Denmark is, no doubt, quite lovely. We are not, however, there. On our way from Castle Hedington to Harwich we stop to rest weary legs and re-caffeinate. While there, Matt gets contacted by the ferry company and advised that they have cancelled our ferry to Esbjerg. When he calls them up, he discovers that the previous day, the ferry failed to stop in the dock and ploughed on into jetty. (We subsequently meet some dock workers who show us photographs - it certainly made a mess.) We will have to wait another week for a ferry, or reconsider where we go. While cycling around the English countryside is very pleasant, I'm keen to get onto the continent. We opt instead for a ship to Hoek van Holland, and from there we cycle to Amsterdam.
The cycling set up here is brilliant. Matt figured out a route which he presumed would take us the 80 odd kilometres into Amsterdam via quiet back roads. This was, however, unnecessary, as there are bike paths everywhere. No need to ride on the road at all. And the bike paths are well used - with everyone from small children to lycra racers to elderly women with their groceries pootling along on them. The older Dutch gents in their cycling gear are particularly dapper.
I am, as always, impressed by Matt's navigation skills. His calculation skills, however, perhaps need a little more honing. 80kms swiftly (or perhaps not so swiftly, given how slowly I'm trundling with all this gear) turns into just shy of 100km.
Now we are exploring Amsterdam - viewing high culture and low.
