The ride from my campsite on the outskirts of Prague to my new campsite in Germany was quite easy, really. It was a journey of about 180 miles and it took me most of the afternoon. When I left Prague it was a balmy 19 degrees, but as the day wore on the temperature got colder…
Not far from the campsite and getting onto the motorway I hit my first tunnel, which was about five or six minutes long, then two more, both about three minutes each. The road tunnels arc around the western side of the city heading south, and they are a definite feat of engineering. After the tunnels I had motorway for about another 30 minutes and then it was the rural ‘A-roads’ through the countryside heading west.
My first stop was Pilsen, which is famous for the worlds oldest beer product – lager, and there is also a museum there for General Patton. I want in for a quick look around, and then it was back on the road again.
The roads towards the Czech and German border become more hilly as I progressed, and there was a lot of forests to drive through. There were also a few tight hairpin bends which were fun – especially as they were covered in cobbles, and not tarmac. Thankfully the roads were dry, but if they were wet I think I would have been considering another mode of transport…
I stopped for fuel just before the border and the temperature had dropped down to a chilly 14 degrees – which I could definitely feel. In the shop most of it was dedicated to selling cigarettes, hence the large queue of Germans all buying multiple cartons of ciggies. I have never seen so many cigarettes in my life, and I almost felt like starting smoking again, but I bought chocolate instead with the last of my remaining Czech crowns.
Heading into Germany the forests became denser and the hills more plentiful and much steeper in places. My campsite at Pottenstein is about 25 miles north of Nuremberg, and I arrived at the village late in the afternoon and had a quick ride around the village first, which is a typical German village in every way with lots of wooden-beamed buildings and a very ‘old world’ atmosphere. A very pretty village, indeed. The village and the campsite are located within a huge ravine which goes on for quite a few miles and it was strange riding along the road at the bottom of this very wide cleft in the earth’s surface and looking up to see 50m to 100m cliffs towering above you.
I arrived at the campsite, which has its own beer-haus – but unfortunately its only open at weekends – and I had the tent up in no time and soon had a brew on the go. It goes dark here about 6.45 so before long it was dark and very quiet, except for the occasional hoot from an owl – and then the rain started. I knew it was coming, and I know its going to be on and off for the next two days, but that’s life isn’t it…?
It was a good day and a good journey. More miles under the belt and now it’s time to enjoy some more of Germany.
