My Cycling Diary: Friday 30th July - Neumunster to Maribo

Day 5 : Neumunster to Maribo

Distance = 93.24 miles
Time = 6hrs 46 mins
Average Speed = 13.8 mph
Elevation = 3184 feet
Calories = 4353

Tour Distance = 446 miles Time = 35hrs 35 mins Calories = 19,478

I was up early and into town to sightsee and get my haircut - my optimism had been dampened having ordered my full meal and drinks in german the previous night and chatted about my cycle route with the waitress I eventually dropped into english to ask if there was anything I 'must' see / photograph in town before I head off in the morning - " No" she replied "There's nothing - this is a working town"
And I did manage to prove her right by finding nothing worthy of a photo the next morning !
So off I stride into the hairdressers and boldly ask for a full on 3mm haircut which was very much shorter than I anticipated - just never got the hang of these metric distances !!

And that was it - away I went heading east across lovelt green fields and deserted tracks - great riding some of which I started to video with my new camera - shame my mount for the handlebars was broken on the train.

I arrived in Plon in the German lakes and spent a while buying superglue and repairing my camera mount - now I could do video properly !!
Plon was lovely and soon after followed a 600feet climb out of the lakes up and over past Malente through some lovely wooded roads.
This was followed y what seemed to be an eternity cycling quiet roads heading ever closer to the Baltic sea and the Fehmarn island - after some very dodgy signage again and little guesswork i evetually chose the right tiny trail which lead to an unconspicuous gate which took me up onto the Fehmarnsbrucke bridge, A towering collosus of a bridge high above the exposed straight with a 40mph wind blowing from my left buffetting me towards the oncoming traffic on the main road.
Well I had to video this didn't I and i've uploaded the Fehmarnsbrucke Bridge Ride onto Youtube.

I could now smell Denmark approaching :-)
About an hours ride across the Fehmarn Island and I was in Puttgarden where I'd followed the cycle path past vast lines of cars and wagons queueing in about 20 traffic lanes - "Thank god I have my own fast track cycle path I thought "
Yes a fast track to nowhere - the path ended at an empty office building where a worker eventually told me to go queue with the traffic - so there I was in between cars and juggernauts - I evetually got to a tool booth & paid my fee and was then direct to lane 1 (I was in lane 20 !!!!)
Having queued in Lane 1 a while the ferry started to board and we ( 4 motorcyclists, 1 disabled car & me) were ushered forward - hurray here we go ...
I was promptly stopped and asked to stand in the corner like a naughty schoolboy :-(
Having watched all the traffic go and the ferry fill i wondered has he forgotten about me ? lots of anxious glances at the ferry loaders and evetually was signalled to go & I chased the last cars onto the ferry just in time before the ramp went up... close one !!!
Straight upstairs now for Food - the first of the day & I was first in the queue - the only thing hot appeared to be hotdogs , so I took one and a Cheese & Ham sandwich with a nice warm cuppa.
45 minutes and we were in Rodbyhavn in Denmark - just as well as my liesurely start to the day meant it was now about 7:30pm - so a rapid ride up to Maribo and along what seemed like a road to nowhere and the longest 4 miles ever till i reached my Hotel for the night - The Hotel Lolland in Norreballe just before dusk.
I was greeted by a friendly owner and after a shower & change a quick 3 bottles of Tuborg Classic whilst looking at some stunning books of Iceland which she gave me to view including one of the latest volcanic eruption - Some fantastic photographs - So it was off to bed and a very good nights sleep before another 7:30 rise for my last ride of the tour up to Copenhagen

Route :

Photographs :

Lush Green fields to cycle past just east of Neumunster

Barley fields near Neumunster

Great off road tracks to cycle along, still heading east
towards Plon and the lakes

This is a photograph in a shop window in Plon which shows the
many lakes surrounding the town.

Die GrossePlonische see at Plon

A large mast at the top of the climb out of Plon towards Malente

On the last hill before the coast and the Fehmarn Island

My first view of the Baltic Sea

Basically this sign is telling you - If it's too windy don't try to cycle across the
Fehmarnsbrucke Bridge - fortunately for me the wind was only about 40mph !