Worth to Deggendorf

Well, it just couldn't last... We had a short day today and started a bit earlier, heading off at 8.40am. It was cloudy, but warm, and nice conditions for cycling. And then it rained. Too early for lunch and with not a restaurant or cafe in sight so we put the covers on the panniers and ploughed onwards. Not that it was really that bad and it only lasted for an hour or so. In fact, but the time we stopped at Bogen for morning tea we were pretty much totally dry again.

The countryside was very pretty for the ride today, and we spent a lot more time on the bitumen than we have to date, passing through a lot of little villages along the way. Each one has its own well kept church - some of them pretty impressive in size compared to the surrounding town. It is clearly a rich area.

The bakery/cafe for our morning tea stop was great with a fantastic selection of cakes and pastries. James and Kieran showed admirable restraint in sharing a small chocolate torte thing, while Gillian had a cheese and plum strudel. It's surprising how much a sugar hit can help as you start flagging a couple of hours into the ride.

With Bogen at the halfway point, we decided to press on o the finish for a late lunch and arrived in Deggendorf at about 1.30 - our earliest finish by far. This was a real novelty, although by the time we had stretched and showered, everyone was in dire need of more food (and a cool beer for James and Kieran).

The afternoon saw us separate to explore the town, and James and Gillian found a bike store where James decided to buy some new gloves, having discovered that "adequate for the daily commute" does not equal "adequate for 4-6 hours a day, every day". He is looking forward to his hands feeling less sore at the end of each day.

Dinner at a more-or-less normal time awaits, with another early night before heading on to Erlau tomorrow.

Relive 'Danube day 5'