We woke up early and got packed in good time. Due to the lack of camp-sites we had a bit of a long one ahead of us. The original plan had been to stay in Worms but with no camp-sites and reasonably expensive hotels, that all seemed to be full, we had no choice but to press on. Fortunately the weather was on our side!
Deciding to forgo some of the meandering Rhein route and take a more direct option along the roads, we made very good time. Passing through large areas of vineyards we were still clearly in the wine making area of Germany. This has the added bonus of very nice rest stops presumably placed so that grape pickers could shelter from the sun. Having watched the grape harvesters in action though, we can assume that very little is still done by hand.
Some days everything is obviously on your side, as we made it to the city of Worms at about 1pm. This gave us enough time to have a brief look round and made a pleasant spot for some lunch. After a look at the impressive cathedral, we headed out of the city and stopped for a brief look at the Nibelungen bridge gateway, Worms most photographed landmark.
Pleased that we at least got the chance to have a brief look around we pressed on towards Mannheim. It was along this road where Debbie stopped for a drink and then managed to lose control of her bike which then fell over with her trapped under it. A rather helpful man on a moped stopped, watched for a while, laughed and then moved on. Nice, she wasn't hurt but all the same. Still no use crying over spilled milk, which turned out to be quite prophetic later on.
Because we were heading towards Mannheim from the western side of the Rhein, we had to make our way through the sprawling Ludwigshafen. The signposting remained good though and we crossed the Rhein into Mannheim. With only a brief directional challenge, we continued towards the camp ground. We had a rough idea where the site was, but after travelling through some quite beautiful park and woodland, we began to have some doubts. We shouldn't have worried as we found the site without too much trouble and even found someone to pay!
After a hearty dinner of frankfurters and pasta and when Debbie had finished mopping the milk from her pannier, we had a brief walk along the Rhein, passing probably the most hopeful for customers Italian restaurant we have yet seen. Who knows maybe in the height of the season they can't cope with all the people.
It was with tired legs that we headed back to our tent for the night. A shorter one tomorrow hopefully?
Two firsts today. First time over 50miles and we crossed the 500 mile barrier. Go us!
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