Gravel, ferries, bakeries, and the occasional wrong turn.
September 2026 · 74 km
The map promised a towpath; the towpath turned out to be a rumour. Two kilometres of pushing through bracken later, the trail reappeared beside a pumping station with a bench that faces exactly the right way at five in the afternoon. Bring a second bottle: the café at the dam closes at four, whatever the sign says.
August 2026
I dropped to 2.1 bar on the 40 mm tyres and the washboard stretches stopped rattling my teeth. The price is a slightly vague front end on wet tarmac. For mixed days I now settle on 2.4 front and 2.6 rear and stop thinking about it, which is the real goal.
July 2026 · 112 km
Timetables are the true route planners. Missing the second crossing by four minutes meant an hour on a quay with a vending machine that only accepted exact change. The third boat had a captain who let bikes ride up front, which made up for everything.
June 2026
Frame bag: tools, tube, snacks. Saddle bag: a warm layer and a rain shell. Bar bag: phone, paper map, sunscreen. Nothing on my back. Everything else stays at home, and I have never once missed the camping stove.