route so far

if you are interested , hope this picture works...

Leaving home

This is the bit that should come at the beginning of this saga.

Anyway,would just like to let you all know that in case anyone else wants to embark on such a ludicrus venture...its actually harder leaving home than you think. When you just set out you can't quite believe you are actually doing it, [still can't ],and it does'nt feel like going away on holiday. So it was all a bit more of an emotional wrench than either of us had anticipated...saying goodbye to our neighbours ,and then mum ,jim and rosie seeing us off... [ rosie was heartbreaking to leave,,,and she won't even miss us .How strange is that ?]

It took about 3 weeks to start to get into the groove,and thankfully its much better now. Its great getting emails e.tc.and some folk had better come out and join us for bits else there'll be trouble !

We had fantastic day out in tartra mtns yesterday...all via ferrata type chains and ladders along steep ridge on polish/slovak border.

Hopefully some pics attached.

I'll leave jon to do building construction,tractors or beer. I'm not sure what his topic will be....

Just to answer some of the questions asked....

The MF 250 tractors.. some were indeed 4wd (not that common!!) but non had multipower.

the most common tractor over here is the Ursus!! also saw a very interesting tatra truck>> 6wd with full independant suspension.

Also from a privious posting .. the BEER is fantastic not the BEEF!!!!

now building design.... we were interested to see that the buildings are all being insulated at the moment, what seems to happen is that the outer cladding of the house is knocked off and a layer of polysyrene allached! on top of this a thin weather proofing layer of course plaster is skilled on! these are usually painted in either yellow or a lime green to finish.

Here in the mountains they seem to use a more traditional wooden challet style of building, attaching stangely shaped pieces of wood to the roof trusses in the antleresque style of decoration!!

the roofs however are all tin?

thats enough for now! things to do... places to go..

Still heading south through Krakow and now at Nowy Targ the home of the extra wheel trailor (it seems that nobody in the town knows of that fact).
The scenery is fantastic, quite Alpine!! now that you can see the big mountains of the Tatras,. .Having avoided all big places so far we finally bit the bullit and barelled into Krakow. Good thing we did as it was stunning. If the main square does'nt make you go '' wow ' then nowhere will. From there its straight into rolling foothills. Tatras look great, v. compact....but we'll get in there tonight and do some proper exploring, ,maybe for a few days.
Polish dogs.
They all seem to have them ;a little yappy thing and a bigger fiercer back up. They keep them behind their fences and they all go ballistic when we pass . Every house has a sign "Uwaga pies " , and that is what they should do with most of them, the small yappers particularly.
Agriculture is quite interesting! small tractors and fields, grass dried on hay ricks, old MF and Claas 6ft header combines. There are a few of the MF 250 series tractors about, I think these may be the ones built under licence in eastern europe! But of course this is only in the hills. The lowland farms tend to be on a much larger sacale, fields of 200 acre large tractors etc, still nice to think that in the hills people are still making a living off 5 cows and 50 acres.
Enough agric culture for now, next time building design!!

day 26. (we think!!)

In a camp site for first time in poland, just north of krakow. Bit of a fright!! When nic saw herself in mirror for first tme after several nights wild camping, oil mustache was not a good look? However scrubbed up as normal though uncomanly brown? Thanks for e mails, ma, mandy,jane, liz, chris, rolf and joel. Keep it up.
Its been continentaly hot out here, been off roud on forest trails nost of the time, occasiolaly round in circles,
Heading to the southern border and tatra mountains, then prob into Slovakia.
Boring info for geeks.....
Average daily distance covered. 100km
Largest distance in a day. 140km
Biggest hill. Hartside!
Most beers. Tonight 5
Most interesting animal. Small snake (very)
Rain 2 showery days
That will do for now
Just like to say that today we (or I) have got to grips with blackberry using eurocamps wi fi network. Also nic says I should appologise for my spelling. But it is a small type pad and I carnt spell. Forgot to say to martin. Flat bars and a selle italia are great too. Sorry no pics but be thankfull for anything!! Love to you all.
Nic and jon

storks and cranes from carlisle

Now in rural poland heading roughly s.e, having left the mayhem of the coast,which,whilst lovely in parts,is also in peak holiday season like blackpool in places. A polish man will always chose a beer rather than coffee first thing in the morning .....probably a lot simpler.

Some brief observations

Holland.They really are a true nation of cyclists.Its very impressive and puts britain to shame. You can cycle everywhere in holland without mixing it with cars at all,,,lots of the scenery whilst flat is very scenic in detail.

N.Germany. Also v.flat.But a lot prettier than maybe you would expect. A lot of v.old thatched cottages/and big buildings too.Also of course nearly all on cycleways,but not so many cyclists. Is the u.k the only country where cyclists have to mix with horses, Everywhere else there is no problem with putting pedestrians and cyclists together...most pavements in built up areas are also cycleways.Who has ever met a horse who is impressed by cyclists

It is strange how the ooestsea in germany was warm and somewhere along exactly the same bit of coast it suddenly went true to its name ...baltic ,truly !

The counrty side here is fantastic...like nowhere quite else.Lovely rolling ground,wooded with pine forests and mixed trees,lakes very tranquil and secluded,farmland arable but in open swathes amongst the forests,sometimes very big .Deer, storks,and yesterday for the first time cranes...what a wildish creaky sort of whooping they make. Villages very small and sparse,low pop density,and economically way behind germany,holland e.t.c but of course all the nicer for that.All the houses have ducks,chickens,its run down and ramshackle...with more modern buidings going up here and there. No wonder the polish have been earning a bit of dosh in the u.k .Even a crap job would be worth it if you could come home and build your new house somewhere gorgeous.

Its going to take us ages to get through poland,;especially if we keep following [though it sometimes feels like we are pioneering ]rural bike routes. We are off road half the time going we are not quite sure where but it is so gorgeous we'd be fools not to.

Beer is only 1pound so Jon is quite impressed too.

We have seen a crane made in carlisle by cowan and sheldon!! also lots of ursus tractors (good russian tractor!!)

Beef is fantastic.

Still in northern germany. heading eastish still. been through some fantastic places on the coast and inland. been swimming in the sea and in some of the lakes. Nic is finding it a bit hot through the day but that may be due to the fact she may be getting a bit of a cold!! Not enough beer I told her. the pictures show nic in the sea (me guarding the bikes) and the other is of Eric nics freind from holland who she met on her trip to greenland! this is a high point in holland!! 45 metres high!! (i think they call it a mountain!!)
We will continue our travel west and should be in poland in the next 2 to 3 days:
Glad to hear the borrowdale ladies did so well, and rsoie will be helping out next year!!
All well here! keep on watching

Somewhere north of Hamburg

Journey going well: managed to get through Holland without too much problems! except for me (jon) leaving part of the stove at a camp site and both having to cycle 40k to get it back!! Still it was a nice round trip.
Weather has been ok a bit of rain lots of sun and some cloud.
We are both bitten to bits by bugs etc!! bikes are still in one bit and no problems!
Jon has done bike mechanics assaistance to a bunch of young german lasses...what i mean is he fixed a bike ! We got good karma payback the next day when somebody told us to follow them through the port section at Bremen Haven,,,,the biggest container port I have ever seen ,,,,( bigger than barrow even).
We need to do tick inspections every day, they seem to be getting us regularly..They ITCH ! And its probably a good thing you can,t see your own bum cos they would.nt look nice,but are holding up well ,i think .

Martin... mary bars and brooks sadles are fantastic!
Joel and Hannah.......... get signed up!!!!
Rolf... cycling in northern Germany is lovely
Wheelers!!..... did a clasic wheelers route following dodgy dolmen signes!! you would have loved it! (fields nettled woods etc)

Sorry no pictures this internet spot doesn`t seem to have a usb thingy!!
Keep watching!! even if its boring!