First blog post

This is the first computer I've got to for a blog post, I could write it on my mobile but the keyboard is a pain. Annoyingly I can't upload any photos as I can't get into the actual computer to put the memory card in.

So what's been going on so far?

The train to Newcastle with East Coast trains went well, the train guard was incredibly helpful giving us a hand get on and off the train. The ride out from the station to the ferry port took us along the Hadrian's Cycleway. The sun was out and everything was going well, surely a good sign!

We pedalled on the ferry, secured the bikes to the ship and went to find our cabin for the night. The cabin was a small one but adequate - we are to spend the next 2 months in a tent so we best get used to it. On the ferry we decided we would go along to the whale and dolphin talk that was given by the charity ORCA. After exploring the ship and being taken aback by the prices of the food on board we went back to our cabin to have our dinner - sandwiches we had purchased in Newcastle.

At exactly 8am the tannoy announced it was 8am, telling everyone on board to get out of bed! Fortunately we didn't need this 8am wake up call as we had been up since 7 stuffing our faces with a cooked breakfast, cereals, yoghurt, fruit, pastries, coffee and apple juice. That's what buffet breakfasts are for! Once off the ferry the trip really began. Initially feeling very odd riding on the right I got used to it fairly quickly. Our first trip was to stock up on food for the next few days so we located the supermarket (easy enough in most of Europe, just head where it's busier). I got a good telling off, in Dutch, that I hadn't weighed my veg on the weigh machine to get a barcode printed off that I should have stuck to my veg. Once I had figured out what crime I had committed I ran off in search of the weigh machines. Thankfully, pictures of the different fruit and veg saved the day and I managed to get barcodes printed for my veg. By the time I got back to the checkout there was a growing queue that wasn't very happy. I'll know next time.

Day 1 ended on 58kms from IJmuiden to Edam where we found a campsite and were shown to our pitch by the lake. After a dinner of pasta with veg we completed the first entry in our journals and went to sleep.

Day 2 started off very hot and sunny but with a mild headwind for most of the day. On our way to Hoorn we paused for coffee and appeltaart at a small cafe at the side of a windmill. It turns out the windmill is also a museum so we went in to have a look. Inside the windmill was set up in a traditional manner that we would be seeing more of in the next while. What struck me was the tiny beds hidden in a cupboard in the corner of the room. For a nation that is known to be quite tall I wouldn't have fancied sleeping in there. In Hoorn we discovered that we could get free wifi at the bank so I managed to download a few more Teach Yourself Dutch type things that would make supermarket shops a bit easier. Stopping in Hoorn we decided we would push for Oostwoud, where we had our first night at a Natuurkampeerterreinen campsite, ending on 43kms. After a hot 43kms my socks were in need of a good wash, so much so they had to stay outside the tent!

Day 3 was spent as a day trip to Enkhuizen where we visited the Zuiderzee museum. Locking the bikes beside everyone else's at the train station we would explore Enkhuizen on foot. See Emily's blog post about the museum. On the way back to the campsite the rain started so we raced to the sheltering comfort of our tent. Once happily in our sleeping bags the rain got heavier. Then it got considerably heavier. Then a proper thunderstorm passed over us filling our tent with bright light from thunderbolts and keeping us awake with incredibly loud thunder. It passed after about 40 minutes or so and we drifted off to sleep. The day ended on 44kms - more than I thought our short day trip would be!

Day 4 saw us ride from the campsite in Oostwoud to Enkhuizen to take the ferry to Stavoren. After seeing the weather forecast was very unsettled we decided we would take the ferry over to Friesland where we would find some accommodation to give us the chance to do some laundry and dry everything out. Once off the ferry in Stavoren we decided we would head to a campsite a bit north but after a few pedal strokes we spotted a sign to a campsite very near by. It was very windy so we decided to stay there. After struggling a bit with the wind we got the tent up and got settled. Just before I got into my sleeping bag I heard the sound of two freewheels and tyres crunching on the gravel. I got out to see who it was and started chatting to Petra, her husband Andres and their dog Coco (if you are reading this and I have written your names wrong I am sorry!). Coco travels with them in his trailer which is towed by Andres. Sometimes he would get let out to run alongside the bikes and have a quick toilet stop. After chatting for a short while the rain started to come on a bit so we thought we better let them get their tent finished and get some sleep. Total distance 28kms.