It has started again - I set off tomorrow on the second leg of the North Sea Cycle Route (NSCR). Some of you a couple of years ago were subjected to a battering of emails as I cycled from Roscoff to Gibraltar and now my email list has expanded a little (not that I have any new friend but I have nicked a few address from Gilly to make it look that I know lots of people). On my travels I will be sending some updates if you do not want to receive these then just push the delete button - that saves me changing my address list. My spelling has not improved so I am sure I will be taking the wrong rod (road) out at some stage!!
 
The NSCR circumnavigates the North Sea from Harwich to the Shetlands and then across to Bergen south and east around the coast of Norway into Sweden then across to Denmark (Jutland), northern Germany then Holland and back to Harwich. Last year I did the first leg to Hull and Mike, a friend of mine, accompanied me for a couple of hundred miles. I am now embarking on the second leg - Bergen to Esberg - with another friend (from the USA), Pat, and then next year Gilly is joining me for Harwich to Esberg which will just leave Hull to the Shetland (2000km) for me to do!!

[They look like identical twins, but for those who don't know, Sandy is the one in the white cap, full beard, and on the right - Ed]
 
After putting Pat's bike together Gilly will be giving us a lift to the train station and we go by rail to Newcastle to catch the ferry on Saturday night to Bergen arriving about midnight on Sunday. 2500km later having gone uphill and down dale (sorry up mountain and down very steep hills) in Norway, visited the flesh pots of coastal Sweden before final getting to the flatlands of Denmark and eventually to Esberg, we catch a ferry back to Harwich (a few stone lighter and very much fitter and I hope still talking to each other!).
 
Unlike my last trip this, in parts, is through wilder country and so we are taking tents and camping stuff, however when the opportunity offers I have no doubt we shall find a comfortable bed in a 4** hotel to ease our old and stiff bodies. Our philosophy is not how far or how fast but it is a journey without a timescale, a journey to taste the delights of Scandinavia and to go at a pace that suits two elderly gentlemen on their pennyfarthings!
   
The reason I am doing this trip is not as is commonly thought to get away from Gilly but on my last trip I got so immersed in the journey and found it a fantastic experience that I just wanted to do another one.
 
I made a compilation of my last trip (some of you may have seen it and if anybody would like a copy I am sure I could sort one out on my return) and at the beginning I put the following which I nicked from a book by Jim Curran:

Here are the answers to 5 most common questions/answers I was asked on my last trip:

HINT: For those of you who don't realise this, many computers keep a cache of web pages, which means that you may well need to do a "Reload" command from whatever internet viewing program you are using, if you want to be sure of seeing the lastest details. If you think you might not be seeing the very latest info, hit "Reload" while viewing the page in question.