Day 29, Epilogue

After a good night's sleep in our own beds and a bacon roll breakfast, and in full Lycra cycle kit, we brandished our bus passes and caught the bus back into Aberdeen. A coffee break was taken with Anne and Alec before retrieving our bikes from their garage and heading home ahead of the forecast rain. After a shopping stop in Westhill we continued for a short while before the rain started and rain capes were donned. It continued to rain all the way home, but at least the stiffening wind was a tailwind. Another journey milestone occurred on the way as we passed the 1000 mile mark for the whole holiday. We also had to get used to cycling in hilly terrain once more!
33.9 km; 18.3 kph avg; 1:51 moving time; 385m ascent

So there we have it, another holiday over. 6 countries (+UK) over 30 days, riding 1612.3 km ( just over 1000 miles), in snow, thunderstorms, stifling heat, floods, fresh winds, but mostly warm, sunny and still air. Brilliant. We've seen quadracycles, unicycles, recumbent bikes, trikes & tandems and even (the most bonkers bike of all) a back-to-back recumbent tandem, hand cycles, wheelchair adapted cycles, e-bikes by the hundred, a Pederson, utility cargo bikes, bikes carrying kids both onboard and in trailers, and bikes carrying dogs. We've travelled with our bikes on British Airways, Swiss trains, German trains, Virgin East Coast trains and DFDS ferry all without a hitch (OK, virgin train was late but only because someone threw themselves under a train); the only problem being a Scotrail strike that cancelled our last leg of the journey. The only time I had to use the bicycle pump was at the pleading of a group of students on our approach to Amsterdam to pump up a girl's back tyre. And despite all the food we've tucked away and beer and wine consumed, we've both lost weight! Who could ask for more.

The quote of the trip? Try this: as we arrived at Amsterdam hostel Anne went to check in and an American in his late 20s, sitting outside with a beer, quizzed me on how far we'd cycled. I gave him the full story as his mouth slowly fell open in amazement. His younger brother came out to join him and he repeated the story adding at the end " ... with his wife!!" After a reflective pause he mused:
"Man, that's the kinda chick I want!"

Quite.