Geoff Jones

Inveterate dabbler in business, travel, gadgets & life

Category: travel blog

Rorschach to Ellikon – Swimming differently

Today was yet another scorcher, last nights lightning made no difference.

I did 64 miles in just over 6 hours making it 10mph! Some of the places I went through were simply unbelievable eg Stein am Rhein a real postcard town!

Its pretty amazing to see folks been carried along in the current at 6mph, they just get out and walk back to the start! I did it outside my hotel in Ellikon – great fun 🙂 they also have a cunning ferry crossing too, basically its like a giant pendleum that swings across the river on a slider wire! The hotel itself, Hotel Zum Schiff dates from 1541 so is an interesting place although a fan would be useful.

Apparently the river is navigable all the way to Rotterdam now – so maybe I will just float down.Its at 272m altitude so compared to The Amazon its a pretty fast river.

Here’s the route and statistics:
Rorschach to Ellikon (Rhein Radweg Day 3) at EveryTrail

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Zizers to Rorschach

Perfect Cycle path

As The Sun would say – Phew what a scorcher! The temperature was well into the thirties today, so just as well I started at 6am to get all the hills out of the way before 8am. I had an excellent section along The Rhine embankment with the wind behind me, amazing to see inline skaters going at well over 15mph the surface was that smooth 🙂

I had a slap up breakfast in Buchs with a fish soup lunch at Rohcspitz campsite the campsite wasn’t to my taste 🙂 so I ventured on, couldn’t find a hotel until Rorschach. It has to be said that there seem to be very view zimmer frei signs around. Even more amazing that the waterfront has loads of industrial buildings rather than hotels..

Managed a quick dip in The Bodensee before my hotel then a longer one from the rather quaint  Badhutte on stilts in the sea.

Todays statistics where 71.6miles in 6hr 42min  about 10.7mph Heres the route:-

Zizers to Rorschach at EveryTrail

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According to my  Bikeline books I have 11 more nights to get to Rotterdam, if the bike and me hold up 🙂

Day 1 Les Gets to Martigny then to Andermatt on the train

With much trepidation and a loaded up bike I left my apartment in Les Gets at dawn break (06.30) to try and beat the high temperatures (30 deg) today. I made it to Evian by 8.30 getting frozen in the process! as its mainly downhill in a sun shaded valley.

I soon warmed up on the road to Martigny stopping for a 10quid sandwich at St Maurice and arriving in Martigny at 2pm after a 67mile ride. Once in Martigny I decided to take Michaels advice and get the trains upto Andermatt where the Rhine Radweg starts. So 47 pounds and three hours later that’s where I arrived.

It has to be said Switzerland is expensive but then again you get something for your money! Superb cycle lanes on the roads and along The Rhone, the railway is clean punctual with special places for the bikes and the ride from Brig to Andermatt is stupendous on a narrow gauge with new track viaducts and tunnels.

Here’s the cycling bit of today:-
Les Gets to Martigny at EveryTrail

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Tomorrow starts with a mega 600 metre climb up the Oberalp pass to Sedrun after that its mainly downhill and 1000miles to Holland!

I’m getting to practice my German  too 🙂

auf wiedersehn

he Guardian, WordPress-and-the-web

First experiment with the new Guardian WordPress plugin. Bit disappointing in most of the articles I selected were not available to be published 🙁

However, it was easy to set up and for me to login to The Guardian and  get an API key, it certainly seems to be a better way for MSM to go than The Times locked in its paywall castle!

I was hoping to include an article about the Tour de FranceI was hoping to see a bit of the Tour de France on their rest day in Morzine. However, I think I will be away before the 12th July, as I hope to start my first day of cycling back from my apartment in Les Gets via The Rhone & Rhine valleys!

Which reminds me I had better check my insurance 🙂

Note added 4 July: The Guardian seem to be able to edit the post after I have published it! Changing the title and removing my content!!!

I’ve now restored it to the original and added this note

7 July The Guardian are still playing about with this post, changing the title from what I can see even with latest version of plug in.

8 July Finally gave up on the plugin, deleted it and then it proceeded to delete the whole article! I’ve restored it and removed all their stuff

VERY DISAPPOINTING plugin it behaves more as malware than anything useful!