Europe

All of the EU member states not listed elsewhere, plus Switzerland

JOOO…(Jonny off on one)

Posted by on 24, Aug 2024 in 2024 - Friends and Family, Europe, France, Tilly the Tandem, UK | 3 comments

JOOO…(Jonny off on one)

We’ve noticed a change in our hotel stops in the EU this trip. We’ve not had any hotel with those little disposable bottles with shampoo etc in, every hotel has had wall mounted dispensers, which has been great, especially as trying to get the top off those little bottles in the shower sometimes with wet hands is quite tricky for us pensioners. Another thing that has also changed, and not for the best, is the disappearing bog brush.  Why do hotels no longer put them in the loos? Our last hotel even had a sign asking you to go to reception if you wanted one! – the walk...

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Melt down

Posted by on 19, Aug 2024 in 2024 - Friends and Family, Benelux, Europe, France, Tilly the Tandem, Western Europe | 3 comments

Melt down

I’ve been fighting my bad back and the old knee is giving me some gyp too but we’ve been making good progress until we reached our first tent site of the tour. It was a fab site, the showers and toilets were better than most hotels, a bit like you’d expect in a very posh gym on the day it opened and the Germans next to us got told to shut up by some annoyed Dutch around 10:30 saving us the trouble of getting out of our sleeping bags, but overall it was a good place to stay, despite the fact it poured with rain all night and we got a disturbed night’s sleep. We set off...

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Wheeling our age…

Posted by on 16, Aug 2024 in 2024 - Friends and Family, Benelux, Europe, Tilly the Tandem, UK | 3 comments

Wheeling our age…

As you get older the list of ailments grows, those younger than us will be thinking it won’t happen to them and those older will be thinking Oh yes it will, but anyway we’ve come of age and joined the multiple ailments brigade. And there’s only one way to deal with it and that’s as soon as they glue the latest bit to fall off you back on you get going before another part has a chance to fail. So we set off on our latest, much less adventurous tour – Friends and Family 24, or FAF for short. My knee is still not right and oddly enough it’s been fine until we...

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The final countdown

Posted by on 1, Nov 2023 in 2023 - Cathedrals, Europe, Tilly the Tandem, UK, Western Europe | 4 comments

The final countdown

The famed Southwell leaves.. Autumn on its way…. Lincoln The Stump.. Not much else in the fens !!! Bury St. Edmunds Wymondham Market Cross And finally…our arrival at Norwich Cathedral Ready for this ..????????????????????… And that’s a wrap….. Awaking to fog is always disheartening in the tent as you just can’t dry it before putting it away, but it looked quite beautiful lying low across the fields around us. We managed to get away early and head into Southwell to visit the minster, which is also a Cathedral and a Parish church.  Most Cathedrals...

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You can’t leave that there son…

Posted by on 22, Oct 2023 in 2023 - Sicily and Italy, Europe, Tilly the Tandem, UK, Western Europe | 3 comments

You can’t leave that there son…

Tilly the terrorist Our saviour… The cycle path crosses York racecourse…wouldn’t want to do that on race day ! Back in the northern canals Bradford town hall Impossible to get through without removing our rear handlebars ☹️ Sheffield town square York Minster, probably the busiest Cathedral we’ve arrived at. York is permanently heaving with tourists and the queues to get in wound across the road. We parked Tilly up outside the disabled slope and I went and asked the ticket girl controlling the queue where we could leave Tilly. She was completely thrown by this, but to...

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Farewell Scotland

Posted by on 13, Oct 2023 in 2023 - Cathedrals, Europe, Tilly the Tandem, UK, Western Europe | 1 comment

Farewell Scotland

Typical coastal view Not the place to be when it’s blowing a hoolie… Eyemouth sunset..our last night in Scotland Not much of a welcome ! Berwick upon Tweed…our first night back in Blighty Fabulous Northumberland Coast Hello Newcastle…. Quick fix weld Dominating Durham Cathedral Wish all bridges were like this ! One thing we’ve found again and again this trip is the inflated price of accomodation all over the UK. Rooms are mainly in excess of £100 a night and we’ve now adapted our length of cycle to stop at more affordable places and bypass the more...

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