The cold continued, and turned to rain, as we headed through Czechia to Prague. The countryside was still very rolling, but we saw alot of deer as we wore our legs out on the hills. We found a lovely boat yard where we could camp one night, and stayed with the very friendly Matt (WS) the next. We also went into school with Matt to talk to his English class, and enjoyed sharing our trip with them.

A drizzly and busy 60km took us into Prague, and we found Jim’s mum and her partner at a brilliant penzion up a steep cobbled climb. It was lovely to see some friendly faces, and we spent a day off in Prague with them. We did loads of sightseeing, walking, eating and drinking, and Jim got to try out alot of Czech craft beers. I really enjoyed the buffet breakfast at the penzion.

Helen and Richard rented bikes so they could join us on tour for a while. We left Prague on the Eurovelo 4 cycle path along the River Vltava. The Eurovelo 4 switched between smooth tarmac and rocky single-track, but always through beautiful countryside and scenic villages. We stopped off in Karlstejn Castle for lunch and to check out the castle. We are getting a nice week of luxury touring, with inside places to sleep and cafe stops galore. It’s a lovely change.

After getting caught in a thunderstorm we found a great penzion for the night, and managed to dry everything out that evening. Then the flat riverside trail turned into little roads through the hills. We climbed through quiet forests before dropping into Roztoky and then had more little trails over to Jesenice, via a kebab for lunch in Rokovnik. We found a campsite with little cabins and enjoyed a quiet Sunday night with pasta, wine and cards.

Today we had another hilly day, climbing up to some great views before rejoining the Eurovelo 4 and enjoying some tough gravel climbs. It’s been sunny but cold, but we found some sun to sit in while we enjoyed our lunch. We rolled into Karlovy Vary, a beautiful thermal town with an amazing castle, in time for a lazy afternoon, a stroll around town, and pizza for dinner.

It’s really nice to have some company on tour, but we are wondering where the summer weather is!

Jade

 

 

Jim’s words – Smelly, Lazy, Prague, Tram, Lightning, Dogs and Trails.