"PRINCE
OF WALES"
A bike trip to England and Wales July 2002
- Now also including Hanstholm and London
Day 1
Saturday 13th July 2002
Ellidshøj - V/Thorsminde 187 km
I had an easy start. My ferry was supposed to leave Esbjerg Sunday at 6
p.m., and the distance would be too much for one day, and too little for two
days. Therefore I decided to go to Hanstholm first and follow the west coast
from there, an extremely scenic route. Friday night we had a terrible
thunder storm, but Saturday morning the weather had turned beautiful again. I
had placed all my things on the table in the living room, and when everything
was packed and I was ready to leave, it was about 8 a.m., but I was not in a
hurry. Edel would accompany me the 5 km to Ridemandsmølle near Godthåb, a thing I appreciate
very much, when I start one of my expeditions. After exactly 1,630 metes the
disaster happened. I realized that my lunch pack was still in our fridge. We
decided to leave it there. It's so difficult to start an expedition all over
again, even if it´s only 2 km. In Ridemandsmølle we shared some rolls and a
cake with 8 ducks and 2 coots, and then the time had come to say good bye.
From the very beginning I had a nice tail wind, and everything went very
fine. After 46 km I saw something very strange. Edel was standing next to the
road, waiting for me. She had fetched the lunch pack to me and she also brought
a book I had forgotten.
It´s now 11.27 a.m. and I am sitting in a picnic area in Vejlerne, an
outstanding nature reserve south of Thisted. It´s a bit cloudy, but I have 21
degr. C, which is good. Till now I have done 61 km. I must say I enjoy my lunch
pack in special way. It´s bad to have put an effort into a lunch back, which
nobody eats.
I can easily feel, that I carry much less luggage than I did on last year’s
trip across the USA. This time I ride without luggage carriers, and everything
is in my trailer.
2.12 p.m. A picnic area south of Klitmøller.
After Hanstholm the wind was a little less favourable. I have now a kind of
cross wind/tail wind. Hanstholm is special to me. This town was from time to
time the destination when we went on a Sunday trip with mother and father many,
many years ago. It was such a long distance from Aabybro (80 km) where we lived,
that we could hardly believe it. It was maybe the furthest my father dared drive
from our home. We were 3 brothers and we enjoyed being that far away from home.
We almost felt we were on another continent.
I bought 2 bananas and some brown bread in Klitmøller, where I also
filled up my bottles. The weather is still beautiful. From here I have about 40
km to Thyborøn, where I must take a small ferry. I love these tiny ferries.
Little by little I feel that I have not touched a bike for a while. I am
not quite sure how far I have to Esbjerg, but my guess is have to ride about 180
km today.
Of course it could not go on like that.
When I passed Agger on my way to the ferry to Thyborøn, I felt a few rain drops
and after a while it got worse. It's not heavy rain but all the same it's
extremely annoying. 12 km before I got to Thorsminde I found a completely
deserted lay-by, and I decided this was where I was going to stay overnight.
Fortunately I had bought food, so I was ready to camp. The grass is very nice
here, but there are a great number of black
slugs. Apparently these black slugs
move very slowly, but all of a sudden they have sneaked up on you and you
discover them the strangest places in your luggage. It´s hard for me to say
anything positive about black slugs. It´s difficult for me to become
enthusiastic about them.
All my things are damp and humid, but not wet.
It´s now 8.50 p.m. and the rain has stopped. I have not seen one single car at
this lay-by, which seems to be forgotten by the surrounding society.
I rode 187 km today, and if the weather is with me I can expect a manageable
trip tomorrow. I suspect I have about 120 to Esbjerg from here.
| Læs
H. C. Andersens eventyr på cykel i Cykel-Motion Danmark 
|
Denne
ekspedition blev kørt med cykel og trailer fra Winther Cykler.  |
H. C. Andersens eventyr
gennemføres i samarbejde med |
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