Son en Breugel to Venlo.

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Today was a shorter ride so we had a more leisurely breakfast. There wasn't a great deal of choice at breakfast but the gluten free bread and a boiled egg would keep me going.

The first few miles were on the canal again. We stopped to watch a bridge open, and close, for two leisure boats to pass through. We soon left the canal behind for enormous fields of crops, including black currants, carrots and cabbage. There were also huge fields of impressive looking horses and stables.

We passed three garden enclosures that had a few fallow deer in them. We have seen this before in Holland and Belgium. I am not sure if they are kept as pets or what?

There were even a few dairy cattle scattered around. The first we have seen since leaving the port.

We stopped in a small town, late morning, to have a coffee because we needed a toilet stop. Public toilets can be very hard to find and we were never too far from people to go behind a bush!

The paths were busy when we were near to towns with walkers , couples and families cycling and lots of cycling clubs. All paths are very well sign posted for both cyclists and walkers.

One tiny village we went through was called 'America'. (Founded in the early 19th century and thought to be named after the Americas)

Arriving in Venlo we soon found the hotel. After showers we walked into the centre and we wandered around for a while before dining in an Italian restaurant. Then we walked along the water front of the river Meuse. There was a man on some sort of electric paddle board performing different tricks and generally showing off. We stopped off at another bar to sit outside with a glass of wine. It was still remarkably warm.

In 2003 Venlo was awarded the title "Greenest city of Europe". It us the centre of 'greenhouse market gardening'. In 2013, Venlo won the prestigious 'Best City Centre of the Netherlands' award. It amazed the jury by all the investments which have been made in the last couple of years in the Maas Boulevard, the railway station, the tunnel in the centre and the Maas bridge.

36 miles

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