Day 12: Xanten-Almelo

Since the five start campground had no decent internet connection it wasn't possible to post this and following messages online, but here they are.

After we all enjoyed a big dish with sandwiches it was time to leave. The next stop would be a camp ground near Bad Bentheim. For the rest of the group that is. I phoned a friend in Almelo where I stayed on my way to Wuppertal and stayed there for the night. That gave me the chance to a. sleep in a normal bed and b. clean all my stuff and get them dry. But it wasn't that time yet. First some cycling had to be done.

The rest was, excluding John, already on their way and I went the the exit of the campground where I waited for John. When he didn't show I turned around and he already left. I suspected they had found another way of the campground to the main road, so I left by myself.

After a few kilometers I had to turn left onto a very steep and long bridge. The path to the left of the road was very narrow. If something came from the other side I would have a problem. Of course there was another cyclist which caused me to go a long way in reverse over the narrow path. Almost at the bottom the path widened and I made room for the oncoming cyclist which caused my left wheel to get off road. When I tried to push myself of the guardrail a reached into a bush of nettles. Not funny. So I got out of my bike, turned it around and rolled down. That's where I met the rest of the group who where very thankful that they could join me at the correct side of the bridge. Going down on the other side of the bridge there was another surprise.

The rest of the route was very nice, although a lot of off-road tracks. Because I already had a broken coat hanger I preferred smooth asphalt. Once in Winterswijk we wanted to visit ACE recumbents. Unfortunately they were closed on Thursday so we had a ice-cream at the local bakery (yes, they sell soft-ice). The rest off the route we tried to stay on the main roads as much as possible.

The cycle paths in The Netherlands were wider and nicer that the ones in Germany (for the most part), and in stead of going off-road we took the main roads. That also helps. There were however a few kilometers of roadworks in Germany which meant finding an alternative route. Eventually we ended up half way at the roadworks on the original route and a beautifully piece of smooth road lay ahead.

Just underneath Gronau I said goodbye to the Danes Poul and Per (they were going home) and I headed for Almelo. Such a nightmare to cross a 25 kilometer distance though Enschede and Hengelo. No cycle sign whatever to show me the way. Some 10 kilometers from Almelo I saw some signs.

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