18/10/24
We’d resolved to have a long sleep. The day before had been a long day and we were still getting used to the bikes in body and mind. Bums and legs were sore basically. It was a much more comfortable night and we were awoken by what sounded like lots of dog whistles.
It had rained during the night, into the morning and we waited till it had stopped before exiting the tent. There seemed to be people training hunting dogs in the field adjacent.
It was a late start again, perhaps we left after the keto porridge around 10:30. This time it was accompanied by some coffee. Before bidding farewell to Maewis we bought some low sugar rhubarb jam from him.
The route was mostly quiet roads for the first part into Amorongen. For some reason the Eurovelo gps file malfunctioned and the track was slightly out of line. At first we tried to navigate through it but the garmin wasn’t happy and we were on rough paths.
After locating a route from Kohmoot we set forth into what was suggested by the signs to be a national park. We were in the trees, though at first by the side of busy roads, and we found hills! They do have some here. A town we rode through had the most beautiful song played as it chimed on the hour. They do like their bells here.
The route was a mix of travelling through towns and the woodland paths connecting them. Later we were back in the fields as we approached Arnhem.
In a bid to save some money rather than spending €20 a night on campsites we joined warmshowers.org, a community to connect cycle tourers and find places to stay. We had contacted a couple in Oosterbeek who were happy to let us camp in their garden. We were a bit short for time though and pushed harder to ensure we were there in time.
Carien was so friendly and welcoming it was refreshing. We struggled to imagine such kindness from someone jn the UK but perhaps we are wrong. She showed us the place to put the tent as well as the compost toilet and an outdoor shower. The garden was a wild, nature friendly space and it felt very comfortable to be camping in. After a chat and a hot cup of Starmint tea with our host we set off up the garden to set up.
The ground sloped gently, excellent, and the shower was hot, not just warm!
Carien came up to say it was raining and that we could use her studio to sit in during the evening. She was going out and no one else would be here. It was so kind of her to be so trusting and let us use her space.
We located an Aldi down the road. It was cheap, far cheaper than home. A kilo of pears for €1.39. 700g of baked beans for 81cents. We even got cake. Frankie promised to eat half! Always hard to find nice bread this late in the day though. Rye bread from the Coop next door was obtained.
We raged the beans and bread, had 90% of the cake and even a cup of tea. There was a kettle in Carien’s studio and we were sure she wouldn’t mind!
Nestling down into the sleeping bags we were aware the rain would be coming in earnest tonight. It was going to be quite a wet morning for us. We kind of wished it wasn’t possible to know. At least we knew to take our rain coats to bed with us. The tent and sleeping bags/mats were starting to feel much more familiar – so a good nights sleep should be on the cards.
Surly They Won't Make It 