Cycling 1000km to Sweden on my Brompton. Camping in Germany was interesting!

I cycled to Sweden on my Brompton last summer. It was *brilliant* to be able to do a longer camping & cycling adventure again. The idea was to ride and meet up with my husband in Sweden (he is Swedish). This was the second section of the journey, through Germany.

For cycling and camping, Germany was very different from the Netherlands. There were far fewer proper campsites in Germany, and I had to wild camp at times. I had my lovely trusty Hilleberg Akto tent and friendly old Trangia stove with me as usual.

I loved this trip, especially because I’d hoped to do it the year before, but my cancer came back, and everything had to wait for a year, whilst that all unfolded and I had an operation and chemotherapy and then built myself back up again. Now I am on hormone therapy pills, and I have to go in to have a bone strengthening treatment at the hosp each six months.

And I’m glad and thankful beyond words that I can do all this now, out and about, enjoying everything.

Hope you like the film! Thank you for watching!

Music: courtesy of Epidemic Sound
Tellow / Let Love In
Melanie Bell / Easy Now
Houses on the Hill / World Goes By
Bluma Petersen Feat. Nadja Alsén / Way Beyond Seeking

By the way, if anyone is thinking of doing a similar trip in Germany, I discovered recently that pop-up campsites exist, which look like they are definitely worth a look. For example see here https://campspace.com/en/discover/tent-pitches/germany

So… Germany! I love this! So I had cycled across the Netherlands, and  just now I’d gone over the border into Germany   on a 1000km cycling and camping adventure  to Sweden riding to my husband who is Swedish  

I was super-excited about it, because the year  before, just when I was about to set off I’d found out that my cancer had come back. Everything was delayed for a year. But now I was on the way

The main challenge here seemed to be where  to camp. I had planned to do the whole trip in   12 days, camping all the way, but campsites  seemed quite few and far between along my route   through Germany. This was my original plan, which  already had question marks and gaps on it

But then, in the Netherlands I’d had a sore knee, and had to  rest, and now I was a couple of days behind schedule   which is no big deal – and I was overjoyed that  my knee got better, so that I could continue – but  

I’d had planned to cross the Jade Bight by ferry and  that ferry only goes at weekends, and now I’d missed it   So I had to replan almost everything actually,  because it kind of knocked my distances out

And I ended up with even more question marks about where  I’d camp. But I was super-excited to be in a new place Moin! Hoi! I don’t know what  they’re saying! Moin, I think it is, Moin The first place I hoped to camp  was a kind of youth activity centre  

I don’t normally book normal campsites  but I gave them a call. They no doubt will have gone home by the time I get  there, because it’s about half past 6 now It’s a beautiful evening. So nice  to be out in it. Super nice. Right. This is it! And there’s literally only me here.

I thought they might be full or something. He just said I can camp anywhere, and there’s a big field So dinner is going to be a pilaf kind  of curry dish. We’re going to soak these onions   which are dehydrated, soak this rice. Then it’ll  have fresh tomatoes, fresh garlic, soya mince  

Dried parsley, and then some spices. So I’m going to  leave the stuff to soak while I go and have a shower and do the washing The onion is ready to use, just brilliant, and look the rice as well

I’m slightly making it up in a way, because you’re  supposed to use tomato puree, which I didn’t   want to bring because it’s like a  metal tube, and it’s quite heavy    So I’m just using tomatoes, and then I’ve added  the parsley as an idea

I think it’s going to be nice. Good actually! Look! The activity centre staff invited me  to have breakfast with them, which was super nice And there was no coffee, just  tea and they told me all about how East Frisian people are big on their tea and so on. Super kind people   

Today I’m a little bit conflicted about what to do really.  There were two campsites along my route here, but the first was kind of too near And the second was too far. Just see how it goes really Now I was heading into Oldenburg, another  former state.  

This region has been closely linked with Denmark I’m going to get to Varel, and then do  some shopping, and it’s like where on earth am   I going to put anything? I realised I needed to  stock up to avoid running out of food

It’s really few and far between with shops, so, yeah, it’s  quite tricky. Anyway, I’ll find a way.      I hadn’t expected it to be so tricky to get food. You imagine buying vegetables at farms, and going to small shops in villages    And actually I’m at a massive Lidl

OK, so that actually didn’t work at all Cos everything’s in really big  packs in there, loads of onions, potatoes    a whole massive bag. So that didn’t really  work. So I’ve just bought some bread, and I’ll try another shop I’ll try another shop. It’s massive as well. It’s called Famila

So, let’s see about this Ah! so, look, yay! Loads of lovely things. I squashed everything into my bags and I carried on. Moin! haha   I had reached the Jade Bight now, a big bay of the North Sea

So I thought I’d climb up the dike, and have a look There’s a little path here up the dike    In the Middle Ages, this was actually land, and there  were villages here, but the sea washed in and the villages became like islands,  and then they drowned and disappeared completely

I’d decided to do the 50 km  option for the day, and just around the   corner was the campsite. Caravans! With loads of caravans, actually   But I found a really nice back corner.  Ah! So, here I am! It’s a nice place   

There’s an old farmhouse there, and then  they’ve got a campsite along the road The next day, there were no campsites on my route Bit of a funny feeling this morning, because I don’t know where I am camping really, tonight I thought I’d just try and camp wild In theory, I could be fined 

Of course, I’d do no damage, and leave no trace It’s always a bit nerve-wracking   but pretty much always brilliant I think I’m going to camp wild tonight so I feel quite excited This must be the Weser On the other side was the former state of Hanover

It was weird to think that British Hanoverian kings, like King George I, George II and so on   were actually from here Right, so we’ve got a plan. Oh god what was it? Oh yeah that’s right Basically, I’m going to head to this area here

And see if it’s possible to camp wild, and if it’s not There’s a couple of campsites that are actually on the Elbe here, which would be pretty long day  I don’t know how many miles, probably not far off a 100. So that’d be big, but um, good to know

So that’s the plan. It’s 3 o’clock now. Good, let’s go! So I rode to the place where I hoped to camp wild And I started to look for a place Obviously I don’t want to be seen by anyone This looked promising But I saw some people So I pushed on, eyes peeled

See if this works There are walkers and things. I just saw some people walking This will be brilliant Right! Let’s get started OK, brilliant! So I’ve hidden the bike  cos I noticed the wheels have got   reflective stuff on, and it works really well In fact there are reflectors on the tent  

Which I’ll probably just leave Right, okay. Time for dinner It’s so lovely! Can you see me? You know, I actually forgot I had this – I was struggling   thinking oh god these awful midges, and then I  suddenly thought, oh hold on, I’ve got a midge net and now it’s fine

The water is on for coffee I slept pretty well actually the only thing is, when you get up to go to the loo in  the night   you bring a whole load of midges in with you which will have to  be one by one got rid of Pure luxury

Brilliant! I’m so chuffed that worked so well So I rolled down towards the Elbe At the Elbe, I was going to turn left, and ride north,  towards Denmark

I just love this. I mean, it makes you think, oh my god, all you need is few bits and bobs, and you can just go anywhere I just feel so lucky, so free This is so precious Yeah Der wird es ein Euro Ja! Danke schön! Bitte

Und immer mal gucken dass es nicht zu weich wird, die sollen ja bisschen knackig sein Nicht zu weich. Nicht zu viel kochen? Nicht zu viel kochen. Ja, danke! Tschüss! Tschüss! Good! That’s exactly what I hoped be able to do! Oh! Entschuldigung sorry! So that is dinner sorted!

So this is the Elbe. Which goes to Hamburg    This is absolutely gorgeous! I’m suddenly on these teeny weeny little lanes    Now it was getting towards evening, and I  needed to find somewhere to camp.    There was no campsite, again, but there was apparently a free van stop

There is a sort of mysterious, apparently lovely, spot For camper vans, by a lake And it possibly has water, although possibly not So I’ve sussed it. Basically, there’s a parking space  and it’s okay if you’ve got a van, but if you haven’t got a van there’s no space  

And the regulation said you’re not allowed in between 11:00 and 5:00 a.m.  or something    So it’s like, OK. I see. I think I might just sit down somewhere, and have something to eat and I’m sorted now – I’ve got my water. Then let’s find a spot. Somewhere!

Somewhere in here looks good I think it’ll be brilliant. So tonight we’re  going to have potato with this   which is a massive asparagus, I’ve never seen one that big I had sort of rushed into this wood last  night. Now I had to find my way out again, and head north

Gosh I can’t quite remember  how I came in here. Somewhere that way How to get to the road? Yes! I’ve just got to get down onto the road now Well, road. Track! Oh god Right. Now what?    Eventually I got out of the wood and it had been a brilliant spot

So the plan today is to get to the Baltic Sea, which is super exciting and I’m going to  stay in a campsite, which is also super- exciting, showers and everything    Actually though, I’ve got a foldable bowl with me,  so I fill it with enough water to have  

A mini shower, and I have a shower, so  it’s not shower, but you know, wash properly    and it’s so lovely, you feel so much better. But nonetheless it would be really nice to be in a campsite with proper showers Schleswig-Holstein felt really different from the North  German Plain

It definitely feels like I’ve left behind the flat fenlands. Look down there You actually get views like this. It’s nice I’m going to have to do some shopping again today I think cos I’ve only got garlic, some grains, and pancake mix Oh wow, how lovely! this is going to be great

Beide Tüten sind das. Das sind vier Euro. Ja. Danke schön. Ein zurück, bitte schön. Das geht so, ja? Ja. Vielen Dank. Ein schönen Tag noch! Gleichfalls! Danke schön. Bitte schön. That looks nice! It’s potato bread. I want to eat it now  

But I’ve got bread from  3 days ago, so I better finish that first Now I’m on a little hill called Tüteberg. In a while I’m going to cross the Kiel Canal which runs from the Baltic, which is over there, back to the North Sea  where I’ve come from

So that’s going to be really interesting So I had reached the Kiel Canal, and it was interesting. This is actually the   old Kiel Canal, which was built in the 1700s A bit further on I reached the Kiel Canal itself After the Kiel Canal, I went through a beech wood

and suddenly burst out, and I was at the Baltic Sea Oh look! a lovely beach! Now I’d just got to find the campsite But it was miles harder than I thought I’ve been sort of ploughing  along this track for quite a long time

Oh god, it’s supposed to be nice and  easy, staying at a camping site. It is really hard I’m quite tired. God I think the camping is down there you see there’s a flag. And I think it’s just like caravans like that Nearly there! Done it! Oh god Wow that was really sudden

Oh well But the rain stopped. Today was my last  day in Germany It’s quite hard to climb. Oh god. Quite hard even to push So today I’m going to cross the border into Denmark! I can’t believe it it’s just amazing haha I just popped in this shop, and yes they had methylated spirits

So that’s brilliant So, to the border! I crossed the Schlei Firth, an inlet of  the Baltic Sea Now I was crossing into Anglia peninsula Anglia peninsula is where the Anglo- Saxon “Angles” lived, before they moved to England

So the question is, is all that rain  up there on its way here, to me?    It was, actually but I wasn’t going to get hit by it  until I was in Denmark for now I had arrived   at the Danish border. I’m coming up towards  Flensburg now, that’s the last town in Germany

I wanted to come to Denmark, and got all the  maps and everything last year, and then it didn’t happen Argh, but here I am! I’m so happy. I honestly  am so happy. And you know the knee has made it even better, because the knee threw the whole thing  off again into like

it might not happen, you might not be able to do it It’s not something you can take for granted, to be able to just do this