I guess it’s deliberate. There is no internet, TVs from 1970s, and strange items in the bathroom like a packaged wiper for glasses and a sock straightener.

My room is about 20 metres away from the clock tower of the church, and the chimes go every quarter hour. It will be a test of how tired I am…

Distance 52.1 miles Time left 10:40 am Time arrived 4:30 pm Time riding 4 hours 42 minutes Height gained 184 metres