Category: The Grand Tour

After a rich sushi dinner my spirit picked up and I went for another walk. Bath is actually better than alright. It has a nice riverfront and the Archaeological Museum of the Roman baths were interesting.

In good spirits, I left the city next day and went the scenic route towards Stonehenge. On the way, outside Avebury, I passed a field with a giant white horse marked on it. After some research on the internet I found out that there are several of these horses inspired by one really old horse marking.

If you like to read more about the original horse I recomend the Wikipedia page.

Next stop was Stonehenge, and it was just as touristy as I remembered it from 12 years ago. I didn’t enter. I took pictures from outside the fence, used the public toilet, cleaned some bugs off my visor, had biscuits and juice which I brought with me and then I hit the road to Portsmouth.

After some rest in the hostel I went for a walk on the pebbled beach hoping that it would do good for my numb feet.

This is my last stay in England and tomorrow noon I will take the ferry, a journey that lasts 24 hours and takes me to Santander. After that I have 440 km to home. I’ll give north of Spain a miss this time, something has to be saved for the future.

I have now travelled through Spain, France, Belgium (by mistake) Luxembourg (getting lost), Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland, England and Wales. Totalling 10 countries during 5 ½ weeks of travelling. Soon it is over and it will be good to go home. I am very happy with all the beautiful views that I have seen, the curvy roads that I have ridden, and the people that I have met. Now I long to go home to my favourite person who awaits me in Alcobendas.

My greatest thanks goes to Christopher who puts up with me being away like this. I really appreciate it!

This morning it was hard to get out of bed. I long for a morning to sleep in and that will come soon, fortunately. But today I had to kick myself out of bed and with the help of coffee and toast I got ready for the road. Today’s ride was deliberately short, since I had re-planned the route giving DEVon and Cornvall a miss this time. However, on the road I realised that I might actually arrive too early in Bath and not be able to check in. So, I found myself a ruined castle to visit –  meaning that I have done a cultural thing in Wales as well – good for me!

I had a really nice scenic twisty bit planned for the day and I once again enjoyed beautiful scenery but too soon it ended. I found myself passing the Severn road bridge and I was back in England again and, sub sequently, in Bath. I found my hotel fairly quickly, I guess it was partly luck but I also like to think that my map skills has grown. I even found a bikes-only free parking place, after being ten seconds from a parking ticket while unloading the bike. Now I’m settled in, having lunch and will soon investigate what Bath has to offer me. Ice-cream I hope, because it is getting warm now.

I was happy to leave Chester behind this morning. Not because the city itself was bad in any way, but the hostel staff was a rude character treating me and others like we were bothering him by staying in the hostel and asking for normal things. Entering Wales, aiming for Snowdonia, was fantastic. A new country for me, never before entered by foot or wheel. I rode A5 passing pretty Llangollen on to Betwy-e-coed, continuing on the A470 all the way to Brecon. Almost 300 kilometres of just fine twisty roads. Fantastic!

As I had been told, Snowdonia was beautiful. It was cold though, and I got a sprinkle of rain but it passed quickly and, luckily, while riding north the weather cleared up and it was a beautiful day for riding. Unfortunately, I did not stop for pictures in Snowdonia due to the rain, and I was cold. But later on I captured a few beautiful views. I stopped for lunch in a road side café and got myself an “all day breakfast”. I now understand that it truly means eat it and it keeps you full all day 🙂

While riding south the scenery changed and went less dramatic but still so, so, beautiful. This is a country I have to come back to. My stay tonight is in Brecon Beacons Backpackers, just outside Brecon. I was greeted by friendly people who almost seemed disappointed that I didn’t need help with anything. Quite the opposite to Chester BP. I’m alone in my dorm which feels nice, like a guarantee that I will get enough sleep tonight, which I do need.