Day 12

Sleeping location: “Tim’s” bang-average airbnb, Mannheim
Distance (km today/total): 152 / 1379
Estimated climb (m today/toal): 300 / 8600
Castles on the Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen: >40
Day in three words: Rhine and shandy

A final* big day which was actually only meant to be about 135km but somehow turned into 150+ again. This means that since leaving London I have done a ludicrous 758km in 5 days (Toni has only done 742, pathetic).  The first month up to Bari was always going to feel a bit punchy because of the fixed start/end dates, and I’m definitely looking forward to a more relaxed timetable in September.  

The Rhine cycle path redeemed itself with a lot of gorgeous sections in the morning, all green hills and castles, and the afternoon parts would have been nice if not for a nagging headwind and running out of water for 20km. The sun was shining all day and I have developed some fantastic tan lines - deep brown on the lower legs, face and lower arms, bright red on the upper arms and neck after sitting in the sun in a vest (it’s a base layer, ok), and milky white everywhere else.  I look a bit like a tub of Neapolitan ice cream. 

Stopped for beers/radlers along the way a few times to celebrate Toni’s birthday, including a couple in Worms where we met up with my friend Craig who we are staying with in Mannheim for the next three nights. This rather foolishly left us with a tipsy night time cycle down some dark spooky lanes, which was unideal.  Also unideal were the two massive flights of stairs required to cross the Rhine for the first time on the trip. They had those cycle rail things but were ridiculously steep and getting two fully loaded bikes up/down was an absolute nightmare. Moral of the story, don’t cross the Rhine, or it will bite back.  

Time for two days of rest in and around Mannheim.  Probably loads of beer as well.  

*Almost certainly not final

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