Sunday, August 01, 2010

News From Graham and Gill Holder

Sorry about delay in email, but the route has taken us mostly through countryside, and suprise suprise there are few internet cafes. We are now in Poznan, Poland, having completed 1076miles. Have been averaging about 40m + a day, but average seriously reduced since entering Poland as it is a cyclist's nightmare!!! Rough and busy roads, potholes you cannot imagine, and roads dwindling into sandy tracks!!
To arrive in Poland we have travelled from Dunkirk, through Belgium (along the N Sea coast route), to Netherlands (The Hague) where we cut eastwards along lovely cycle lanes to Germany, with equally good cycling routes (although slightly more off road in some places than we would like).
We had a couple of days rest in Berlin, where we also bought a new tent (Jack's lightweight one not quite up to the job - now proud owners of a Helleberg tent tested by he Swedish Army!!) and front panniers for our bikes to better balance the load. We then pushed on to the Polish border. From Poznan we are catching a train to avoid any further roads, to Mazury area, in the north east, where there are lots of lakes and opportunities for some kayaking etc. From there we will cross into Lithuania and cut back to the coast avoiding Kaliningrad visas etc. Plan is to stick to the coast through to Riga and Tallin.
En route to Poznan we were adopted by a Polish Priest for 48hours, after sitting in his church for a rest. He bought us dinner at a restaurant, provided us with breakfast and secretly paid our hotel bill!!! Fact is stranger than fiction.. Despite our protest he would take no money for anything!!
More later at our next stop. Hope all good with you all.
Graham and Gill xx

No comments: