Day 28... So proud to be part of your life Philip. Xx

This will be my last post as I am no longer cycling and recording my day to day life would not only be pointless but also a waste of my time and anyone else reading it.

I completed my 2400km and 28 days on Saturday. Was so amazing to see everyone there at the castle to say hello. Even had a piper there to add to the scottish welcoming! Thank you so much to everyone that came along and also to all the people that have supported me and the cause I am raising for.

I also want to add that throughout my cycle my Grandpa Philip Toogood had been very ill with Leukaemia. Even through his illness he managed to follow my progress, supporting and contacting me regularly. It's definitely safe to say we all got a lot of our adventurous genes from him. Last night just after 10 he passed away. For myself and those there it felt very special to be with such an incredible, inspiring and loving man in his last few hours. He knew we were there for him as he has been throughout all of our lives. I managed to make it on my bike in time to his hospital in Galashiels on Friday for his final hours of conversation and consciousness. It was such an amazing feeling and relief. I am so proud to be part of his life and want to dedicate my last adventure and travels to him. I know he would have loved to join me on a bike of his own if he could have. Love you loads big man, you're a perfect example of someone who knows what they want and follows through with it. He's had an incredible life and because of that should have had no regrets. If you want and think you can do something then do it. When i'm next contemplating what to do in life I will definitely ask myself, 'what would Captain Toogood do?'

We'll miss you loads but you'll never be forgotten Philip. 

Xxxx

Day 27.... Hame tomorrow

Woke up for the last time in my tent this morning. Was absolutely freezing, raining, dark and kept hearing a scratching on my tent which scared the s**t out of me! Heard it just before going to bed then again early when I woke up. I packed all my things up very quietly hoping the beast outside would leave and decide there was nothing in the tent worth eating i.e. me. It kept going and as all my things were packed up and i'd slowly eaten my breakfast I had to face whatever was waiting for me outside. I very stealthily opened my inside zip followed by the outside. It was right in front of me staring with it's little beady eyes.

After the two monsters help me pack my things I got straight on it again. My grandad Philip isn't too well just now and is in hospital so I decided to pay him a surprise visit. He is in Galashiels so had a bit of a trek to get here. Seeing him and some of the family today really pushed and motivated me to keep going. In weather conditions I had today I needed a boost too! Made it here about 3 so managed to spend a bit of time hopefully cheering him up a bit with some stories from my journey.

I made it to the boarder of England and Scotland within a few hours but was unbelievable cold! It's so typical that the worst weather I have had in a month was the second I made it into Scotland. A bus of German tourist pulled up and decided they all wanted a photo with me. A lot of them deciding that I was also from Germany. Must be the German looks.... Apparently.

I am staying in Galashiels tonight. A lot of family members are here so it has been so nice to see them all before my final leg of the journey. I also am sleeping on a gigantic blow up bed, had steak for dinner and got to use a clean proper towel for the first time in ages! So sick of using that 'super absorbent' one which resembles drying yourself with newspaper. Hopefully have a reasonably easy ride to Edinburgh Castle tomorrow. I know for a fact it's going to be shocking weather as Scotland doesn't seem to know what sunshine is. 

See you all soon! :)

Day 26.... Saw my first sign to Edinburgh

Had a complete nightmare of a morning from Hartlepool! Thought we would take a nice scenic route around the coast. It ended up being one of the most ridiculous decisions of my whole trip. We took a road up a little steep hill that led us to a dead end and decided to stop and ask a nice man and his dog which way we needed to go to reach Sunderland. He told us to take the coastal road, explaining that what we were riding on was absolutely fine for it and we'd have no problem. He obviously got mixed up and thought we were both driving 4x4 trucks. Easy mistake to make.... Dunno what he had been smoking but he had absolutely no idea what he was sending us into. It led us round a dirt track that I wouldn't have even touched with my mountain bike. It had narrow tracks that were clearly designed for tightrope walkers with an immunity to nettle stings. A massive thank you to that man and his dog!

After our massive D-tour which added a good hour on to our journey we managed to find the roads again and was pretty basic from there. Weather was also amazing today and definitely appropriate taps aff weather. My back is so brown but front hasn't changed from summer, arms are really dark and have funny tan lines on my face from the helmet straps. I look like a dulux paint chart for 'all shades of tan.' We even stopped outside Tescos for lunch and a quick lie in the sun. Didn't realise the glass was a one way mirror though and that everyone in the shop could see us outside sunbathing on the concrete. Security guard came and told us to bugger off as we were putting off customers. Don't think so mate. If anything, seeing the two of us outside will double your customers.

Was amazing having Callum around and have some company so was gutted when he left me at Newcastle to head back down to York. Cheers for the support Callum.

It was pretty tough getting to Newcastle at about 4 o'clock, exhausted and seeing on the map that I wasn't even half way to where I wanted to reach today. Managed to make it out of Newcastle ok though and carry on going. Morale shot up again when I saw a sign to Edinburgh! What a feeling. It was marked with 92 miles but it's the first sign I have seen for home and feels like I really am on the home stretch now. Also had a laugh along the road at the cows and sheep along the way. I don't know why but they are so much more alert than those in Europe. They all looked so concerned seeing me in my highlighted jacket. A load of concerned cows is funny to someone that has been alone almost a month.

Didn't make it to the campsite I wanted tonight as it was starting to get dark and my concentration/ energy levels were really starting to dip. I was just about to set my tent up at the side of the road when I seen a sign for a B&B. Pulled in and after speaking to the family who own it managed to pitch my tent up on their land. Such a nice family who have let me use their facilities and shower etc. So chuffed and more than happy to know this is my last night in a tent on this trip!

Nearly home. Can't wait to see everyone on the weekend!

Day 25.... So good to have some company

Left York today and headed towards the coast to Hartlepool. Callum joined me today and will come up to Newcastle tomorrow before going back down to York.  If anyone asks me what tips before doing a long cycle. The first would be 'don't' and second would be to do it with someone else. Makes such a difference cycling with a bit of company! We decided to cycle through the Yorkshire moors for a change of scenery and it was a really good days cycle. Hills were tough and without a breeze it was absolutely roasting! Had a beast of a hill to end them too. My wheel has buckled again and has gone a bit wobbly. The spokes seem a bit lose so will head to a repair shop tomorrow and try to get it sorted.

Spoke to quite a lot of people on the road today. The further north I have gone the nicer the people seem to have got. It really winds me up now asking people directions now for them to reply 'pffft that's quite some distance mate, you won't make that today.' I replied a bit smugly today with 'I've come from Switzerland' and she replied 'Jeez! What time did you start?!'

Callum booked us into a really nice hotel tonight and it feels like absolute luxury! Even had free digestives and ginger nuts. We got here about 6 as it was a slightly later start this morning, got a chippy, got washed, changed and hit whetherspoons for a huge burger! mmmmmmmm!!!

Got a long cycle tomorrow up to Northumberland. Cycling through some forest that apparently has a campsite i'll sop off at. Shattered so will try blast though and get there reasonably early to get an early night before the last two day home stretch!

Day 22 and 23

Cycled up to a place just above Lincoln on Saturday called Blython. Nothing much there. Getting pretty bored of cycling through countryside. Have seen so many cows it's ridiculous. Has made me realise how much of Europe is just fields with the odd village with an average of maybe 3 houses. It was quite an easy day just following a river for most of it. When I made it to the campsite i'd planned on staying in it was pretty empty. A few caravans and 3 tents. As there was no one in the tents I thought I'd pitch up between two reasonably big ones. They looked like big family tents and had a milk bottle outside so thought 'aww this'll do. Nice wee family break with their baby.' Pitched my tent up and got everything unpacked and as soon as I did 3 cars pulled up and about 300 kids piled out. All wearing matching onesies. The adults then stepped out also matching. I would pick the noisiest point in England to pitch up a tent for an early nights sleep.

I did manage to get some sleep and have a reasonably early morning on Sunday. Sunday was absolutely horrible though. Was constantly against the wind. Cycling against wind is like cycling up a hill but not getting the benefit of going downhill. At one point after constant screaming at the wind I had to stop by the side of the road and have a break. Have a video of myself cracking up and really is like watching a mans sanity hit rock bottom! I also started to develop real pain in my right thigh and knee towards the end. Hoping it was just tiredness and won't stop me the next few days. Had a break in York too with a friend, Dan who I lived with in Sydney. Been really nice to just chill out and not really do anything.

4 days left now and am so excited to make it home!

Day 20 and 21

Had my first couple of days in UK and it's been so nice. Have only had a few times getting lost, one of them being as soon as I got off the ferry. In my usual ways I left the ferry and had no idea where I was going. The ferry ride/ sleep was so nice and had a cracking shower! Could have spent a few days on it just going back and forth. Stopped at a petrol station to pick up a map but still took me a few hours to get my bearings. Left Harwich and went completely the wrong way. When I stopped to ask a couple of woman what the best route to Cambridge was, one of them studied the map for a good 5 minutes without saying a word then finally replied with,
 'Ok dear, so go to the end of this road, turn left, then your second left, keep going until you see the roundabout, go straight on past it. You will then see the station further down on your left.'
'OK great'
'Then get a train, will take you half an hour'
'I have to cycle'
'Oh I don't know then, sorry love'
'Thanks'
 That happened twice except the second guy asked where my final destination was and when I told him Edinburgh he laughed and pointed north.

I did manage to find my way out of Harwich after a bit of time and once I had it was a breeze to find Cambridge. Everything was signposted so well and the map I had was great. There have been a couple of roads/ dual carriageways that I have felt a bit uncomfortable on and would like to avoid them from now. Wouldn't mind finishing my trip in Edinburgh rather than the front of a lorry radiator.

I made it to Cambridge about 115km later at about 4 but took me over an hour and a half to make it to the house I was looking for. It was a nightmare to find! Was well worth the find though. Was staying with two family friends and was spoiled rotten. Was absolute luxury. Comfy bed, shower, amazing feed for dinner then to top off the incredible hospitality I was given a huge feast that Eva had went and bought for me for todays trip. Was in my element with so much food today!

I left Cambridge and managing to get out much easier than getting in yesterday. Felt really tired this morning even after a good nights sleep. Guess it's pretty expected after a few thousand kilometres. Today was a really simple cycle again with really easy to follow signs etc. Signs a bit like this one

Love how simple everything is back in UK. I got to Boston today, didn't even know there was a Boston in UK. Hope there is otherwise I've taken a really wrong turn somewhere. Found a pretty nice campsite and it's full of normal people which I am not used to after some of the places I have visited on my way. Up to Lincoln tomorrow and I think it's a pretty simple ride up an old rail track. A week tomorrow and I'll be on my way to the castle. Looking forward to a couple of bags of flamin' hot monster munch, a pint and a chippy with plenty of chippy sauce! Oh and to see everyone.... Obviously.

Day 19..... I'm coming for you UK!!

I'm currently sitting by the Hoak Van Holland port waiting for my overnight ferry to take me to Harwich. Was some feeling seeing the sea this afternoon!! Can't believe this time tomorrow i'll be in Cambridge. Still a trek home but it's a big relief to be crossing the water and seems a lot closer to home. Weird to think how many boarders i have crossed the past few weeks. Switzerland, France, Germany, Luxembourg (won't be back) , Belgium, Holland and soon to be UK.

I've just spent the past 2 nights in Amsterdam, which was amazing! So happy I was able to take a day off. Felt like a mini holiday. The hostel I was in was called 'flying pig' and was right in the centre. Within an hour of being there a group of us formed and stayed with most of them for the full 2 days there. Had 2 really good nights out. Didn't really want to leave but now I have it feels nice to be back on the bike and another step closer to finishing. Don't really have much more to say about the past few days. Not many stories.... Well there are but maybe for another time.

Don't really have a route planned for the UK yet and don't have a map so guess i'll just wing it again and cycle north. I've sort of managed up until now. Going to watch this lady struggle to fit through these broken rotating doors for a bit then go and say goodbye to the sunshine. Guess I won't see it for a while.

Day 14-16 I think

So Day 14 was amazing! Sun was out, I didn't get lost, Antwerp was amazing and I met and spent the evening with a group of Dutch girls.... Could defiantly have gone worse! Thanks again for your help and guide on where to go next. I also managed to get myself some front panniers finaaaaally so now the weight has been evened out a bit. Cost me a bomb as I got a bit of a service too. Well worth it for moral alone, knowing that hopefully that will keep my back wheel from buckling.

 I also experienced something that I had never experienced before. I pulled up at some traffic lights and turned round to see a little bulldog squatting and his owner shouting something repeated which I gathered was, 'WAIT, WAIT!!' The dog then stood back up while his owner pulled out a napkin from his pocket, placed it behind the dog, the dog then squatted back and done it's business in the napkin..... I missed the green light and had to wait for the next one. Was absolutely speechless at what I watching!

Day 15 was pretty dull. As I have totally underestimated how quick it would take me to make it up until now I have decided to take a D-tour and travel around Holland a bit. At one point I smelt a bit of marijuana and got really confused as I was in the middle of nowhere. I then took a look around and seen that I was surrounded by huge fields of it! Definitely in Holland!  I travelled up to a place called Vucht which I imagine would be pretty nice in good weather but it was so misty and rainy that I couldn't see a thing!  Was pretty cool to make it into Holland though. Can't get over how flat it is and to be honest don't understand how somewhere can just have no hills. Like none at all!! I made it to a campsite beside a lake after cycling over 130km. Was only suppose to be around 90-100 but me and my special ways managed to add about 40 km onto the map... By the time I got to the campsite reception was closed so I thought I'd go and try and find someone to pay as I am a changed man now/ couldn't be arsed getting into trouble. I found a shop on the campsite and they told me just to pitch up for free and that they never saw me. Legends! There was no shower open though so I am stinking now!

Left for Day 16 this morning nice and early so I could avoid reception opening up again! I made my way to a town called Utrecht. It's pretty nice and was quite a nice journey here. Didn't get lost again but I'm following a number system that is really well sign posted but gives you the country roads meaning it ends up adding a lot of Km onto my journey. It's all flat though so nae worries. I stopped for lunch beside this little farm and spent about an hour playing, feeding and laughing at the baby goats. If they squeezed their faces through the fence far enough it would put a little grin on their face. Funniest thing i've seen in weeks!

I had to pass a river at one point and instead of a bridge they had a little ferry boat to take you across. When I was on the boat a huge man waddled slowly towards me and a few other cyclists. He was incredibly rude and just seemed like a really unpleasant man. He made it to me, stuck his hand out to collect money and said something that sounded like 'dashasand',
so I said 'sorry how much?'
'dashashand'
so I replied again 'sorry do you speak english?'
he then raised his voice and mentioned something about 'HOLLAND'
I said 'I know we are in Holland but I don't speak dutch and don't know how much to pay you'
'DASHASHAND'
'can you show me on your hand how much? 1 euro? 2 euro? 3?' Counting my fingers
'Dashashand'
'ok'
I then rustled through my change and handed him a 100 Euro note 'Change please mate'
He then kicked of for a minute and after I shrugged my shoulders he waddled off. 5 minutes later he came back with my change of €99.20. I laughed and carried on.

On my way I kept bumping into a really friendly Italian couple and ended up cycling about 10km with them to the hostel they were planning on staying at. I've just booked myself in to get a proper clean and sleep for the night. The town seems really nice too so will take a wander in and get some food for the next couple of days. Am going to make my way to Amsterdam tomorrow. Less than two weeks now!!

Day 13.... Almost lost one of my Panniers

So the only good that came out of today was that I passed a Donkey farm. There were white ones and I love donkeys. It went downhill after meeting the donkeys.

Left the hostel and found a really nice cycling path called the 'Ravel'. After half an hour on this lovely path my tyre popped. That's fine, it happens. So changed it and while changing it realised my wheel was a bit squint, AGAIN. In anger I turned round and kicked a bush. It happened to be a bramble bush and cut my leg. As I turned round I tripped over my bag into a bed of nettles. Kicked them, called them a bunch of b***tards then got back on my squint bike and kept going.

I was on my way to Hoegaarden and I love the beer so gathered i'd get a few pints and have a wee gander round the town. Got there and pulled up to a restaurant, parked my bike, locked it and noticed one of my pannier bags was missing. Cannot express the panic that rushed through me! Heart sank! It had my laptop and other essentials that I couldn't go without. Immediately got straight back on my bike and cycled back the route i'd just come. It was about 1 o'clock so was starving which didn't help the mood I was now in. On my way down the hill I bumped into a couple who I were at the hostel before and who I kept bumping into on the way. I asked if they had seen a bag on the path and they told me yes but it was about 5km away. (I've learnt to double the km when asking someone how far away something is. Just like you need to add 20 minutes on to how long it will take to get somewhere.) After absolutely bombing it down this path, 20 minutes later I found it resting against a post. I was so pleased! The reason it fell off however was that the buckles had loosened and come off. They are now weak and keep coming undone... Absolute nightmare!! Managed to fix it temporarily and carry on.

Got back to Hoegaarden for the second time. Had my couple of Hoegaarden's and some beef stew thing with Hoegaarden in it. Paid for it and left. As my pannier bag was now loose I wanted to try and stay on very paved roads so the ride was as smooth as possible. However, Hoegaarden has decided to surround itself in cobbles. Everwhere had cobbled roads! If I win the lottery I am going to buy a huge cobble i.e. a rock, take all the Hoegaarden and Hoegaardians out of Hoegaarden out and gentle squash it as there are no need for so many cobbles in one place. Hate them and they have done my sore arse no favours. I also kept going in circles and ending up back in Hoegaarden. Took me about an hour and a half just to get out of Hoegaarden. It's safe to say I have been, seen, experienced Hoegaarden and shall not return to Hoegaarden.

Managed to figure out the way the cycle routes work and made it to Leuven. It is about 30 km away from Mechelen where I wanted to go but as I had to stop so much today to fix everything that I wouldn't have made it before dark. I'm going all the way to Antwerp tomorrow which should be an easy journey all the way along the canal. Will pass a town called boom too which I am pretty excited about!

Passed the 1000km mark today and will be in UK a week today. Will be a nice feeling crossing the water.

Day 12.... Nothing really happened

Had a wee day off today as I have tanked the past few days, I can afford to take it and I was shattered. Spent the whole day pretty much planning my route. I have had to take Bruges out of my journey as it would have added at least an extra 300 km onto my route and already I am going to go over the 2000 mark by the time i'm home. I am going to Mechelen tomorrow which I have never heard of before but it's 100km away and en route to Amsterdam.  I also get to pass through a village called 'BOOM' so could't take any routes around that!  I think I will need to stay in a hostel again as there don't seem to be any camping options around. The following day i'll stop off for the night in Antwerp as there is a wee campsite by the river that looks nice. If I can i'll try and get in after they close and 'borrow a night.'

I took a wander into Namur centre tonight for dinner. Went for a special athletes diet of 2 kebabs (from 2 different places. First one was amazing, second not so good) and an ice cream. Ice cream had 2 scoops, both with sorbet. Raspberry and tropical. Tasted so good but the raspberry gave me really red lips. I met a really nice little cat on the way back, even stopped to stroke it which I never do. Almost changed my opinion on cats but then realised I could see right through its beady little eyes. They are all the same...boring, 2 faced and if you shaved off their cute fur they'd all look the same, skin and bones.

Really struggling to find anything else to chat about today as you may have noticed so going off to get another early night. A long cycle tomorrow but hopefully a bit flatter and better sign posted than yesterday.

Day 11 has ruined me

Don't know how to describe today and don't really know how I can express how much it has destroyed me. It was the hardest day physically and in ways mentally I have ever had. I was cycling from 8 this morning till abut 930 tonight and covered 160km. I thought Luxembourg was Hilly but this was ridiculous. Stopped to make myself a sandwich but ate that while I was going. The only other times I stopped were to ask people the way to go and to be honest that was a lot.

From the moment I left the campsite to the second I reached the hostel I felt lost and had no idea if I was going the right way. That was all with the map I bought in Bastogne. The map was rubbish and led me to every corner of the countryside between Luxembourg and Namur! I understand all I have done is moan but I really struggled today. Even got to a stage where I turned round to a cow and loudly shouted 'WHAT THE F**K ARE YOU LOOKING AT!!"

Today is all a bit of a blur but I will try and briefly describe the events of today.
I left the campsite and made my way to Bastogne and immediately got lost. After asking a number of people where a nearby town was and getting the same response of 'I don't know' I decided it was time to get a cycling map. I seemed to try to follow the map so much that it made things worse and took me all over. Hours had passed and I was still in the middle of no where. I was going in the right direction but taking ridiculous D-tours! I have asked so many people for directions today even knocking on peoples doors. I knocked on a door in a tiny little village and when it opened a Belgium version of Rab-C Nesbit walked out. White vest with food down it, cigarette hanging out the mouth and a huge belly. Really nice guy though and invited me in for a cuppa which I had to decline because of the time. I filled up my water bottles and left. I have also been told about 100 times today to take the motorway and had to tell people I've got a bike and can't. One conversation went like this:
Pulled up and asked a man "Can you point me in the direction to Nassogne please?"
He said "take the N4 motor way"
I said "hmmm is there another route... like this blue route on my map"
"No! The N4 is the quickest"
"Ok. Um, I'm not going to take that because it's dangerous"
He laughed at me and said, " Don't be ridiculous, people take it all the time"
"Yeah but i'm on a bike"
"Ohhhh you're cycling??"
No mate I'm wearing this helmet, lycra and have this bike glued to my arse purely for fashion.
Had the same conversation too many times!

 At about 4 O'clock after I'd screamed at a cow and taken a few too many mountain biking routes I gave up on the map and went back to my wee notebook with location checkpoints. I had to take a bit of a D-tour to get to one of the points on it but once I was there it was much easier. Even though I'd already cycled 80 km and saw I had at least 60 km to go I was still so keen to make it to this hostel without stopping. Really determined, a few more times asking people directions and getting a little more lost I finally made it. That map is going in the bin and from now on i'm going for the old system of winging it.

I am taking a day off tomorrow as today has ruined me and the thought of a couple of Belgian beers tonight and a day off kept me going today. I also can't afford to have another day like today so will do some serious planning tomorrow along with a wash and a bit of a lie in/ rest.

Have covered 900 km so far in the past 9 days of cycling so I'm pretty happy with that. Also need to mention how unbelievably satisfying it is to reach these destinations each day. I am so overwhelmed and happy at the end of each day that I really wonder what i'm going to be like when I make it back home. When I saw the hostel tonight I felt like crying, came out as hysterical laughing instead. Got some funny looks but as you might have seen from the Michael Jackson singing i've stopped caring what people think around me.

Will plan the next week well and promise I will have some positive stories to write about.

Day 10.... Exhausted

Cannot believe I'm on day 10 already. Would calculate exactly how many days i've got left but can't be arsed just now. Didn't really get much sleep last night as it was raining pretty heavy. Managed to get up at 7ish though, pack my things away and head towards Luxembourg city.  Taking me at least an hour each morning to get my stuff together and pack my tent away.

Left today without a map again and think it will be my last. took me about 20 minutes to make it 100 metres away from the campsite going up and down the same road trying to find the turn off. (I've just rubbed my eye after putting deep heat on my neck. Can't see.) Made it to Luxembourg City and immediately got lost. Thought I'd go and do a bit of exploring which was a very bad move. Was stuck going in circles for about an hour and this was after i'd got a map from the info centre. Found out it has different levels to it and just ended up going up and down in spirals. Managed to find the right path and from then on for the next 70 km it was very hilly so a lot of climbing. They also shut everything on a Monday. I don't know what it is about all these European countries but they all have different days of the week that they close EVERYTHING! Was struggling in France to find a shop on Sunday then this today. Either all choose the same day or just stay open. There's no such thing as a 24/7 Asda over here. I miss that place and te pick and mix at 3 in the morning.

I hit a point today of total exhaustion and almost fell asleep in a wee cafe I found at lunch. It's either lack of sleep or maybe the cycling is starting to hit me. Didn't make it to the campsite I planned but only 10 km away and less of a D-tour. It's a nice wee place and was only a fiver so was happy not to 'borrow' tonight. The countryside on the way seemed to smell so bad too! Much worse than normal and just a different kind of bad smell. Not impressed with Luxembourg with its spiralling cities, smelly countryside and steep hills but the people seem really nice. Dead friendly folk at this campsite but they are all about 90 and all of them seem to breathe really loud. No other tents again.

Think I have another really tough day tomorrow with a lot more hills and 120km to Namur. Going to treat myself to a hostel tomorrow as I really need to wash some clothes and find some company. Also need to charge some stuff as everything is out of battery.

Going to get a really early night and go to sleep now so I can try and get up before 6 and have a much earlier start tomorrow.

Day 9.... Don't really know where I'm going today

Managed to get 130 km yesterday. 30km more than I wanted and a lot more hilly than I expected. Was so nice to get out of Strasbourg though and have no problems with my bike along the way. Good to get away from that hostel too. Was sharing a room with a Russian man who claimed to be escaping from the Russian Government and that a polish spy was also sharing the room with us. He claimed the polish spy hacked his internet and was tracking him. Got up to the room and waited for this spy to rock in. Later I heard the door unlock, door opened and Mario and Luigi's 3rd brother walked in! Loudest Italian man, tango orange skin and pure white hair! He took one look at my cycling gear and screamed 'USAIN BOLT, CHAMPION!!!!'. I don't know what this Russian was on about but if this guy was a spy he's covering up seriously well!! If you are being chased by the Russian government and have somehow found this and are reading it right now, I'm sorry, I was just joking, you were an absolute pleasure to meet and goodluck with the rest of your journey :)

I am in a little town called Saar Louis just now and have cycled about 40 km. I don't have a map today and just have a list of towns I need to pass through. Thought i'd planned it quite well but have passed about 9 towns I wrote down and only have 2 left with about 70 km to do! Pretty glad I have found wifi so I can plan a bit more and figure out where I am going. I left at about 8 and it's now 11 30 so i'm hoping to get finished before 6 tonight. Found another campsite to stay in. Stayed in the place for free last night again, don't feel bad though as they were charging 2 euros for a shower and another euro for hot water!!

Waitress has just brought me some foooood so off to eat then plan my route today.

Day 7.... Still here

Can't believe I am still in Strasbourg. Place won't let me go. The little bald french man popped different wheel on with thicker spokes and I send some stuff home to reduce the weight. I also went for a sexy new haircut as I think the mop I was growing on my head might be weighing me down. Had a shave too as that little goatee was also adding unnecessary weight.

I'm still in the hostel and will give a bit more detail tomorrow about the characters i've met tonight. Obvious reasons i'll share tomorrow.

Can't wait to get going again tomorrow and really hope my bike holds out. Suppose all this makes the blog a bit more interesting. Could be worse, could have got hit by that tram I was playing chicken with earlier.... Joking Mum.

 Get the hearts game on tonight then hit the town this evening to buy another one of those tidy raspberry ice creams

Day 7

Strasbourg has absolutely shafted me! Went to get my bike this morning, picked it up and cycled towards the hostel to collect my bags. 5 minutes in I thought I'd check the spoke and it was still broken. I went back to the shop and told them, he kicked off at his colleague and fixed it himself. On my way out I dropped my phone and cracked the whole screen, I took a deep breath and kept going. After about 45 minutes of cycling I heard a snap and another spoke broke.... I got off my bike, lay on the grass, almost cried and felt like throwing my bike in the river. After about 10 minutes of huffing I got up cycled back to the shop (with a squint wheel, AGAIN). I've realised I have too much weight on the back and as there is no way to install a front rack and panniers on to the front, because of the bike I have I need to keep everything on the back. The guy at the shop said he didn't know what to do apart from replace the back wheel completely which would take him a week to order, so pointed me out some other shops to try. Non of them were able to do anything either. I returned back to the first shop and he has told me to leave him with it for an hour. If he manages to fix it I will give him a big cuddle and get on my way again. I might also post a few things home that I could survive without. If I was to post home my jeans, shoes and some other little things it wouldn't kill me but would mean more time spent in smelly cycling gear. If he can't do anything about it, not really sure what i'm going to do. It's a good bike so it maybe just needs a slightly stronger wheel. I have faith in the little bald French man fixing it, he's got an hour to absolutely make my whole week!!

It's getting on a bit but I will still try and complete my 100km today and make it up to Neufgrange. It doesn't get dark till about 8 or 9 so should be ok. If it gets too much later I might need to stay another night here which I reeeeeeally don't want to do.

You better make it up to me France, you've been a right w**nker so far!!

Day 6.... Sore head

Waiting for the back wheel of my bike to be fixed today. There is some festival/ holiday going on here so everywhere is shut including the bike shop. Will pick it up tomorrow at about 10 and get going. Am going to cycle up to a place called Neufgrange as it's about 100km away and got a nice little campsite. Have emailed them to try and stay free of charge but I think it's pretty cheap if they don't. Have planned to do a big cycle on Saturday and make it all the way up to Luxembourg City. It will be about 125 km but if I get up early enough then I should make it before dark and it shouldn't be a problem. Didn't realise that I will actually be crossing over the border to Germany tomorrow so can add that on to the list of border crossings this month.

Was out last night with 2 guys from New York, Mark and Dan who I met in the hostel. Was a fun night  but feeling it a bit today.... Off to try and find some hangover lunch. Hoping somewhere will be open! 

Day 5

Had a bit of a nightmare day yesterday. Had no wifi so had to skip day 4, would have been rubbish anyway. Cycled over 100km yesterday through Alsace in France. Was a nice feeling to cross the boarder but from then on it was pretty dull! Cycled about 50 km without seeing a thing down a highway until I finally found a route with a bunch of villages along the way. They were all absolute ghost towns, with no shops open and nobody around! Was like that until about 4 o'clock when I stopped off in a little town called Dissach where I managed to find a shop to buy stuff for dinner. Was in the queue buying my dinner and asked a lady if there was a bike shop near by (I need some front pannier bags). She ended up being Canadian and after about 5 minutes of chatting she offered me dinner and to let me sleep on the couch for the night. Was so tempting but I really wanted to make 100km yesterday so had to keep going. Started to regret it when it got to 7 and I still hadn't found anywhere to stay. My plan from then was to just find a spot and wild camp but thought i'd ask around first. Finally found a campsite in Schonau being guarded by a man with an axe and trousers up to his chin. Ended up being the strangest little community i've ever come across. It was in the middle of nowhere, on this little river and was quite clear the people living there stayed there in their vans and didn't get away much. Was honestly like staying with the cast from 'the hills have eyes'. I managed to find a spot to put my tent that gave me a bit of a distance from them.
I was happy to make it out of the campsite alive but realised on my way that my back wheel spoke is broken so i've been cycling with no back break and a wonky wheel. Thankfully my bikes made it to Strasbourg (50km away from the campsite) where I will get it fixed. Bit worried they are going to say it takes a couple of days as I will need to make up that time somewhere along the way.
Hadn't eaten much this morning as the campsite and I had no loo roll so had to be careful.... I'm now sitting in an Irish bar with a snakebite and a cheese and bacon burger and it tastes unreal!!! Bike shop opens at 2 so got a bit of time to kill until I go and get my bike fixed.

Day 3... I'm all alone!!!

Left from a campsite in Solothurn this morning that Maurice managed to get discounted with his charm. Didn't get it for free though so personally I think he needs to work on that charm. 

We absolutely boshed today with a cheeky average speed 19.9km/hr, which i'm pretty happy with considering the climb we had half way through today. After about 5 hours of cycling and 90km (planned to do around 30 today) later I've made it to Binningen just beside Basel. Lisa, Maurice and Alan left me at Liestal and headed back home. Thanks for feeding me and keeping me company for the start, gave me a huge boost.

Feels a bit weird and lonely now i'm on my own but I managed to make 20km to here ok, with only one stop to ask for directions so I reckon I can do about 1800 more... I'm now meeting with a friend, Flurina (who I met at the orphanage) and her Father who is letting me stay over here. A massive thank you to them both as I am sooooo excited to have a good shower and comfortable stay for the night! 

Need to head off and plan where I am going to go tomorrow as I have no idea where I am and where's next! 

Day 2

Managed to blag myself a free night at the campsite last night and save myself about 25 francs. Just pitched my tent up once they had closed and nobody asked. They can come and stay at mine for free if they like so i've technically just borrowed a night. I'm also doing it for charity so it's a bit like Robin Hood and nobody hates him. They are also charging about 5 francs to use the shower so I joined the swans and had a wash in the lake. I'm currently sitting typing this, watching a kid try and kick a swan. Don't think he realises all it's mates are watching. Could be in for a right treat this morning.
Alan, Linda and Maurice are just on their way and will join me for another day to try and make it up to a place called Delemont. It's about 80-85km away but will allow me to have an easier day on Monday and ride about 30km. After that i'm on my own and will be trying to hit 100km a day.

Day 1

Left this morning about half 10 for my cycle. Alan and Linda met me at the school as they will be joining me to cycle for today, tomorrow and maybe a bit of Monday. Thought it might have been an easy day to start but we decided to go the scenic route and ended up climbing a lot of hills. We cycled through a few towns on the way to Neuchatel but can't remember the names of them...  Was tough but really nice to see and no traffic. Think we will do slightly further tomorrow then will have an easyish day on Monday up to Basel.
After about 5 and a half hours and 75km after we made it to a campsite by Neuchatel Lake. It's pretty stunning but being a Saturday it's sooooo busy! Sitting in my tent with some hippy playing his guitar on my left side and a wakeboarding contest blasting some serious bass on my right. I'm shattered so if it keeps me up his guitar's going in the lake and so is he.
First time i've been in my tent with all my stuff and it's pretty cosy!
Feel like a right cringe writing all this crap but might keep me sane and also keep anyone up to date that's interested.

Night night.

PS. the stag party have just returned..... Sound

First post for a wee test. Got 4 days until I leave for my cycling trip.

Went to collect the last of my equipment today from Lausanne with all my baggage on the back of my bike. Weighed a ton and was absolutely roasting. Better cool down but not rain by Saturday. Nothing much more to say about today. Hope I have more to say when I'm on my cycle or setting this site up was a right waste of time....


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