So what have we been up to?

Since arriving in Wertach and sleeping off the DnV - we've been up to all sorts of mischief.

Immediately we found ourselves in a bit of a transport dilema...we didn't have any, other than our bikes; Of which we we're totally fed up after a months solid cycling.

Wertach being located where it is,places of immediate interest are not very accessible. Communicating our story to those in the lodge who would listen, in the blind hope of some more donations (no luck as of yet), luck appeared in another form.

Upon telling one of the guys what we had done, and our transport problem; a simple response of "I've got a car you can use" solved that. Our eyes lit up in amazement! Trying to hide grins in a bid to quell images of joy riding officer cadets, insurance was checked; and with a final confirmation of "Sorry if this is a silly question, but can you drive?" we had the keys in our sweaty palms.



Second issue we ecountered: Our climbing aspirations relied on the aquisition of a rope...a harness, some helments, stickies (climbing shoes), quick draws, slings, walking books, bags, Karabiners. Everything essentially; which the lodge supplied to us with open arms.



There are keys - fucking keys - in the middle!

So, we've been living off 8 euros a day for food, climbing during the day, going for the occasional cycle and lots and lots of sun bathing.

And we've raised £2000 for SSAFA Forces Help (if you add the gift aid)

Thank you so much for all the support you have given us over the last month, and we sincerely hope that those of you who haven't got round to sponsoring us yet do so.

Another huge thanks to everyone who has helped us on our way. Various parents for love and support, friends, MSUOTC and its staff, Haus Magnus and its staff, as well as the occasional members of public that have encourged us on our way.

Finally - heres some pictures of the last couple of days and some we didn't get round to putting up in the first place:



On the ferry over - the equivilant of a wing mirror. Funny how parking a 1000+ ton ship comes down to some sharpie lines on some perspex.



Brewing up with Dave in the rain (yeah he did actually come for a while)



One of the maps we were using 1:350000 and ab-so-bloody-lutely no contours (lucky the Rhine and the Netherlands are flat-ish)



The boys bashering up ('if it ain't rainin it aint trainin' it fucking rained)



Lunch at Lidl, or Aldi, or Netto



Airing ourselves and our sore buttocks



Drunken tent repairs



Koln Cathedral



The Unkel Precession



Ellie and a Air Canada Pilot (Couldn't quite lift her, either through his own incompetence or Ellie's ever increasing shelf arse)



Cycling through yet another vineyard



Blackhawk up (Rob was very excited - would have been more so if it became 'down')



Sid the Security Tag (Evans, and Rob in his rush to join us neglected to get it removed)




"If your feet are in it, it means you've definitely been there" (Berry, R. 2010)



"If it flies - I like it" (Berry, R. 2010)



Typical view for the nav man (or woman)



Indoor wall in Obersdorf - complete with monkey playground and slack line - our days crag climbing was of course, rained off.



Op Raise Morale (bellies still sore from DnV)



I'd like to say I was getting changed into my climbing gear. I wasn't (I vaguely remember public nudity may get some more "challenge" donations)



Spiderman aka Rob leading a climb



Spiderwoman aka Ellie and her infamous shelf



Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's castle



Cooling off in a lake after a hard days climbing (was cold)

And that folks, pretty much sums up what we've been up to, and are going to be doing until our Adventure Training group comes out to join us. Happy Days!

The Team, minus two, living the dream.

xx

A Challenge

A friend of mine said he'd donate some money if I licked a cow - here's the evidence:



Ellie also had a run in with some cows:



"They jumped - it was funny" ... In her own words.

The end is Nigh

Day Thirty

Fuck, our last day of cycling and Charlotte having to leave us to catch an unfortunately timed flight back to the UK. The night before Will and I had stayed up later than rest of the motley crew shooting shit into the night; seeing Ellie march off on the now all too familiar trip to the toilet. Apparently she felt on deaths door throughout the night, but thankfully in the morning was fresh as a daisy and ready for the final push.

For myself, the complete opposite can be stated. Felt fine during the evening, great throughout the meal, but in the morning I awoke to a questionable fart. Thinking not much of it, Will, Max and I went searching for a supermarket and some breakfast. We returned with 18 croissants and various fillings. After breakfast and some orange juice (naturally interrupted by rain) Some more questionable farts lead to the obvious, a toilet trip.

By the time I had returned the crew had gathered in the car park of the campsite, Charlotte all packed away and ready to go. We each said our good-byes, individually praising her outstanding effort in what she achieved and thanking her for all those glorious meals she had cooked for us. And the food poisoning.



Notice me bent over with stomach cramps. Awesome.

I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to enter into such a cliquey environment as a predominantly OTC led exped. Your commitment to the task at hand, always with a smile was an inspiration to us all. We’re dearly sorry that you couldn’t roll into Wertach with us, hanging out your arse as badly as we were, but thank you for the innumerable qualities that you brought to the group. To top it all off we even brought your cutlery to the table tonight – before realising we were three. Finally, always remember that you cycled further than Rob.

Before we knew it, the little Corsa pulled away and Charlotte had begun her journey home. This meant that is probably time for us to leave as well... Begrudgingly it was time to get back on the bike. No mean feat with an arse hole stinging to high heaven. Stuffing immodium down my throat like there was no tomorrow, we gently made our way towards Rettenburg.

While the going was flat, things were fine. Up hill, things weren’t too bad either. But the vibrations of going downhill mixed with a dodgy stomach lead to familiar tasting burps. Lasts nights spaghetti bolognaise. Before long I had chunks coming out my nose whilst cycling. Chunks coming out your nose aren’t ideal at the best of times. We stopped outside a house whose dog kicked up at fuss at our presence and my gagging. Crossing the street, a belly full of immodium and simply lead to stomach contents coming out the other side, my face.



Feeling totally shite, we pushed on. A few more minor hills and before we knew it, we had accidently hit the Red road going into Rettenburg we had been aiming for. A phone call to the lodge to tell them we would be arriving within the hour was frankly answered with “see you in half an hour then”. The hill before us just went up, and up, and up, and up and up. We must have climbed for longer, and higher, than that bastard of a 4km hill a few days previously before we all got sick.

Another couple of vomit stops, some rain and an hour and half of cycling preceded our arrival into Wertach.

A very humble, unceremonious finish to our 1600km cycle.

“Coyle – you said half an hour.”

“Yeah but there was a really big hill.”

“That hill wasn’t big, anyway, stick the bikes in the garage and your in room 19.”

So that was it. We’d done it. In bed by 4pm and didn’t rise other than to go to the toilet till 7am two days later.

Robs video pretty much sums it up:



Looks like Somerset but well worth it though.

Tom
xx

A cloud always has a silver lining, thanks Gann

Day Twenty Nine

Whether to follow the river or not to follow the river. A mild debated ensued. Somehow the result ended up in us doing neither and going on a little adventure all of our very own. We soon realised the error in our ways and stumbled across a 15% incline hill ...most of them were rolling and glorious. In desperate need for lunch on yet another fucking Sunday we were lucky to find a awesome Italian restaurant; where we all tucked into our first sizeable meal since feeling less than great. News of seeing Will in the evening at lunch – a mega suprise, which raised spirits tremendously as you can imagine.



An Old Lady with a dog helped us on our way onto Kempton – enlightening us towards a flat route, rather than the hilly one we had unknowingly planned on the map.

Absolutely chucked it down after lunch – the whole worlds water supply struck again.... Soaked wet through for the umpteenth time on the trip.

Once again became temporarily unfamiliar with our surroundings on the outskirts of Kempton, helped by the pissing rain. What can only be described as a saintly young lad on a scooter stopped to offer his two cents worth (stopping in the middle of the road and removing his helmet) – well trained by his mother but none the less still didn’t really have a clue. More rain. Asked some local girls in a bus shelter, but they just giggled – especially at Rob’s somewhat inappropriate gestures to them to look at the map.

Cold, wet, tired and hungry morale remained high with the prospect of new friends and conversation...they also had a car!! Will’s text saying he would be at the campsite in less than 45 minutes was not funny, considering he sent it from somewhere south of Munich, a damn sight further away.

Eventually we became aware of our surroundings and pushed on in rain. Found another person to ask, who sent us through a derelict part of Kempten over a river and under the autobahn. Found campsite, zero signs up until that point. In the bar we found Will and Max. Jubilation at meeting them. William had brought a ray of British sunshine into our lives at this point, due to him wearing his panama hat...Mr Gann I salute you sir!



Decided to get the tents set up then out for a meal. Will and Max had both decided to camp with us too, so we went on a drive in their car; well max’s sister’s corsa. Fully overloaded, with coyle catching her fingers in the boot lid as charlotte closed it!!! ’OPEN THE FUCKING BOOT, OPEN THE FUCKIN BOOT’

Will’s driving was atrocious, like being in the car with a blind Colin Macrae. Careering round the roads that lead to somewhere, we eventually found an Italian gest house. The night passed in good spirits with us all glad to see each other, and having arrived here in one piece....even with Will’s driving.

Route back was as epic as the route out, with a few shouts of ‘OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD’ and Will trying to direct us via his iphone back to the campsite, up a pedestrian walkway(which we got through)...bed!

Rob, Ellie, Tom

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A month and we move on

Day Twenty Eight

The Saturday morning we awoke to a full hostel for the weekend, forcing us on our way sooner than we would have liked but we all took to it well. A cold morning and low blood sugar lead to the early shout for MacDonalds a particular favourite of ours and a safe bet in the new light of hostile stomachs. With full tummy’s, some possibly too full, we pressed on soon to pass our first campsite, much to my shock horror... and onto the second we went via a dodgy pub that offered us tea??

The campsite on arrival didn’t look like anything special but boy did it provide a handsome evening meal!! It was a shame that it was this evening that the plague we’ve been carrying got the better of Rob. The rest of us managed to rack up an enormous bill having indulged heavily in the diverse menu; that happened to be that of an extravagant gormet restaurant where most guests were respectfully dressed. Never mind us then! At least by this stage we had showered and removed the Lycra.

News of Will in Munich, a friend on a climbing exped in the dolomites (abandoned, due to the poor weather), also continued to raise spirits as we thought there may be someone to witness the finale to come. Bed.

Ellie

xx

It Had to End One Day

And the end I have reached! On the Sunday 15th of August 2010 I reached Oschle campsite, a very well hidden campsite a few kilometers south of Kempten, Bavaria. We battled through some of the coldestand heaviest rain experienced in the last 4 weeks for me to finish my cycling adventure in the beautiful Allgau of Germany. Unlike the afternoon, the last day greeted me with a pleasant mornings cycling from Memmingen across gentle hills and past pine forests. The scenary was everything we had come to Germany for and seemed to sum up the trip perfectly. Still slightly weak from the D&V the days before the 'gentle' hills still took no mercy on me having to puff all the way up them. The view from the top is always worth it though.


Its sad and a bit boring being home in Oxfordshire if im frank. The daily routine of brew, breakfast, cycle, lunch in a lidl/aldi carpark, cycle, locate a campsite, cook, shower, tights and bed has been all ive desired for the last month and will probably desire for a few more days until I can embrace what the English summer has left for me... apparently not a lot with a few days of rain forecast - would it be any other way?! Ive stated to my family that cycling is in my bones (and now athletically formed leg muscles!) for good and ive vowed to take my bike up to Glasgow Uni with me for more adventures in the Scottish Countryside. Im considering drop handle bars and a new set of brakes to improve my 'Trek' bike I fell in love with on the Bavaria Trip.

Looking forward to carrying on the passion I developed has led me to write about all that created it.
The beginning of the trip was filled with very high apprehension every morning as Tom, Ellie and I left the warmth of friends homes to tackle the English Countryside. After cyclying out of Hampshire to Windsor on the first day it dawned on me extremtly quickly that this is going to be one of the hardest challenges I have set myself. Massive doubts haunted me every evening if I would make it up the hills the following day. Althought the few stops and sobs at the side of 'Upshire Hill' harrowed me with fear I wouldnt make it to Bavaria, let alone Harwich Ellie and Tom's incredible encouragement ensured I did. Im forever thankful for those early days of you guys pushing me to my limits to find the strenght to keep cycling and reach the end of the trip.

Harwich was a very high point in the trip for me. I had finished Phase 1A and was meeting the rest of the team that evening. That morning my mum had sponsored us and it provided me with the drive to keep on going. The 60mile day had filled me with a great sense of acheivement and meeting Dave Tooth and Rob Berry (again) provided a fresh look at the adventure and anticipation for cycling as a team of 5 was rose.

Cycling along the Rhine tested my fittness, keeping up with the group and playing my part at the front at times only made me stronger. Now home, Im feeling fresh and as fit as I may have been for a good 3 years - the cycling along dykes and in high winds has defintly paid off! My family are in awe of my physic now - makes a change to the usual fat sister jokes they used to throw at me. Now my legs of steel are more impressive than my sporty young sisters but my muscley shelf of a bum not so!!

The evenings of cooking and getting to know each other in 'beir gartens' have left an impression on me for sure. The insight to the OTC was exciting and at times even though I was outside the box I still felt your knowledge and practices rubbing off on me. Always at the butt of jokes for being a bit useless camping and general surviving outside in a forgein country I was asured by Ellie that insults were a strong sign of feeling comfortable with each other and of affection. Being dubbed the 'Mong' was never a worry for me and I was very proud to be part of the OTC dominated team. You all made me very welcome and im still shocked at the honour of Ellie asking me along for the expedition.

Thank you Tom for your leadership and ability to always keep morale up. Unexpectedly for me my cyclying on busy roads was less than proficient so Tom taught me the obvious importance of looking both ways (believe it or not I never did remember to be careful - my mong personality made a great appreance at road junctions!) I can now accuratly point out a position on a map with a blade of grass rather than my 1:50000 finger thanks to Rob's teachings. The importance of properly squared away kit was introduced to me aswell and in heavy downpours and cold evenings the knowledge that warm kit was easily accessible bought me huge statisfaction. I feel people reading this may think 'well duh' obviously it should be at the top of the pannier bags but having never done an OTC excercise or spent time in the field like the others had it didnt occur to me at all that kit should be positioned so miticulously. Thanks Rob and Ellie for your teachings! By the end of the trip I got a few remarks out about Rob's slow progress in the mornings after I had managed to square away my kit away first. A small sense of cheeky pride glowed inside me before I was reminded of my Mong status moments later by knocking over a cup of tea or being reminded of nearly hitting a car the day before. Rob was a very polite and well humoured tent mate, massive pleasure sharing the same canvas with you for the past few weeks.

The highlights of the trip are hard to pin point. There are so many - most days something memorable happened. Unkel, the night out in Mainz and our sighting of the first hills off the Rhine are up there. No day was a chore, once the usual stiffness in our legs loosened, cycling everyday was never monotonous and always bought surprises. The time Dave spent with us was a great week and our spell of D&V is very memorable, so was the 14% incline hill I managed to drag myself up on the last day. The unforgetable team effort Ellie played in getting me up the long slog of the 7% 4km hill on the 12th of August was amazing. Ellie's compassion for a healthy team was evident throughout the whole trip and meant a lot to me. You were a hero that morning mate.

Traveling always brings people together and forces a bond. The bond of friendship that grew between us four in the last month needed little forcing and it was a sincere honour and pleasure for me to be part of the team. Im so proud I took part in this expedition, 900 odd miles cycled from home to help raise money for people and families of those in the forces through SSAFA. Onwards and Upwards we went together as team Bavaria for an unforgettable summer.

Charlotte xxx

Touching the Void

Day Twenty Seven

Still no progress. Stuck in the youth hostel, toilet and bed bound.

Money low, spirits lower.

Farted in the shower - that was exciting.

Tom

xx