Seems quite a while since I was last lying in the tent writing up blog. This is the first campsite that had had Wifi since then - 2 Euros an hour, but an improvement on the Orange dongle internet - £3 in EU countries out of UK, £6 in non EU countries (most of Scandinavia) PER megabyte of down load or upload -and in a month of using the dongle to write up the blog I used about 250 Megabytes!!! If you go over your limit in the UK (we pay £15 per month) you pay 5p per Megabyte!! What a rip off.
The weather has been very grey and miserable for much of the time since I last wrote, with very wet drizzle from time to time. Can live with that as to be honest not got that wet that often on this trip as yet(!!) - but the constant force 4-5 N - NW - NE wind can get to you at times - especially Roger who takes it very personally.....
I was really taken by the farm houses in the reclaimed Polder areas - a house at the front, with a linking piece to a giant barn behind - some have built up the linking area so that the roof is all the same height. Would be a great sort of house for Roger - wouldn't take him too long to fill all the space up either. There is invariably a couple small canals surrounding the property and grounds.
Worked our way north and east towards the border between the Netherlands and Germany. Fancied staying in this hotel, built on stilts overlooking the sea, on the windward side of the protective sea dyke.
Instead we carried on, a 50 mile day, making the most of the wind sort of being in our direction for once in the afternoon. Arrived at a very welcome campsite just off the dyke cycle path and found the two cycle campers we had first met on the ferry from Texel to Vrieland, then at the campsite 2 nights before. They had been a couple of minutes in front of us - unfortunately they didn't speak much English- they are from the Netherlands, not far from the German border and German would appear to be their first language. They opted to stay in a small hut that could be rented out from the campsite, to get away from the wind, cold and threatened rain. The campsite was at the end of a canal, where it entered the North Sea - and name something like Terminus (not got the guide boo to hand to check the proper spelling!!) - but photo below:
Next day continued cycling across the flat ponder land, following the sea defence dykes - there were usually two sets of dykes, often with a mile or more between them - presumably the land in between has been reclaimed after the first dykes were originally constructed -and now forms valuable double defence system. From time to time a lane will bisect the dyke but provision has been made to blockade the gap if need be.
The border between the Netherlands and Germany was on a cycle bridge over a small canal - this house was just the other side, and being spoilt for choice they appear to be hedging their bets and supporting both Germany and Holland in the Word Cup - or perhaps one member of the house is German and the other Dutch!!
Seen very little bunting in Germany to date - plenty of flags but much more subdued about their support compared to what we saw in England and Holland. Some lovely little towns set either side of canals leading into the sea -may be Germany now but a very Dutch feel to them.
A very grey cycle up the Ems river to camp by the mud flats of the river.
When we were in Edinburgh,Roger 'acquired' a camping gas cylinder from the Freegon stuff, which we started using probably back in Northumberland. It finally died - we've been having a sweepstake as to when it would finally give up the ghost. Roger won - but says it should be a drawer as it only lasted about 30 seconds into this days use (I'd said it would run out the day before) - so a ceremonial throwing away.
More dykes, more sheep to watch us on our way.
Ferry number 13 - across the Ems river -had to wait over an hour - were first their but as in any queue e.g. ski lift queues,the Germans manage to get in front somehow..... A small ferry, used by cyclists and motorbikes to get across the river.
Someone insisted on taking a photo of the to of us....
In the distance up river is a barrage that can be closed when required so as to increase the depth of the water up river - to allow the launching of newly built large ships from the ship building factory up river.
The ferry goes up a small inlet off the main river - tricky as low water and lots of sandbanks.
Lots of small canals, not seen a crossroads as big as this before.
About to run out of time so will leave you to look at the above photos and imagine what we have been up to....
Thanks for all the emails and the comments on the blog page - much appreciated.
Great pictures. Loved the sheep drinking from the sea. Mum
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