The Journey Home

It poured down all our last night, and was still raining at 4.30am when we got up. We packed in the wet and in the dark, by the light of our head torches, then set off down to the station.

Stage One Trier - Dusseldorf

We had time for coffee and croissants in the cafeteria before boarding the train to Dusseldorf (via Koblenz). We had reservations for the bikes in their own numbered racks and for ourselves in our own private compartment. En route we looked out at so many places we recognised that we had passed in the opposite direction on our bikes days and weeks ago, now speeding past in a couple of hours. It was all going so well ...

Stage Two Dusseldorf - Venlo

We had 40min to get our bikes from Platform 19 over to Platform 4 for the Venlo train. Easy-peasy despite the fact the bikes wouldn't fit into the lift whist laden with panniers; but we had time ...

Ten minutes before the train was due, the tannoy announced that the Venlo train would now be arriving at Platform 12 instead!! Mad rush as everyone piled for the stairs and lift and we were left at the back of the queue. With a couple of minutes to spare and stress levels going into the red we made it and got on. The train set off and despite being a bit cramped we started once more to relax. At Munchengladbach the train stopped. There was an unintelligible (to me) announcement in German and Dutch and everyone got off the train and rushed down the stairs out of the station. We discovered that we needed to catch a replacement bus service as far as Venlo. Bumping our bikes down the stairs, along with another couple of cycle tourists we emerged out of the station to chaos as everyone scrambled to get on the two available buses. We had no chance ... but wondrously ... a third bus appeared - specially for bicycles! Stress levels, at the prospect of us missing our connection from Venlo, now well into the red, were further raised when a group of renegade biddies forced their way onto our bus and behaved in a thoroughly obnoxious way, pushing and shoving past us and our bikes in their frenzy to get a seat. Di provided a few strong words and they settled to a malignant undercurrent of bickering for the rest of the journey.

Stage Three Venlo - Rotterdam

We arrived at Venlo station just in time for the heavens to open in a torrential downpour (which at least kept the biddies on the bus protecting their blue-rinses!). We were also just in time to miss our connection. Thankfully another train came along only a half hour later and the guard let us use our tickets. At last, nothing else could go wrong ...

Stage Four Rotterdam - Europoort

Just as we arrived at Rotterdam, once more the torrential rain came, this time driven by a Westerly gale. We were exhausted by the journey by now, and with it being later than scheduled, we decided to take a train out to the port instead of the 25km cycle ride facing us.

We were told that 'There isn't a train - only a bus and it doesn't take bikes' and so with no other alternative we set off against the Mother Of All Headwinds across the flat exposed industrial wasteland out towards the port. Three hours later we were aboard, completely exhausted, but content we'd made it.

With a meal and a few beers inside us, the horrors of the day faded, and we had a really good sleep.

Just to round it all off, back in the UK, Transpennine Express Trains have finally changed their policy and we were able to reserve places for both bikes. At 4.00pm, 23 1/2 hours after getting up in Trier we got home.

It's been another wonderful experience, filled with new sights, places and very many interesting, helpful and inspiring people. Thank you to everyone who has made out journey such a fulfilling and rich experience.