August 27, 2022
Highway to Zell
The road to Zell is paved…mostly.
August 27 Saturday 63kms
Hatzenport to Punderich
Highway to Zell
Rain over and just overcast as we pack up. Marmot not too wet. On ‘our’ seat, we breakfast on bananas and dark rye bread rolls- so many varieties in Germany! As we share a coffee, we talk with our Canadian friend, who tells us there was thunder overnight- not that we heard. We leave Hatzenport early and enjoy cycling in the cool of morning. There’s even a smell of river water in the air.
Our goal is Zell or somewhere close by. Campgrounds abound, filled mostly with self contained camper vans. If stretched end to end, they’d go an awful long way.
The day has started with a feeling of damp in the air, but this begins to disperse.
Initially all is quiet in the small towns along the river and then we reach Cochem! Here there are cyclists and day trippers of every variety from svelte to bulgy mamils, tourers with their Ortleibs and ebike riders and riverboat trippers, some severely overdressed and some clutching and swigging from bottles of beer. Several long riverboats are drawn up with dining rooms ready with covered tables and vases of flowers. The scene is still charming though, set against the green and gold coloured hills and the colourful blooming flower baskets.
We find a Penny supermarket, and dine on pizza slices, yoghurt, muesli and nectarines.
After lunch we continue cycling through small river towns - dark brick churches, half timbered, Tudor style buildings and wine bars offering the local tipple.
It’s interesting that public toilets seem a rarity, at least in this part of Germany. Occasionally a tourist office or official building provides one. On the other hand, free wifi seems to be ubiquitous- a complete contrast to our time in the east in 2019, when finding any wifi was a struggle. Who needs it? Ann tells me.
There are several options for crossing the river, and though there is a very good cycle path on the other side, we stick with the right side until Bullay when we take the offer of a path that is unsealed and, heaven forbid, has a couple of climbs.
Then mid afternoon we’re in to Zell, built up on the hill. It’s a pretty town of cobbled streets ( yes, the road in Zell is also paved) and we stop for an ice cream.
Ann’s Mapsme tells us that with a little more effort we can do another 7 kilometres and find camping. This we do and wind up in Punderich. We’re given a pretty little camping spot on a long strip facing the river. Behind us, as we put up our tent, a group of ‘older’ German women chatter and break into loud almost raucous cackling over something one of them has said. Out on the river swans land like giant sea planes and above us on the other side of the river rows of grapes ripen in the sun. We sit down at the local cafe for something to eat and a slush or two of the local wein. It’s a cold and mellow Trocking - very refreshing.
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We are not to be refreshed however, and after a walk about the town, admiring the old buildings ( some circa 1600s), we climb into our sleeping bags and fall asleep to the occasional honk of geese and the swoosh, plonk, plonk of a swan’s landing.
Today's ride: 63 km (39 miles)
Total: 244 km (152 miles)
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Wistfully wish I had more language skills. The steepness of the vineyards is awesome. Could not be done without machinery. And the vines go on for ever.
Slate substructure, so slips have been seen.
Hope winter woes are easing . X
1 year ago
1 year ago