Kastl to Nürnburg

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Another good breakfast and lovely hotel. The hotel owner took a group photo before we set off as it was the first day we had all had breakfast together. Sue and John hadn't gone earlier as it was a shorter ride. While we were waiting to have the photo taken the hotel cat walked across the path with a mouse in his mouth. The owner said he catches at least one mouse a day.



It was up and over and through the forests but it was a very gentle slope. There were, of course, some very gravelly paths. We kept meeting up with Tony, Deborah and Shirley. We cycled a few miles along the Donau Ludwig canal which was very pleasant riding. The Ludwig-Donau-Main-Kanal is an abandoned canal in southern Germany. The canal linked the Danube River at Kelheim with the Main River at Bamberg, connecting the Danube basin with the Rhine basin. The first realisation of a dream to enable barges to navigate from the North Sea to the Black sea, the Ludwig Canal proved to be unsustainable, and was eventually succeeded by the much larger Rhine–Main–Danube Canal.





We had coffee and a sandwich at a Backerie cafe, sat outside in the sun. It was a bit early for lunch but we didn't want a sticky bun and then another stop later. While queuing for the coffee I saw a van with 'Arnold systems' on the side but didn't manage to get a photo of it for the Marsden group. Soon after this Bob and Dave caught us up and we stayed with them until we got to the hotel. They had stopped in the forest to watch the logs being cut up.



We stopped for an ice cream as we arrived into Nürnburg as it was still early for check in. Bob had a beer as he said it had less calories in, but he was joking really.



After showers we walked to the railway station to check the information for our train to Cologne was still correct and we were put back on our original train but it stood at a different station in Cologne but not too far from the other so now it should just be one train. Time will tell!



The evening meal was at a Thai restaurant where they had all eaten on their night together, when we still messing about with train diversions. Goodbyes and thank yous were exchanged. Then a group sat in the hotel foyer for a drink which eventually dwindled to Paul, Dave, Bob and myself. Most people were leaving early on Wednesday either to drive home, catch a train or go to the airport.



This hotel bar has s very strange way of pouring a beer. The glass fills from the bottom, which produces an enormous head of froth and a lot of mess. Very strange.



End of Stage 3 = 731 miles

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