Oh dear, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

[stever1]

Another cracking day in mad man land.
I left oostburg at about 09.00hrs this morning and within minutes I was in rolling country side with wall to wall blue skies..
I’m surprised that I felt ok today after so many miles yesterday. As I say, I’m not a cyclist really, just go out when I canto burn calories, hey ho, never mind.
About 15km from Brugge I joined a cycle track alongside a canal. It was great. No traffic just a steady ride to Brugge. As I went through Brugge I took the inner ring road, and other than it being a rough ride it was all good.
When I reached the 30 mile mark I stopped for coffee and water, and the lovely lady brought it with 3 chocolates. Very nice but it’s set my sweet tooth off . I would kill for a bar of chocolate ATM
about 18km from Ypres I joined the F351 cycle track, again a great place to be. I stopped in Ypres for coffee and to plan my next move. (I’ve decided to see how far west I can get in the next 4 or 5 days. )
I finished the day at the weirdest hotel I’ve ever been to
The fluer du les in hazebroek.
It’s behind big fences and electric gates . I’m the only person here. No bar. No restaurant. No life of any kind but I’d done 70 miles by the time I got here so I wasn’t wanting to move on.
Imagine a campanile hotel but as a prison camp that about sums it up. My breakfast was already in the fridge waiting for me and dinner/beer was next door at the bowling ring.
As for tomorrow I’m going to plan a route west towards Dieppe. If I can get further, great, if not never mind.
Oh, I forgot to mention 2 things
1. I slept a solid 8 hours last night, didn’t even get up for a wee.
2. If you’re in a hotel with no one around, why not bring the bike into the room

 

[Hairnet600]

respec ya loony

 

[stever1]

respec ya loony

I’ve been called worse

 

[Orinoco]

In effect I started cycling properly in march along the local cycle track. Now I’m here.
If an old, fat, lazy duffer like me can do it anyone can.
Incidentally. What bike you riding ?

I bought an old Thorn Club Tour, have had to do an awful lot of work to it to get it sorted, stripping/powder coating/changing brakes and shifters/levers! But very happy with the result

 

[stever1]

I bought an old Thorn Club Tour, have had to do an awful lot of work to it to get it sorted, stripping/powder coating/changing brakes and shifters/levers! But very happy with the result

View attachment 520129

It looks similar to my modern bike. Perhaps you need to try an adventure just like I have.

 

[Tinytim]

It looks similar to my modern bike. Perhaps you need to try an adventure just like I have.

Inspiring Steve.

 

[stever1]

OK, at last I have a solid plan. I’m going from here to Abbeville. On towards Dieppe. Hopefully then on to Ouistreham for the ferry home. There’s always the option to extend to St Malo but I think it’s a bit too far at about 350 miles from here.
Tonight I’ll start looking at ferries home and how to get home once back in the UK.
Incidentally I’m using cycle.travel for a lot of planning and it just works. It has faults but nothing to bad. For instance it doesn’t keep the dot in the middle of the screen, so I have to keep moving the screen, and it would be better if the direction of travel was up, not all over the bloody place.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

OK, at last I have a solid plan. I’m going from here to Abbeville. On towards Dieppe. Hopefully then on to Ouistreham for the ferry home. There’s always the option to extend to St Malo but I think it’s a bit too far at about 350 miles from here.
Tonight I’ll start looking at ferries home and how to get home once back in the UK.
Incidentally I’m using cycle.travel for a lot of planning and it just works. It has faults but nothing to bad. For instance it doesn’t keep the dot in the middle of the screen, so I have to keep moving the screen, and it would be better if the direction of travel was up, not all over the bloody place.

Just ride home from Newhaven or Portsmouth
That would be an adventure

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Another cracking day in mad man land.
I left oostburg at about 09.00hrs this morning and within minutes I was in rolling country side with wall to wall blue skies..
I’m surprised that I felt ok today after so many miles yesterday. As I say, I’m not a cyclist really, just go out when I canto burn calories, hey ho, never mind.
About 15km from Brugge I joined a cycle track alongside a canal. It was great. No traffic just a steady ride to Brugge. As I went through Brugge I took the inner ring road, and other than it being a rough ride it was all good.
When I reached the 30 mile mark I stopped for coffee and water, and the lovely lady brought it with 3 chocolates. Very nice but it’s set my sweet tooth off . I would kill for a bar of chocolate ATM
about 18km from Ypres I joined the F351 cycle track, again a great place to be. I stopped in Ypres for coffee and to plan my next move. (I’ve decided to see how far west I can get in the next 4 or 5 days. )
I finished the day at the weirdest hotel I’ve ever been to
The fluer du les in hazebroek.
It’s behind big fences and electric gates . I’m the only person here. No bar. No restaurant. No life of any kind but I’d done 70 miles by the time I got here so I wasn’t wanting to move on.
Imagine a campanile hotel but as a prison camp that about sums it up. My breakfast was already in the fridge waiting for me and dinner/beer was next door at the bowling ring.
As for tomorrow I’m going to plan a route west towards Dieppe. If I can get further, great, if not never mind.
Oh, I forgot to mention 2 things
1. I slept a solid 8 hours last night, didn’t even get up for a wee.
2. If you’re in a hotel with no one around, why not bring the bike into the room

View attachment 520098View attachment 520099

What make of bike is that ?

 

[stever1]

Just ride home from Newhaven or Portsmouth
That would be an adventure

Not necessarily a good one.

 

[stever1]

What make of bike is that ?

A giant escape disc z.

 

[Davey B]

My first MTB was a Giant Escaper...1988...useless factoid.

 

[wessie]

there's an overnight ferry from Le Havre to Portsmouth if you don't fancy heading over the Pont de Normandie to Caen. Docks at 0730 or 0900 in Portsmouth depending on the day so plenty of time to get the train north

 

[glenn2926]

OK, at last I have a solid plan. I’m going from here to Abbeville. On towards Dieppe. Hopefully then on to Ouistreham for the ferry home. There’s always the option to extend to St Malo but I think it’s a bit too far at about 350 miles from here.
Tonight I’ll start looking at ferries home and how to get home once back in the UK.
Incidentally I’m using cycle.travel for a lot of planning and it just works. It has faults but nothing to bad. For instance it doesn’t keep the dot in the middle of the screen, so I have to keep moving the screen, and it would be better if the direction of travel was up, not all over the bloody place.

Don’t try to do too much. A couple of mates and I did a cycle ride from our home fire station to Sarajevo fire station at the end of the Balkan war. This was to raise enough money to buy a water tanker as all the mains were damaged due to the bombing. We were completely unsupported. Just the three of us on three MTBs. We stayed at fire stations every night. Which obviously resulted in drinking far too much with the lads whose stations we were staying at. We definitely did too much. 2100 miles in three weeks.
Half that distance or twice the timescale would have been more enjoyable.
We rode from West Yorkshire to the Hull- Rotterdam ferry then onwards to Sarajevo.
I haven’t really cycled since as it became a bit of a chore. So don’t over do it as it stops being fun.

 

[wessie]

I haven’t really cycled since as it became a bit of a chore. So don’t over do it as it stops being fun.

catching a train home from the south coast might put him off doing it again

 

[glenn2926]

catching a train home from the south coast might put him off doing it again

That would certainly put me off.

 

[Hustler]

I've been following this thread for no reason at all to start with.
But now, 3 days in, I just caught myself looking at push bikes for sale on ebay.
It's many, many years since I've ridden a push bike.
I'm sure a purchase won't happen and of course I haven't a clue what to buy, size wise, bike type wise, nothing at all really.
But thank you steve as it has been at the very least, something I've found very interesting to read.
And very well done for your achievement to date.

 

[wessie]

I've been following this thread for no reason at all to start with.

ditto

But now, 3 days in, I just caught myself looking at push bikes for sale on ebay.

not a chance

It's many, many years since I've ridden a push bike.

ditto

I'm sure a purchase won't happen and of course I haven't a clue what to buy, size wise, bike type wise, nothing at all really.

ditto

But thank you steve as it has been at the very least, something I've found very interesting to read.

ditto

And very well done for your achievement to date.

this is the sort of thing to be enjoyed vicariously, whilst sat in an armchair, with a fan blowing air over a block of ice and a damp tea towel over your head in the style of Peter O'Toole.

 

[Tinytim]

ditto


not a chance


ditto


ditto

ditto


this is the sort of thing to be enjoyed vicariously, whilst sat in an armchair, with a fan blowing air over a block of ice and a damp tea towel over your head in the style of Peter O'Toole.

Just thinking similar.

 

[EVskiy]

ditto


not a chance


ditto


ditto

ditto


this is the sort of thing to be enjoyed vicariously, whilst sat in an armchair, with a fan blowing air over a block of ice and a damp tea towel over your head in the style of Peter O'Toole.

What a way to cheer @stever1 on . Oh well at least he's looking after himself a little and getting out there....