Italy

It really is an extraordinary country! The Italians have given us amazing support. They say we are ' ill in the head' or we must have 'diesel in our legs'

 Sal was rescued in the town of Lodi the other day. She was cycling on her own as i had done the route the day before. She was caught in a torrential storm with thunder and lightning and a car stopped. Inside was a family of four, two children sound asleep in the back and their parents. Sal could not find her way out of the town and the couple insisted she got in, bike and all, so they could take her to the right place. The bike sat between the children ( who never woke) and sal was crouched in the boot! That was an extreme example, but we have had people walking the length of a street with us to get us on to the right road and lorry drivers stop on roundabouts if they see us floundering (we don't do that often i promise !!!) Signposting and cartography is a big weakness in this part of the world. Only a few signs have road numbers on them, village names vary from map to map. Yesterday we cycled to a village with a river we had to cross. My map (Michelin) showed no bridge and Sals (AA) showed it did have one. Guess which one was right! Good old Rob had to come to our rescue but had to do a 90 mile round trip!!

A bit about Anne Mustoe

Anne Mustoe was head mistress at my school a short while after i had left. In about 1982 whilst on a train in India during the long summer holiday, she glanced out of the window and saw a lone european cyclist and was filled with envy. She decided there and then to resign her post and to cycle round the world. Two years later she set off on a bike donated by the school and did exactly that. Sal and I are now following her tracks in Italy. She decided to cycle along the three main Roman roads..the Via Emilia which is from Milan to Rimini. The Via Flaminia from Rimini to Rome and the Via Appia which is from Rome to Brindisi. All the roads are pretty straight and have been brilliantly constructed so that you hardly feel you are going up hill (despite signs to ski resorts!) and don't have to brake going down hill (not that we do these days!) Of course 30 years on the roads are much busier and there have been some hairy, scary moments on the Emilia which is now just about under our belts. It is fantastic to cycle straight through the centre of a city ( Bologna, Faenza, Forli) and straight out the other side! The city centres themselves are beautiful...paving stones, huge piazzas, churches, clock towers, arches and of course cafes, restaurants and bars galore. Tonight we are close to Rimini in the little principality of San Marino. Rob is here to drive us back to our starting point tomorrow which would be much closer if I hadn't left my phone on a bridge wall and had to cycle 10 km back to retrieve it! I would love to tell Anne Mustoe about our adventures but she sadly died two years ago whilst cycling somewhere in Russia, 27 years after first setting out and still on the bike that had been her leaving gift from St Felix.

Swiss Route 3

Just a bit about this as the Swiss have really done themselves proud. We are now a long long way from our last 'little red sign' that was Route 3. From Basle to Chiasso we didn't have to look at a map or a GPS. Our little red signs took us through farm yards, along river banks, up hills, down dales, through orchards and allotments, across building sites, cities and housing estates and even up and down a mountain pass. It was always kind, trying hard not to work us too hard and always there or just around the corner. Well done Switzerland........and then to Italy !!!!