Bicycle Touring Germany: Andernach to Lorick

Life after sepsis and back to bicycle touring, my latest update: cycling in Germany, Andernach to Lorick. 73 Miles. What a delightful hotel last night, run by Peter and Brigitte. It made a nice change not to be overcharged, as I seem to have been the past few nights! They even insisted on me taking some food from breakfast to have as a packed lunch!

I’ve now left the vineyards and castles. The landscape has become a lot flatter and much more industrialised!

I got caught in a heavy squally shower, just as I was coming into Cologne! That delayed me for a good hour, waiting for it to pass. There was no need to try and ride in it. The rain was torrential, and the wind was just too strong! I got pretty cold after getting wet. And it took quite a long time before I warmed up again.

Playing The Tourist?

I did have intentions of looking around a couple of the cities I passed through, Bonn and Cologne. Bonn, I couldn’t be bothered, and then after getting wet going into Cologne, I certainly wasn’t going to hang around!

I ended up camping tonight, which came as a surprise! I had intended to stop the night in Dusseldorf. But once again, after arriving there, I decided not to stop and pushed on! But lo and behold, a few miles down the road, I found this campsite!

Life After Sepsis: Eurovelo Bicycle Tour Information

• • Photos: See my photos on Flickr
  • The route: My route across Europe
  • Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
  • Tour page: Ride overview

Follow & Support

If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always support me by buying me a beer. Or subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. As a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And for an insight into the gear and logistics that keep me on the road, see my Life at 10mph Guide.

Bicycle Touring Germany: Mainz to Andernach

Life after sepsis and back to bicycle touring, my latest update: cycling in Germany, Mainz to Andernach. 73 Miles. Much better luck with finding a room tonight, I got one in the first hotel I tried! Although I think I may have the bridal suite! But hey, who cares, I’ve got a room!

I’m pretty surprised at the mileage I’ve done today. I’ve been phaffing about on social media and stopping to take loads of photos. Which, unfortunately, really doesn’t do the scenery justice!

The Rhine passed through a gorge today, and became very closed in! The steep hills on either side were laden with vineyards and castles. I arrived in Koblenz and debated whether to stop the night or not. It was a big place, and there were loads of hotels. But in the end, I decided to carry on, and that’s when it started to go wrong!

More Aggravasion

Firstly, I started going the wrong way! All I’ve been doing all day is making sure the river (Rhine) is on my right, what could be simpler? The EV15 follows the Rhine directly along its banks. It’s so well signposted you don’t need a map or any other navigation aid, for that matter. Unless your name happens to be Garry! As I said, all was going well until I reached Koblenz. The river was on my right, everything was fine, not! I ended up going off course following some tributary river! Luckily, it was only for a mile or two before I realised!

Once back on my route, I found it blocked! They were pulling down some buildings and had put a diversion in! To be fair, you can’t fault them, it was well signed, it just went a long way around!

After my brief diversion, which I would have had to do either today or tomorrow, so it really didn’t make any difference, it started to rain again! But at least I never had the stress of trying to find a hotel tonight!

Life After Sepsis: Eurovelo Bicycle Tour Information

• • Photos: See my photos on Flickr
  • The route: My route across Europe
  • Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
  • Tour page: Ride overview

Follow & Support

If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always support me by buying me a beer. Or subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. As a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And for an insight into the gear and logistics that keep me on the road, see my Life at 10mph Guide.

Bicycle Touring Germany: Speyer to Mainz

Life after sepsis and back to bicycle touring, my latest update: cycling in Germany, Speyer to Mainz. 62 Miles. This morning started off where yesterday left off, a bit of a nightmare! My bike was locked away in a utility room downstairs, rather than have me try and carry it up three flights of stairs!

I was assured last night that I would be able to get my bike out and be on my way as early as I’d like! Fat chance. Apparently, the janitor decided to lock the door even though he was told not to! Thankfully, after a quick call to the owner of the apartment, somebody came within half an hour. And I was soon on my way.

Today

On this morning’s ride, I was passing through loads of villages. I left the Eurovelo route 15 for a while and went the more direct route. But this afternoon, I was back on it. Cycling through miles upon miles of vineyards. Unfortunately, it was raining though!

Riding through those vineyards reminded me of Blue Nun and Black Tower wines, both very 80s. I’ll have to see if I can get a bottle tonight! I’d already made my mind up that after yesterday’s debacle, I wasn’t going to be in the same situation tonight! I’d stop nice and early in a big town/city and make sure that I found somewhere!

Just as well I did, tonight’s accommodation turned out to be just as bad as last night! Apparently, there’s some book fair going on!

Life After Sepsis: Eurovelo Bicycle Tour Information

• • Photos: See my photos on Flickr
  • The route: My route across Europe
  • Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
  • Tour page: Ride overview

Follow & Support

If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always support me by buying me a beer. Or subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. As a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And for an insight into the gear and logistics that keep me on the road, see my Life at 10mph Guide.

Bicycle Touring: Strasbourg, France to Speyer, Germany

Life after sepsis and back to bicycle touring, my latest update: cycling Strasbourg, France to Speyer, Germany. 86 Miles. Nice early finish today, not! I had it in my head that I would stop early today, so come 4 o’clock. As I passed through Germersheim, I spotted a campsite, which, as it turned out, wasn’t a campsite at all!

Not a problem, as I wasn’t expecting to camp tonight anyway. I knew that there were some hotels in Germersheim, I’ll just go and check into one of those!

Not a chance. They were all full, although I did have my doubts about some of them. I just don’t think they could be bothered!

Bloody Hotels

Anyway, the long and short of it all is that I ended up in Speyer, another 10 miles down the road. Unfortunately, all the hotels here were also fully booked! But thanks to the two very nice girls at the reception of the last hotel I tried, they found me a room or rather an apartment!

Apparently, Tuesday and Wednesday are not very good for finding accommodation. All the hotels are booked up with business people, according to the owner of my apartment. I’ll have to bear that in mind tomorrow! Seeing as I’ve got my own place tonight, I thought I’d cook, and went out and bought something very simple: pizza and chips!

Good idea, not! I get back to the apartment, only to find there’s no oven! I’m currently trying to cook a pizza in a frying pan and oven chips in a saucepan on the hob! All in all, a rather stressful end to the day!

Life After Sepsis: Eurovelo Bicycle Tour Information

• • Photos: See my photos on Flickr
  • The route: My route across Europe
  • Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
  • Tour page: Ride overview

Follow & Support

If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always support me by buying me a beer. Or subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. As a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And for an insight into the gear and logistics that keep me on the road, see my Life at 10mph Guide.