We are having to catch up on the blog as most of our time has been spent cycling, surprisingly enough. We are actually now in Kristiansand Norway but here is the post for the Netherlands which was largely flat, Very flat! The Dutch cycle in a big way, there are cycle lanes everywhere but be warned as they are often shared by mopeds too, which makes for some interesting close shaves. At times I felt like I'd be safer taking my chances on the road with the cars as everyone seems so comfortable riding their bikes that they don't seem to think you need much space. Bikes in the Netherlands seem very much the vehicle to use so they are all cyclists, not enthusiastic lycra clad types, it's just a part of everyday life. In the cities there are bike garages where, for a small fee, you can leave your bike for the day and into the evening. Very handy for us as we camped a short cycle ride out of the city in Amsterdam cycling in each day, leaving our bikes at the garage to explore the sights and smells. Resuming the route in Harlem the much of the riding was flat alongside the dyke.
Lovely stretches of coastline, even if the flatness starts to get a bit monotonous after a while. We stayed a lot in campsites, which seemed to fall into two categories with the 'small' campsites being family run affairs, cheaper and more suitable for us with our tents. There are also larger sites which are exactly that and you're more likely to see electric hookups and caravans etc. On the whole camping was pretty cheap in the Netherlands expect to pay between 5-7 Euros for the smaller campsites. We found them to be friendlier affairs and some would have their own eggs for sale or berries you could pick.



Additionally to the route we initially decided to take in some islands, it's possible to island hop before returning to the main route. We travelled to Texel via bike where we stayed a night only to find that the next day the small ferry wouldn't leave till five in the evening and was fully booked till the next day. Some of these smaller ferries are used fairly frequently by locals with vehicles. Take this as a warning, if time is no object they are worth a look, however it can be tricky lining up space on a ferry with your riding times. We begrudgingly returned the way we had come rather than waste a day on an island fairly exposed to the elements. The islands are quite windswept and flat with sand dunes, beautiful but very exposed. Back on the mainland, we had an amazingly strong tail wind which got us across the 30km or so 'Afsluitdijk' in 50 minutes (with a short break!) I pity anyone who was riding the opposite way and some people have told us that it took them three hours to cross. Lucky us!

We finally completed the English leg of our trip a few days ago. we had to fix a spoke along the way and were kindly assisted by the folk at Pilgrims Way (Boston) campsite who all mucked in, driving us to Halfords etc. In 16 nights we spent five in campsites and the rest free camping assisted by a friendly farmer. If you go through a hawthorne hedge at the side of the road there is often a space under trees to put two tents. Common land, railway track land and in Tim's case a recreation ground all yielded a place to stay for the night.

England had pockets of charm and interesting countryside along side dreary indentical town centres. Lincolnshire was entirely flat and open (not much scope for camping), the North York Moors were rugged and mixed in with rolling green countryside and hundreds of sheep. There were some quite steep climbs which were of course dispatched with ease and poise in the searing mid day heat.

Cities like Sunderland, Middlesborough and Hull gave us warren like cycle paths to negotiate through sometimes run down housing estates. All the people in these cities seemed to be particualrly friendly and helpful reinforcing the notion the northerners are more approachable etc.

Further south came endless corn fields and more hills. matt experienced mild sensory deprivation and madness from nothing-but-corn-and-trees-and-this-lane and tiny towns with names like Norfield.

Due to a slight bit of road weirdness the pair were separated somewhere near beccles. Tim wisely followed the route (legitimately) to a ferry crossing from Stokesly to Harwich and waited for Matt. Meanwhile Matt is flogging himself to death by going all the way out to Colchester on the main route, getting lost in Colchester (heading toward London for a while), having mechanical woes and just getting to Harwich as the sun went down only to be told the ferry is full. One B&B and a ferry later the riders met up in Hook of Holland.

Stockton so far

We are in Stockton on Tees, we have been riding solidly everyday, apart from today. Having trouble uploading photos in local libraries so will update soon with some photos. We are hoping to get to the ferry in Harwich in the same time again, or less.

Leith Leaving do!

This Saturday! We will be having our fancy dress, charity Raffle, Bike Polo, Fixed Gear films, leaving extravaganza. It's a registered Bike Week event so come down and join in. We hope to raise some last minute funds from the Raffle with some great prizes. Hope to see you there! We leave the next day!

Me on Rollapaluza the other night at edinburgh's nocturne event. Had a really good time, lots of folk came out for it and Edinburgh suddenly seemed continental with everyone outside various bars watching the cycle races. I was seeing spots after this I was really going for it, I beat my opponent but I won't name and shame you'll have to check the rest of the photos at www.rollapaluza.com

Dirt School!

So, the leaving do has been confirmed and we have some confirmed guests over on the face book group. Should be a blast with Bike Polo, fancy dress and a raffle. Kenny at Sofi's bar has been very helpful and they will be providing some nibbles and drinks promotions etc. Raffle prizes so far, include a 'DirtSchool' mountain bike tuition dvd and clothing from Velodrama Scotland's exclusive suppliers of Soma fixed gear stuff amongst other things.

Come down to Sofi's on the 20th June if you can make it!

My Trailer

I collected my Revolution trailer from Edinburgh Bike Co-Op today. It looks pretty rugged and doesn't weigh too much. I got pretty excited about it and now I can start to see how much kit I can fit onto it. Thanks to Edinburgh Bike Co-Op and I'll be letting you know how I get on with it on the way around. www.edinburghbicycle.com

Starting to think about the bits and pieces now.  Need to service and/or repair quite a few items of kit that were punished by the 2007 Great Divide Trip.  Here is a picture of the set up I'll be taking (with a few adjustments like slicker tyres).  Stove needs cleaning, tent needs waterproofing and zip replacement.

I'm currently trying to get a second hand GPS on Ebay as this will make navigation a lot easier. Also in the market for a solar charger.  Off Grid Systems make some good ones that can fold over the trailer for when we are riding.  They have offered a discount in return for some pics and a field report.  Thanks to Chris Hassler in Switzerland for that one.

Although I don't know much about them, a PDA would be my luxury electronic item to take.  If I can get one then this blog will probably be more interesting because of it.  

STILL VERY MUCH LOOKING FOR SPONSORSHIP!   Matt

Leaving plans

Matt arrives in Edinburgh on the 13th of June, give us a couple of days to get the bikes serviced at Leith Cycle Co. Then we're off! We've still got a fair bit of kit to acquire if any companies would like to get on board. We will be hooking up with 'Edinburgh Fixed Gear' for a leaving event with prizes and a raffle etc. Fancy dress 'Pirates and Vikings' and though dates not confirmed 'Sofi's' bar in Leith is looking like the venue. We now have 60 members on the Facebook group so if you're that way inclined come and join us over there too. Join the 'Edinburgh Fixed' facebook group for more details on their contribution to our leaving bash and please come along to something even if you don't have a bike!

We would like to thank Leith Cycle Co. for their continued support. Richard and the team have very kindly offered to support us with kit and to give both our bikes a full check and service. It will give us piece of mind to know that the bikes have been professionally checked right down to the axles. They're a friendly helpful bunch so if you're ever in 'Sunny Leith' pop in and see them.

www.leithcycleco.com

Our total raised so far for RNLI now stands at 900 pounds.

Thanks to Matthew and Sarah for letting us take part in their BBC Radio Jersey breakfast show.  The Joe Driscoll night at Live Lounge was a great success, I think everyone enjoyed themselves and we managed to raise £750 for RNLI.

Fixed Gear Build

My new fixed gear build, I'm pretty proud of it. Built it myself including the wheels. Should get me in shape for the summer too!

Tweed Run?

I'll be down in London in just over a week. I'm hoping to finish building my wheels for my Fixed gear conversion so I can go along to this. Prizes for best moustache ( surely mine) and best dress. Now if I can just get those plus fours I saw in the charity shop... I'm also hoping to meet up with SuperTed from fixedgearlondon to have a look around their workshop.

The first post on our brand new blog. The JMCT have very kindly agreed to help us raise the first chunk of sponsorship money by bringing Joe Driscoll to Jersey's Live Lounge. Myself and Matt will be there and will be very pleased to see as many people as possible turn out for what promises to be an enjoyable evening.