Bavaria 2023. Last day

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Bavaria Day 15
A full start to the day but warm, encountering some light showers mid morning. After a few kilometres along the valley I saw some gravel and thought the tarmac road alongside would eventually join the cycle path. I was mistaken and ended up quite a way from the planned route and ended up climbing into the hills and still encountered gravel, some if it quite loose in one ascent. It did mean that I passed several sawmills, which I have an interest in since I ran one for 25 years. A Veolia waste plant was also seen which was processing sawmill waste into compost and dealing with other smelly waste. Amazingly there were also a few vintage tractors hiding in sheds just waiting for me to pass by and photograph them. Coffee and cake was had in the town of Altdorf which has stone arches and towers at either end of the Main Street which is typical Bavarian. The ride was short today arriving at the B&B hotel at 12.30 and actually being allowed to check in at that time. The dusty, dirty bikes are now loaded ready for the long journey home. I am amazed that my bike has survived so well since it broke a spoke in the back wheel over a week ago and has not got any worse. I intend to get some stronger spokes for a wheel rebuild next week as this was the third spoke to break in 6 months. I am so indebted to Lyta for lending me her one sided pedals so that I could ride in my pumps having left my cycling shoes at home. (Duffer).

As a roundup to this tour I can say that Bavaria is a great place to cycle and the towns and villages are very interesting and the buildings are so different to most of the UK and are very pleasing on the eye and have a long interesting history. Care should be taken to avoid some of the long boring gravel roads, many of which are following the big rivers. Most of the tarmac roads are very well kept and very smooth, plus the drivers are very courteous to cyclists. Our hotels have been very good and the food excellent. With a bit of tweaking this could be a top cycle tour. Top towns, villages and cities to see are; Nurnberg, Rothenburg ob de Tauber, Dinklesbuhl, Gunzburg, Landshut, Augsburg, Munchen, Deggendorf, Kastl and Regensburg not necessarily in that order. My favourite was Rothenburg ob der Tauber I think.

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