Germany’s Moehne Dam and Brexit…

Anglo-German friendship on display at the Moehne dam of Dambusters fame. Rapidly repaired in 1943, by forced labour, following death of 1600 civilians (including 1000 Russians) in the 7-metre-high tsunami unleashed by the dam’s breach. With Dunkirk, one of the great WW2 myths that, all these years later, helped fuel Brexit. To whose supporters I […]

Tandeming with Guenther and Irmgard, nearly 40 years on.

Complete delight supping, stopping, tandeming, smiling at seriously real toy railways with old friends Günther and Irmgard Reichle in Menden on way home from the Danube. Old pictures of us cycling in Berlin 1980, then us today, then videos of Günther’s amazing train set in warm evening action. PS their tandem is the same Motobecane […]

1000km down the Danube

Great 1000-km tandem trip just concluded into Budapest from Regensburg, through 12 days of baking Central European heat down the shockingly dry and low Danube (climate change, anyone?) and with warmest thanks to stoker Jutta on the back and steed Daisy below. Both arriving in rudest of health, though one of the two did need […]

Daisy’s home, fully resprayed and refurbished, with a tough new Rohloff.

Riga to Tallinn (almost) – five days and 466km

After three weeks on the road with Daisy our tandem, from Warsaw through Kaliningrad (didn’t see any Iskanders, but BIG Russian manoeuvres about to happen) and Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia (saw three British NATO trucks, seriously intimidating if you’re a Russian), we’re almost there. Mileage to be confirmed, and a selection of Riga-Tallinn photos below, […]

Inside Soviet Spy Centre in Latvia.

105 km yesterday from Koldava to Riga airport, whence we cheated and hired a car today to visit the fascinating former Soviet Cold War eavesdropping station at Irbene – once so secret that from its inception in the mid-60s right through to 1989, the Americans had no idea it was there. And yet, it was […]

Klaipeda, Lithuania, to Kandava, Latvia, 310km

This from deepest Latvia, with 320km further on the clock in last three days, from Klaipeda (Lithuania) to Kandava just short of Riga. (Route here. ) Photos below (with captions) speak of Europe’s longest (definitely not highest) waterfall, in Kuldiga; of truly beautiful Baltic coastline; of old stately homes; local pride at being member of […]