We decided not to follow the Rhine any further, as we could not find accommodation for the night, the low water level is a worrying constant stark reminder of man-made climate change, and the German news reported on a forest fire in the Netherlands along our planned route back South. So we crossed the Rhine again and headed West toward Venlo.
Most of the day we were lucky to be cycling on cycle paths along a canal with quite a tree canopy, very pleasant , and the temperature ‘only’ reached 28°C, also easier than the days before. The lack of water was not so obvious in this area, farmers were watering their fields.
In the afternoon we wanted to swim in a lake for a bit of refreshment. Unfortunately this was not allowed due to toxic cyan bacteria in the water. Instead we went to the Kaldenkirchen indoor pool, quite good for the shoulders and other muscles hardly used when cycling. Crossing the border was expectedly unspectacular. I had to turn round to find out that we had just left North-Rhine-Westphalia, not even Germany.
The highlight of the day was undoubtedly our accommodation for the night, Chateau Holtmühle. We splashed out on a nice dinner as well. The views from our corner room are of the moat and gardens, very green and relaxing. As an aside: the QFA (Qatar Football Association) is having a camp here.
My personal low-light of the day is that I did not record our trip from the pool to the hotel, so that data is from Phil.
