Eventually hit the road at 2pm. I started packing the tent away as it eased off around 1.30 and half an hour later it had finally stopped raining.
The other bikers put on their oversuits and braved the rain about 2 hours earlier. They headed north back to Amsterdam. They would have got very wet.
A dry line quickly appeared in the road and for about 15 minutes i had good riding. Then i gained height and disappeared into the mist. Proper pea souper fog. I couldn't even see the viewing points at side of road, never mind the views.
I pulled over to throw some layers on, one of which was my disco vest. A couple in a 5 series pulled over to make sure all was ok so gave them a thumbs up.
The B500 south of Baden-Baden is awesome all the way to the junction with the 28 to Freudenstadt. Even in the mist and gloom it was enjoyable.
I took the 28 to Freudenstadt and was messing around with satnav trying to find Titisee. My icy fingers kept hitting the H instead of the I so all i was getting was Tithill in Somerset. Amusing, but not right. Once i had it sorted I came to my senses and noticed that the road had dried and the temperature was up in the lofty heights of double figures. Well almost, but 9.5 degrees is far nicer than 7.5.
The stretch to Freudenstadt is really nice. The road i wanted outta town was closed so quick U-turn to retrace my path. Then another one to call into a little bakery for a bite to eat. Eine grosse pretzel bitte.
Pretzels make the world a better place. Weather picked up and the road was good.
Had a bit of a play with a Porsche panamera as i rode towards Triberg. He obviously enjoyed it as much as i did, given the way he was sliding around. Triberg looks like a really nice place to kill some time. There's a huge beer garden in the centre and it all looks quite civilised.
On to Titisee and Bistro zum See. The usual haunt. Started chatting to a couple from Durham. They were just polishing off a Titisee pfannle, or escalope skillet. They had both had it 3 days running and strongly recommended it. I only had eyes for currywurst, so that's what i ordered.
The menu described it as 'gourmet veal sausage with a spicy sauce', which was bigging it up slightly. It was mighty fine though.
Caught up on a few texts over a very nice espresso and before i was done the heavens opened again. I sat it out on the terrace and it cleared up after about half an hour.
I let satnav guide me to a site off the beaten track at Schluchsee but it didn't look too promising. However the weather was still holding and the roads were bone dry so i caned it to the end of the B500 at Waldshut. The last stretch that drops down into Waldshut was the absolute highlight of the day. I'm tempted to ride back up tomorrow to repeat it.
It was getting late so pulled into Rhine Camping in Waldshut. As the name suggests, it's on the banks of the Rhine. I'm still in Germany but i can wave to Switzerland on the opposite bank. If the weather's bad tomorrow i can buy a vignette and clear Switzerland in no time then enjoy tea in Italy. If the weather's good then i can stick around for a play in the Swiss alps.
The girl on reception was lovely. She directed me to the bike parking and then the tent area. They're not together but she let me ride through and park in the pushrod shed right next to my tent.
She cleared up the mysteries of 'tschuss' for me. I though people were saying cheers as they parted but now i know the truth.
I asked about mosquitoes on the Rhine. Sounds like it's normally a nightmare at this site but she said it's far too cold at moment so no worry. I think that was good news. Foxes are an issue though and she pointed out the big warning on the welcome leaflet. They creep in and steal food and shoes during the night. I was advised to leave nothing unsecured outside the tent.
As i peeled my boots off at the pitch i struggled to imagine why any creature would want to steal them.
I staked claim to a huge patch of tent real estate. It was getting late so knew nobody else would turn up to dispute my turf. There's a couple of other tents here but it's reasonably quite.
Got chatting to a German kid called Mo. He's on his way back home to Cologne. In a canoe. A 50 year old folding canoe that he bought off eBay 6 weeks ago from a buyer on Lake Constance. It's made of 50 year old wood and fabric. Not sure I'd trust it sight unseen but he's done 100km so far without any probs. Only another 500 to go. On a bad day, with the flow against him, he'll manage 4 or 5km. On a good day he expects 40. Nice kid. He's only 21 but got some stories to tell. We shared them over beers, then i treated him to some Yorkshire tea when the beers ran dry. 3 rounds of tea later, at 2.30 in the morning, i was spent so called it quits.
It's been a good day today. Despite the inconvenience of rain, I've had a few near misses with the weather but not actually ridden in any rain. The late start set me back but i don't have any set agenda. I'd have preferred dry roads throughout but the wet ones come with their own unique kind of entertainment. I defo need some warmer weather though.
144 miles
The other bikers put on their oversuits and braved the rain about 2 hours earlier. They headed north back to Amsterdam. They would have got very wet.
A dry line quickly appeared in the road and for about 15 minutes i had good riding. Then i gained height and disappeared into the mist. Proper pea souper fog. I couldn't even see the viewing points at side of road, never mind the views.
I pulled over to throw some layers on, one of which was my disco vest. A couple in a 5 series pulled over to make sure all was ok so gave them a thumbs up.
The B500 south of Baden-Baden is awesome all the way to the junction with the 28 to Freudenstadt. Even in the mist and gloom it was enjoyable.
I took the 28 to Freudenstadt and was messing around with satnav trying to find Titisee. My icy fingers kept hitting the H instead of the I so all i was getting was Tithill in Somerset. Amusing, but not right. Once i had it sorted I came to my senses and noticed that the road had dried and the temperature was up in the lofty heights of double figures. Well almost, but 9.5 degrees is far nicer than 7.5.
The stretch to Freudenstadt is really nice. The road i wanted outta town was closed so quick U-turn to retrace my path. Then another one to call into a little bakery for a bite to eat. Eine grosse pretzel bitte.
Pretzels make the world a better place. Weather picked up and the road was good.
Had a bit of a play with a Porsche panamera as i rode towards Triberg. He obviously enjoyed it as much as i did, given the way he was sliding around. Triberg looks like a really nice place to kill some time. There's a huge beer garden in the centre and it all looks quite civilised.
On to Titisee and Bistro zum See. The usual haunt. Started chatting to a couple from Durham. They were just polishing off a Titisee pfannle, or escalope skillet. They had both had it 3 days running and strongly recommended it. I only had eyes for currywurst, so that's what i ordered.
The menu described it as 'gourmet veal sausage with a spicy sauce', which was bigging it up slightly. It was mighty fine though.
Caught up on a few texts over a very nice espresso and before i was done the heavens opened again. I sat it out on the terrace and it cleared up after about half an hour.
I let satnav guide me to a site off the beaten track at Schluchsee but it didn't look too promising. However the weather was still holding and the roads were bone dry so i caned it to the end of the B500 at Waldshut. The last stretch that drops down into Waldshut was the absolute highlight of the day. I'm tempted to ride back up tomorrow to repeat it.
It was getting late so pulled into Rhine Camping in Waldshut. As the name suggests, it's on the banks of the Rhine. I'm still in Germany but i can wave to Switzerland on the opposite bank. If the weather's bad tomorrow i can buy a vignette and clear Switzerland in no time then enjoy tea in Italy. If the weather's good then i can stick around for a play in the Swiss alps.
The girl on reception was lovely. She directed me to the bike parking and then the tent area. They're not together but she let me ride through and park in the pushrod shed right next to my tent.
She cleared up the mysteries of 'tschuss' for me. I though people were saying cheers as they parted but now i know the truth.
I asked about mosquitoes on the Rhine. Sounds like it's normally a nightmare at this site but she said it's far too cold at moment so no worry. I think that was good news. Foxes are an issue though and she pointed out the big warning on the welcome leaflet. They creep in and steal food and shoes during the night. I was advised to leave nothing unsecured outside the tent.
As i peeled my boots off at the pitch i struggled to imagine why any creature would want to steal them.
I staked claim to a huge patch of tent real estate. It was getting late so knew nobody else would turn up to dispute my turf. There's a couple of other tents here but it's reasonably quite.
Got chatting to a German kid called Mo. He's on his way back home to Cologne. In a canoe. A 50 year old folding canoe that he bought off eBay 6 weeks ago from a buyer on Lake Constance. It's made of 50 year old wood and fabric. Not sure I'd trust it sight unseen but he's done 100km so far without any probs. Only another 500 to go. On a bad day, with the flow against him, he'll manage 4 or 5km. On a good day he expects 40. Nice kid. He's only 21 but got some stories to tell. We shared them over beers, then i treated him to some Yorkshire tea when the beers ran dry. 3 rounds of tea later, at 2.30 in the morning, i was spent so called it quits.
It's been a good day today. Despite the inconvenience of rain, I've had a few near misses with the weather but not actually ridden in any rain. The late start set me back but i don't have any set agenda. I'd have preferred dry roads throughout but the wet ones come with their own unique kind of entertainment. I defo need some warmer weather though.
144 miles
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