Riding to "England"

Yesterday I went to collect some more front bicycle racks, which sell quite well especially combined with a basket for people to carry their dogs on their bikes.

I took the same 40 km route to Hoogeveen to collect the racks as I've taken on several other occasions, but came back by a longer route to explore some places that I'd not been before, and get some more ideas for holiday routes. We've more routes this year than last, and have been able to refine some of the routes that people took last year.

That's me in "Engeland" (the Dutch spelling for England). It's a small village just a few km south of here. Unfortunately, "England" was a bit of a washout. It was a bit too small even to have a sign to announce its existence, so I could not take a photo next to a sign post.

The BOB YAK trailer basket contains 9 racks, and there are a further three in the rear basket on my bike. I had this 35 kg load for the 55 km return journey.

The road at this location seems to be in the process of being narrowed. This is in accordance with the policies generally to reduce speeds in the countryside.

This was the only car I saw on this section of road, and it stopped on the temporary passing place to let me go by. In general, car drivers are discouraged from using small country roads in this area.

The sign in this heath area asks people to switch off their mobile phones in order to avoid interference with a radio telescope which operates here.

The heath is also offically a "Stilte Gebied", or "Silent Area" in which there is generally no sound other than that of nature. We've quite a lot of these areas around here. It's really great to be able to ride in places where you can't hear motor vehicles.

And here is the radio telescope in question. This is one of a number of telescopes in the area, all of them now linked together in an international effort called "JIVE".

There are many such areas of heath in the area.

"JIVE" is a really high tech project, based in the middle of the Drents countryside.

A specialised supercomputer in this location receives information from telescopes across the world and combines it with clever software to give much the same result as that which would result from a planet sized telescope.

Now a more traditional type of picture. One of the beautiful churches in the area.

I passed through several small villages on the way home. Places that will definitely find their way into cycling holiday routes, and by the time I got home, the next dozen racks for stock had been on a great tour of the Drents countryside.

Once home, I loaded up the Xtracycle and took some baskets (and a rack) to the post office.

It's always a pleasure to cycle here, and this was once again a splendid day out. Also, you'll see how we really do use all the stuff that we sell. That goes not only for daily use of the bicycle baskets but also one of the racks was used to take parcels to the post office, and of course I spent half the day riding through the area in which our holidays are based: the same area as we selected to live in because it is so exceptional for cycling.

Finally, a photo from the direct route which I took for the last 25 km or so of the return journey. This was splendid, as ever. Cyclists (including these children returning from school) on one side of the canal, motor vehicles on the other: