Crasher goes North: The Pancake of Europe

Map of Day 23

Thursday 6th August 2015

I slept well, and woke with the dawn at around 5am. By the time I had decided to get up the sun was blazing down . It was only seven in the morning and, I was baking already. No wonder everyone on the campsite had a mahogany perma-tan!

Mark and a few of the other campers were stirring by the time I had showered and changed. Making breakfast and packing up was now a well drilled routine. Everything had a specific place in each of our panniers.

Today ride was not going to be a long one. We had less than 200kms to go today if we took the main routes. So, I was in the hands of Mark and one of his TomTom's magical mystery tours. Set to winding route-avoid all boring things mode, we headed off into the German countryside. 

Almost instantly I noticed two things. Firstly there was no air. As soon as I closed my visor the heat was stifling. I already had every vent on my jacket and helmet open, and my summer gloves on. I put on my sunglasses for eye protection, and rode with my visor open. This was much more pleasant. How I wished for my open face helmet.

The second thing was that my Garmin satnav was going absolutely mental. I had told it our destination for today, and it had planned a route. But, by our second junction and refusing to follow its recommendations to change route it had thrown in the towel. Little Miss. Garmin told me to f#ck off and the map screen went blank! It was a good job I have the sound on mute, as I imagine her language may have been a little fruity! But, after ten minutes or so she was back, and trying to constantly redirect us.

The ride started with some nice rural tree lined roads. There was quite a bit of farm traffic to contend with. But, with the roads being empty of other traffic, we could just nip past on our mighty steeds. The shade of the trees provided a nice cooling effect, and was most welcome.

One of the popular pass times in this part of Europe is their love for cycling. It makes perfect sense though. The landscape is flat. And, the government has invested heavily in the provision of cycle paths. But, the thing I find odd is their choice of bicycles. Rather than choosing only to be seen on the latest full suspension mountain bike or a road race bike straight from the Tour de France, here the young lovelies prefer to ride bicycles Miss. Marple would approve of. The Dutch influence is obvious. The upright riding position, comfy seat and modest gearing are probably ideal. It must be purely the `coolness' factor that has prevented them catching on elsewhere.

There was a good mix of architectural design in the houses and buildings of the little villages we passed through. I could see the Danish, German and Dutch styles all combined in some of the buildings. The Dutch bell shaped windows were familiar to me. They are common place back in Lincolnshire where many English folk had fled to Holland during the time of the Pilgrim Fathers, and then returned many years later to make their homes and cultivate the land.

Our route crossed over the autobahns as we headed towards the German/ Dutch border. I had not enjoyed yesterdays autobahn exploits much. They are an efficient way of covering distance quickly. They are just not the most fun way of doing so. I also felt I was rushing to quickly end my trip, rather than enjoying the ride. I would be home in less than 48 hours. And I wanted to make the most of what time I had left.

Another thing that I found strange was the fact that mopeds could ride on cycle paths. I assumed it was a safety thing. As teenagers can ride at an earlier age than in the UK, I suppose it keeps the slower, inexperienced riders away from the rest of the traffic. It was just a little distracting, as I would normally only see a moped riding on the pavement in the UK, if a little yoof was up to no good!

Wind farms started to appear as we rode further west. They were not turning though. I could of done with a gentle breeze to cool me down. The air hitting my face was like having a hair dryer blowing at me.

We got the thumbs up and a wave from a couple of guys at a set of traffic lights in Oyten. They had a serious looking BMW S1000RR track bike on a trailer with a supply of extra tyres. They must of had a fun day planned.

A large girder bridge took us over the wide river Weser below, and on to Thedinghausen. The traffic had all but disappeared by now. I was getting low on fuel, and it was also nearly our normal morning coffee stop time.

We stopped in the next small town and found a filling station. The temperature display on the supermarket opposite said it was 36 degrees. Mark and I sat in the shade with an ice cream and a drink. We both thought that this must be a great place for the Germans to retire. Everyone was cycling around doing their shopping and daily chores. They all seemed healthier and fitter than the older people back home.

Suitably refreshed we hit the road again. Signs warned of over hanging trees along the sides of the road. Some of these had formed tunnels that had been neatly trimmed by passing trucks. They provided a welcome relief from the blazing sun, which was now at its highest.

A few kilometres on, and a huge brick built church appeared on the horizon. The church had been built in a tiny village. There was a strange mix of houses in the village ranging from very modern chalet type bungalows to a thatched cottage that was perched in between.

We turned off onto some smaller roads. These had a 50kph limit, no overtaking, and signs warning of farm traffic. We saw none of this though. We were the only traffic for miles. Eventually we encounter some traffic ( two cars and a truck ) when we hit some road works and a diversion route. But, as it turned out the diversion route was the way Mark was being directed by his satnav anyway.

We caught up with a very speedy lady cyclist who had shot passed at the road works, and scared the crap out of me. She was on a `normal' bike, rather than the traditional European type, which accounted for the rapid rate of travel.

On a darker tree lined stretch of road, a headlight appeared on our side of the road. It seemed to be heading straight for us! Fearing the worst, and preparing for a head on crash with another motorcycle, I was relieved to see that it was just a moped rider making their way along the cycle path. I was still not used to them using the pavements and pathways.

Mark then discovered that his satnav was just as capable of leading us up the garden path as my Garmin was. Well, less of a garden path and more of a dirt and gravel track across a farmers field! His TomTom insisted that the track was a road. It didn't even show up on my Garmin. With a quick U-turn and a fit of the giggles, we were back on the right road, taking the next tarmac road instead.

I noticed some interesting road signs over the next few kilometres. They seemed to depict military vehicles and speed limits. We didn't spot any tanks cruising around, but I couldn't imagine they would be for anything else.

Crossing over the border into Holland the roads became straighter. The tarmac was often repaired to look like a patchwork quilt, and was very bumpy in places. The roads were lined with very thin silver birch trees. The trees became older and the trunks thicker the further on we traveled.

About ten kilometres from our overnight stop, we stopped at a supermarket for some supplies. I caused a bit of a problem at the till when neither of my cards worked. It turned out that my whole basket of shopping was less than the minimum card payment limit. I had plenty of Euros though, so I sorted things out with cash. I was so used to the inflated prices of  Scandinavia, it was a pleasant surprise to find the food here was less than half the price. I appologised to the queue of people at the till and quickly left!

I downed a whole two litre bottle of flavoured water while I waited for Mark. I was boiling, and there was no shade in the carpark. We got on our way, and luckily large trees gave a shaded ride for the rest of our journey. Several young ladies appeared on their bicycles along the way, to provide a welcome distraction from the straightness of the roads.

Arriving in Gasselternijveenschemond ( try saying that three times with a mouthful of jelly babies! ), we found our overnight stay. I had chosen to stop at De Motorschuur since my first stages of planning the trip. I had heard good things about it from other adventure travelers on various internet forums. I was also hoping to meet up with my friends Pete and Allie who were about to start a motorcycle trip to Australia. Unfortunately they had become delayed waiting for travel visas back in London.

I had booked a couple of bunks for Mark and I, so that we didn't have to bother with packing up on our last day tomorrow. But, as it was a hot summers day, Mark wanted to camp instead. I think he was a bit scared about sharing the bunk room with a bunch of ruffty tuffty bikers! But, as it turned out the place was going to be pretty much empty.

De Motorschuur is run by Gijs and Madeleine. There was a blackboard on the entrance door with a message from Gijs. " Gone for groceries. Pitch your tent or choose a bunk,and make yourself at home. Back soon"

Mark and I set up our tents on the rear lawn. There were two other tents set up already. One of the tents belonged to a Danish couple on a pair of immaculate Kawasaki Z1300's.

They were on a European tour and had stopped here for two nights before heading back to Denmark in the morning. They travelled all over Europe to attend owners meetings. The huge fuel tanks and low revving engines of their bikes probably made them a good choice.

We would not meet the owners of the other tent until later that evening. They were an older couple riding a Triumph Rocket 3. They were not your normal bikers to look at. He was dressed like he was taking part in the Distinguished Gentlemans ride, with a cravat and a tweed jacket under his demin waistcoat. His wife was also well turned out. They had a cute little trailer to carry all their camping gear fitted with a wheel from the tail of a light aircraft.

Gijs arrived about an hour after we had arrived. He introduced himself and we had a chat about our trip. He is very well travelled, and has been to the Nordkapp many times in his sidecar outfits. He now goes every winter for a sidecar rally in his special winter outfit. It is a red, hydraulic driven, three wheel drive outfit powered by a Volvo five cylinder car engine.  It has a heated sidecar, and boasts a modest 270bhp! On snow and ice it must be some weapon.

Gijs also has a Honda Goldwing "daily driver" and an old BMW R90 rat bike outfit. He doesn't own a car.

I have a look around the campsite, and take a shower. The bathroom of De Motorschuur is well documented on the internet. There are stickers from all of the previous visitors and clubs. They have come from all over the world. I ask if I can stick one of mine on the wall. I can, but only if I take some of Gijs's stickers with me.

There is a large barn at the site which is the main community area. There is a stage for bands to play, tables for eating, a bar and a kitchen.

I am looking around at all the posters, and artifacts hanging on the wall and the ceiling, when Gijs asked if we will be joining them for dinner. Gijs cooks up a meal each evening which the guests can join him for if they chose.  I consult with Mark who is busy tucking in to some soup. But, he is hungry so says yes.

There are a couple of pot bellied pigs in a pen behind the barn. They start making one hell of a racket, squealing away like they are being attacked. It turns out that Madeleine is home from work. The pigs, like cats and dogs, recognise the sound of her car and can tell when she gets home. They know it is feeding time, as so go crazy!

Mark and I wander over to the bar for a couple of beers. Gijs says to help ourselves, and settle up when we leave in the morning. The other guests are there too, and we have a chat about each others travels. A couple of young guys on a pair of Harley Davidsons are also in the bar. They have popped in for a couple of beers because it has been a hot day. They end up over doing things a little and both of them have mild heat stroke. Gijs offers them a couple of bunks to sleep things off.

Our evening meal was a feast of chicken satay, noodles, and salad. It was just the ticket. We relaxed for a bit after dinner, with a nice cup of coffee. Madeleine then goes off to give some training to her two Border Collies. They are nuts, and never seem to run out of energy. They try and round Mark and I up later as we make our way to our tents. It's been a great day.

Tomorrow Mark and I catch our ferries home. The end of my trip is nearly here.

Here is part 21 of my vlog: