GOING DUTCH

Holland is my last country on this challenge and is fun too. Everyone is so friendly. There have been lots of dykes to cycle along as well viewing the countryside and villages. Sheep graze the dykes and love to sit on the road. We have to navigate around extensive sheep poo at times. We are still cycling along the Wadden Sea and birds are still here in large numbers. Today we cycled the Zirder Zee, 20 miles of road in the sea! Here is Dagmar pedalling away

I have seen windmills throughout Denmark, Germany and Holland. Badger has heard of them and thought they were dangerous. He is much happier now to have seen them

There is a rumour here that The North Sea has put in a takeover bid for the English Channel. Apparantly this may have something to do with making the Cycle Route longer. This must be resisted.

My bike lost a bolt yesterday. Do you like my improvised repair? It has lasted 72 miles so far.

I have seen so many people cycling on my trip. At times, bikes outnumber cars. Kids cycle to school in Norway and Sweden. People go to the beach in Germany on them. In Holland they go shopping with them. In Denmark, they just go for tours. They are strange looking bikes and I have never seen them in Britain.

Mostly they have 3 gears. This seems to be the uses: 1 - Wind behind you, 2 - no wind, 3 - headwind. Supermarkets have rows of bike racks by their entrances. I cannot find any bike racks at Tesco in Ivybridge but Tesco in Inverness has three. The bike below is very old but the new bikes look the same. Some have very comfy saddles and others have upright bars to rest on while you are cycling

Tomorrow starts a big push to reach Hook of Holland. The weather forecast is good. My crank bearing still works. Despite the fact the journey was supposed to be 3,629 miles, I have now done 3,654 miles so far and am still going.