7 September 2012
When I went down to the bikes the following day Martin and Dave were nowhere to be seen.
On checking their room it became apparent they had left the pub at 2am to continue drinking in the hotel bar. Dave groaned some words in a language I didn't understand and Martin informed us they'd catch us up later.
A short time later bikes were packed and off we went for a long day. Our aim was to make it to Frankfurt by the end of the day.
Andy, having a bike more suited to autobahn speeds, shot off and a few hours later phoned us to say he was in Frankfurt. Looking at the sat nav we still had over 4 hours to go. He must have a time machine I thought!
He also informed us that Lufthansa were having a strike that day and all hotels were fully booked.
With a heavy heart we continued and the miles passed uneventfully.
When we reached Frankfurt at around 8pm Andy phoned me to say he'd spent 4 hours trying to find a hotel and the only one he could find was 50 miles further than we were.
We eventually made it at 9 o'clock and checked in.
Ronald's cafe, which was sited just next to the hotel, was paid a visit and then the long wait for Dave and Martin began.
I gave up at 11:30.
Next morning we all gathered over coffe to find that the previous day, just as they were starting to try and catch us up, Dave had fell off his bike whilst standing still and somehow managed to knock martins bike over in the process.
A 'short' ride of 7 hours saw us arrive in our final stopover of Brugge, a most beautiful city in Belgium.
Being seasoned travellers and finding ourselves very hungry, me and lee opted for the delights of pizza hut. How bloody cosmopolitan are we?!
Many beers later bed beckoned and the next I knew I was awake and ready for the final day of riding.
The channel tunnel is not a very glamorous method of travelling. It is quick though. Driving back on the left came back to us quickly and after a 6 hour slog we were home.
Job done. Loads of money raised.
The Journey Home Pt2 • Opuss № I