Melissa goes cycling

04/09/2025

04/09/2025

19/07/2025

Now that I’m home some of my pannier bags are going back out on the road for a trip of a lifetime. Check out Arlo’s son Louis and his mates getting ready to cycle from Wales to Thailand in memory of a friends dad and to raise money for the

It would be great if you could follow their adventures and show your support
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️🇹🇭

11/07/2025

We spent our last night on the campsite with a lovely French couple from Normandy who had been cycling since May with no set end point or date. Conversation was mostly by google translate and wine and I hoped that if I fast-forward to their age we will be doing exactly the same as them.

Today has been the journey home: cycle into Dordrecht then a train to Rotterdam. We cycled through the city to pick up a local line back to the Hook of Holland. At this last station the guard told us we couldn’t take the bikes with bags on the train because of a local festival but said he would pretend he hadn’t seen us when we explained we had a ferry to catch.
We took the train to end of end of the line where there is a beach resort for a quick coffee then cycled back to the ferry and home.
I have made zero decisions all holiday which has been blissful. I have learnt how to pedal more efficiently and I’m very grateful to Arlo for always having a plan and the map.

11/07/2025

Wednesday morning we woke to an incessant noise coming from the caravan next door. It sounded like someone filing their giant toe nails and it continued all morning. What were our camping neighbours up to? It continued all morning
and before we left, curiosity got the better of us so we introduced ourselves. The answer was there on their table.. an eye-catching 2 foot long sculptured stone p***s!

They were a lovely, middle-aged couple who told us we must visit the Biesbosch if we go to Dortrecht. Decision made as we still didn’t really have a plan on where to go next. We cycled into Eindhoven and jumped on a train to Dortrecht, the oldest city in The Netherlands. We found a lovely campsite and explored the old town.
On the Thursday we spent our last full day exploring the Biesbosch on the bikes which is a fabulous nature reserve accessed by a ferry. If I ever fret about the lack of insect and bird life at home I’m reassured that it’s all alive and well over there. Bish-bash-bosh 🐝🦋🪰🐦‍⬛🐞

10/07/2025

Yesterday we had a lovely cycle into Eindhoven through the woods of a national park. The cycle route took us safely into the city where we got trains to Dordrecht, the oldest town in the Netherlands, up on the north coast. Slightly underwhelmed by the old town we did find a friendly bar but learnt too late that most places stopped serving food by 8pm. This led us to be on the train back to our campsite with a Dominies. The conductor came along and he became very animated about our pizza. Being a bit tipsy I honestly thought he was saying how tasty it looked but it translated that the pizza had ‘exceeded the level of aroma’ acceptable for Dutch train travel. I’ll nose for next time 🍕👃🚆

08/07/2025

It’s been a busy few days and we’ve had rain. Hoods up, we carried along the Vennban for a while and then after a cake stop through woods and villages before arriving at our Belgian/Dutch hosts found through Vrienden op de Fiets (Friends on bikes) and a proper bed for the night. Despite having booked and they were expecting us, on arrival we were grilled over how we had their address and it looked weird for a moment and then all of a sudden it was fine and they couldn’t have been nicer.

Monday we mostly dodged the rain. We sheltered in an old school-house turned jazz cafe just before the heavens opened and the guy joked the British had brought the weather with them.

We carried on into Maastricht with no onward plan. Bit chilly and drizzly I wanted out of the city so we left about 3.30pm with the only plan of following the river Maast north and no set destination.
River cycle paths are often along exposed flood defences and it became pretty windy. By the time we thought about finding a campsite we realised we had missed some and had the choice of going back or on another 10k ish. So of course we pressed on. It was getting late and we’d cycled about 50 miles by the time we got to Ohé en Laak and a lovely family run farm house campsite. They had a vending machine for beer and snacks and pop music playing in the bathrooms. What more could you want?
I was a bit sad to leave. I now want to run a campsite.

Today we’ve caught a river taxi, cycled through a mix of agriculture, countryside and residential areas. The field picture is Iris growing on a massive scale.
I’m writing this from a bar in Marheeze being watched by a bird the I was warned not to get too close to. He’s got his beady eye on our snacks.
Only 5 miles left to go today and if theres not Chris Rea playing in the toilets I’ll be disappointed…

05/07/2025

Big cycling day today. Not far out of the campsite where we had Nova Villa beer recommended in the bar we passed the brewery so stopped to say hi. We had a tour of the one-man business run from his parent’s garage, lovely man with the enviable problem of not being able to meet demand quickly enough.
35 miles mostly along the Vennbahn again, past a viaduct turned climbing wall and if I don’t make it as a damsel fly researcher the universe suggested I open a cycle path cafe which I will also take under consideration.

On to Monschau and a €10 camping pitch by a river. Monschau is a pretty tourist town with beer served in flagons for the tourists. Cheers to being back in Germany 🍻 🇩🇪

04/07/2025

It was a sharp climb out of Troisverges this morning but not before an EU themed event with marching band provided a backdrop to breakfast with children in EU flag t-shirts the like of which we will probably never see at home.
Today it was a shortish ride through fields and forests along the Venbahn, an old railway line turned cycle path. A fast scary stretch of road reminded me why I’m not built for roads led to today’s campsite. We have a lovely spot to camp, great views, another super clean swimming pool and award winning beer. Welcome to Belgium 🍻🍺🍻

03/07/2025

We have abandoned our plan of a nice easy cycle up the Moselle and said goodbye to le Chateau de Vianden in favour of heading north through Luxembourg. But this has meant hills. Hills so steep we both had to push the bikes up. But also nice long steady inclines that helped me find my hill legs. Hills that kept me so focussed that stopping to take photos just didn’t happen. Apart from the sunflowers and cows. So many views I missed but think of cycling through the Chilterns but with cycle paths and a fraction of the traffic. And today would have been my lovely mums 85th birthday 💙

02/07/2025

If it looks familiar that’s because we’ve not moved. Surely the key to a good cycling holiday is knowing when not to cycle. Today was that day ☀️

01/07/2025

I have two new hobbies: making tea from hedgerows and lying in pools watching damselflies.
The tea is meadowsweet, bramble and dandelion and really does taste like honey, breakfast was nettle. I’ve watched damsel fly s*x and a mummy laying her eggs. If the world needs people to devote their time to watching and recording damsel fly activity sign me up. Social work can carry on without me 💚