The longest day

It seemed like we had three days in one. A fantastic sleep on the ferry kept us going through the wind, rain, then heat as we cycled along up to The Hague following the costal bike route. What an amazing experience pedaling where every road has a cycle lane, even at roundabouts! Since I had a wobbly start it was great to get the hang of front panniers without fearingcertain death from all the lorries that were coming to and from the port. Our ride was brilliant, including the fast ferry to the hook of Holand

Setting off at last

Months of preperation finaly came to an end as we loaded up the van ready for the drive over to Hull. Last minute nerves crept in, fatigue didn't help. We were exhausted before we started our pedaling journey! I had a lovely send off from work on my last Friday, I came home with flowers, cards, lots of hugs, money for my new camera, neon plasters, heat rub, anti diahrea tablets and email addresses. After last goodbyes from family and friends on Tuesday, we drove to the port where we were able to board nice and early and have a few hours of relaxation.

Parcel Party time!!

Mark's self restraint is so impressive. He waited until I came home from work before tearing into the 8 parcels that arrived today (two more arrived ten minutes after the photo was taken). Inflatable pillows, thermals, sleeping bag liners, shorts, boots, a chair, and sandals, all thanks to ebay. 

One week to go, and thanks to street view on google maps I was so excited after zooming along our route in Holland that I couldn't sleep!! We'll be sailing from Hull on Tuesday night, arriving at the Europort at Rotterdam (even though it's miles from Rotterdam itself......) ready for an early start along the coast up to Den Haag, where we'll join the LF4 cycle route which will take us right across Holland to Arnhem, 221 km. Then we'll follow the R1 cycle route from Arnhem across Germany to Poland. Very exciting stuff.

11 days to go

Oh my, what is happening to time????? I can't believe we'll be going soon, there seems like a mountain of things to do yet, and working out this blog is one of them........
The house is almost cleared, we're waiting for a few final items that we have ordered to arrive in the post, the important phone calls have been made, and computery things are sort of coming together. 
A month ago we both imagined what our last at day work would be like, but to be honest I'm really going to miss every one!!! I suppose you can't work somewhere for over 5 years and not be impacted in some way by those around you. How fortunate and blessed I have been to have so many genuine and positive people to interact with, even in just a small way. They have done my confidence the world of good, and I'm definitely leaving as a different person.
Thanks to their support in buying my prints we've been able to get 2 great sleeping bags, 2 front expedition pannier racks, new boots, and 2 fold up chairs!!! Woohoo!!

In the beginning...

Blogging. 

It's whole new thing to us, and may take a while to work out a steady rhythm, but then so will our new way of life. In three weeks time we will be leaving the familiar to live in our little tent with a new view each morning, cycling from country to country carrying nearly all our belongings. So far the preparations have gone well, practically and mentally. The only thing we are leaving behind is a load of photos, a box with irreplaceable bits and bobs in, a tenor Uke and lots of loved ones. But we are setting off with new assets, ones that don't weigh a thing but make such a difference. Courage, for instance. It has taken 2 years to acquire enough courage to leave a comfortable home, good stable jobs, special people, and a status quo routine, with no plans of returning. 
Why do it? Probably because of the question that could be asked in 20 years time, "why didn't we do it?"