So after a wet, hurricane day In Utrecht and more rain and wind forecast Thursday & Friday I've decided to cut my losses rather than stay in hotels.
It's been a funny week. My original plan was to cycle home from Plymouth, but with Mrs Dave's sleepless night on Thursday and a wedding on Friday she didn't fancy the drive home. Added to this was a time limit, the boy wonder had to be in work by 5 pm Saturday, so it was easier for me to drive back.
Instead of doing a ride from home I chose Holland. If I'd have stayed in the Uk I'd have had a rough day too on Tuesday. Trust me to take off the dodgy week in June (and there's one most years!)
So today's ride was a bloody saga I can tell you. I found the central station in Utrecht easily, but buying a ticket proved to be fun. I had to talk to a woman through an intercom on 4 different occasions. The machine didn't like my card. Eventually a passer by told me to go upstairs and speak to a human (I love Dutch people, they're great!) So I had to carry my bike up 2 flights of steps as my pannier wouldn't let the rear wheel in the groove.
I took the train to Schiedam central, changing at Rotterdam central, more stairs!
The station bloke told me I needed platform 8. I found it. There was a train on platform 9 just behind me for a good 5 minutes. As it pulled away I noticed it said Schiedam central! I only had to wait a few minutes!
Once on the train I watched the wet world go by, trees bent double. The train stopped, no announcement. A whistle blew...... oh sh1t! This was my stop!!!
I just escaped. What a dickhead!
It was piddling down outside, so I got kitted up. I eventually found a Hoek sign and set off into a bloody hurricane. There were tree branches everywhere, drips on me nose that I was afraid to wipe off as I didn't want to let go of the bars!
Then the signs dried up. I'll admit to getting a bit sweary. I also knew it was dead funny. Round and round in circles I went. A lovely lady helped me, and then another, and another. All 3 were lovely but one was hot! Her attractiveness sent away my woes for a while!
I entered Maasluis.
A windmill
The red bike route sign sent me into a school car park. I went round the front, flayed by the wind. A staff member was out the front trying to light a fag. He laughed, I pulled comedy pain faces!
More confusion followed. An old fella redirected me. At a junction another lack of signs. A couple of builders came to my aid. With all the red signs was a tiny GREEN sign..... oh yes, change the colour now why don't you!
This fun ride was about to take a turn for the slightly more interesting.. a Dutch mountain. Hoek van Holland- 10K! This was 10k up the Neiuwwater, a dead straight open channel of water with a 30mph headwind!
Off in the distance are a couple of tower blocks, about 3k further on is where I joined the party. There were some nice wildflowers-vipers bugloss, poppy, bladder campion and Rosa rugosa growing prostrate, no bloody wonder!
The Stenna boat came into view, I got a spurt of energy. Up a rise on the dyke, on the down bit I went backwards as a gust took me. There were several places along this 10k that I nearly came off!
The lovely girl at the kiosk changed my booking for €2.40.
I would have got the train to Hoek, but as the song goes, this train don't stop here anymore
My next task is to find a place to camp In Harwich, I think there is a pub 4 miles from the terminal.
I may ride home tomorrow, but I might ride to Ipswich and take a train, I'll see how the wind blows.
And so to sum up. Mistakes-a paper map would have been good, but I didn't know I was coming until Saturday evening!
Phones- Mrs Dave says I have a knack of f*cking up technology. I have a European data pass but it wouldn't work. I will go and roast EE.
Did I enjoy it? Of course I did!
Am I now going to the pub with Mrs Dave, Patrick & Christine on Friday night?
Yes, I am.
That was a tough 8 miles home this morning. I took the slightly shorter route, but fighting 45mph winds after a 12hr night shift I don't think it mattered whether I was doing 5 miles or 50 miles. Soaked through on the bottom half after a mile, on the plus side the top stayed bone dry, still loving the Endura FS260 waterproof. I don't mind getting wet, but it got to the point where being blown around was dangerous, so tonight I've used common sense and bought the van. Took just as long to get to work, oh how I hate sitting in traffic
The return trip was a breeze. Literally. Barely had to put in any effort to hit 16mph and could have gone much faster if I'd wanted to.
