Raised from the Bed

Either this is a joyous occasion, being the resurgence of Saddleman on this blog after 4 years of slumber, or else it is a melancholy trip to bid a fond farewell to Europe if the dastardly Maybot gets her way and rips us out of the EU before I return.

I will hope for the best, that the UK will be given the opportunity to think again, and this will be a way to remind myself of all the joy that comes from being part of a wider union.

And so next Wednesday, 24th April I take the overnight ferry from Harwich to the Hoek van Holland and set off up the River Rhine to venture as far as time allows before returning to the UK for 22nd May.

As always, I fear that this time advancing age may play against me but I have taken the unusual step of doing some half-day training runs outside Cambridge to hopefully miss the third day slump that often occurs on such trips - I have come to admit that a lazy ride into Cambridge for a coffee does not stand as sufficient preparation.

So 5 days to prepare and then off to Holland, with tent aboard but three youth hostels booked in Rotterdam, Utrecht and Arnhem with modest distances in between, to ease me through the early days.