The last weekend in January, we've just had a couple of weeks of Arctic temperatures and snow - so I've been using my son's mountain-bike a lot. The snow has gone, so I decide to do a nice ride that I did last autumn: A jaunt to the ruins of the castle at Münzenberg. Alongside the River Nidda - which only 2 weeks previously had been frozen over - to Assenheim, and then with the "Rhine-Main-Pleasure 2" theme route (mostly farm roads/tracks in excellent condition), up to and round the mighty castle before heading back down to Friedberg to take the train back towards home. Open route using Google Earth

Having discovered a useful train connection I've moved my "starting point" for rides recently. A 5-mile ride to the station, hop on for 15 mins and I'm out in the Wetterau. In Bruchenbrücken to be precise. Now there's a name to conjure with. I wanted to cycle to Munzenberg again, this time from the opposite direction as there's a nice gentle 2-3 km hill up to the castle. Time to start getting the legs used to those long climbs! I added a little loop at the beginning to "recce" the local routes. I think I'm going to permanently move my starting point for when I ride out here. Open route using Google Earth

Another start from Bruchenbrücken. This time along the Nidda to the eponymous town (puncture stop, thank God it's started to warm up a bit on this crisp Sunday morning) and then over the steep hills into the valley of the River Nidder. First stop of the year at Cafe Frech in Ortenberg! Then along the Vulkan cycleway for 30 km or so before the long haul time up the hill back into Frankfurt. Slowly getting used to those hills again! By the way, the last 6 km on the map/profile are actually the first 6 km to the train station. Open route using Google Earth

I noticed signs for this new route from the local rail/bus company while out cycling by the River Main recently so I sent them an e-mail and they sent me a whole pack of free maps for their routes. Didn't prompt me to use the train this time mind! The start is only 20 km from home and flat most of the way. The RMV9 route mostly follows paths along little rivers and through woods to the pretty little town of Seligenstadt, then through more woods back to the start. This was a nice 100 km ride with sunshine and snow, and lots of wind on the last 30 km along the River Main. That should help get me fit for the re-branded version of our local "Everyman Race" on May 1 - my first target for the year. Open route using Google Earth

Early March and spring seemed to be making a tentative arrival - but my new bike, a Koga Miyata Word Traveller, had made a full-blown arrival. So what else was there for me to but start "riding in" the leather saddle and seeing what this little beauty can do? As you can probably see from the photo, it's basically a mountain bike made for travelling, and it weighs in at around 15 kilos (30-odd pounds, or around 2 stones in old money). I'd spent a few days riding without any panniers and was impressed with the stability. So at the first sign of sunnier weather I decided to show her the Rhine. Across the flat plains of Hesse's "Reed" region to the Rhine crossing at Nierstein, then down through the towns on the west side of the Rhine to Worms. I managed to find the town's only "Bed&Bike" hotel (they always have a secure lock-up for bikes) right away despite night having already fallen. Now that was a stroke of luck. A decent meal, a good night's kip and a hearty breakfast had me all set up for the return journey over the hills of the Odenwald. And what a hill I picked! Didn't know it would be so long and steep - not a minor consideration with 12 kilos of luggage "on board". A worthwhile climb with the "pass" covered in snow! Unfortunately the built-in battery in my camera was dead - it would have made a great photo. I must say that the new bike copes admirably well with every kind of surface - a real treat to ride. Open route using Google Earth

30th March - my fiftieth birthday. And what better way to spend it than going for a long ride. And especially in view of the fact that spring has arrived in full force today. I am initially tempted to get the road racer out, but then I thought it would be more fitting to show the Koga the Vogelsberg. Appropriate really as she was an early birthday present from my wife. And pedalling that extra weight is also good training! Little did I know that I'd be pedalling that extra weight into a head wind for 60 kilometres or so. Time for some "dental training" - grit my teeth and pedal! After about an hour the early morning cloud has lifted and the sun is out in all its glory. By the time I arrive at my favourite cafe for a well-deserved coffee, cake and ciggie it's 24 degrees Celsius, and if it weren't for the fact that I'll be heading into the woods soon I'd be worrying that I haven't applied the first sun cream of the year! The woods are full of spring flowers, the streams are fairly bubbling along (all that melting snow), and just before I reach the highest point of the ride I have to stop and push - through 300 metres of snow that hasn't melted yet (see photo). And then it's downhill all the way to the Kinzig valley and alongside the river with a bit of a tail wind towards home. I decided to take the train for the last 40 km as otherwise I would have been late for my birthday dinner.

Open route using Google Earth

The weekend before Easter, the various members of the family are away for a few days and so it's time for the mouse to play ... Out comes the Koga Miyata and off I go on the "3 Laender" cycle-way. This route takes in 3 German states: Hesse, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria (the "3 Counties Tour" seems a more appropriate title than the "3 States Tour" given the plethora of new states that has appeared in Europe in recent years). I took the train out of Frankfurt at the start, saving me a flat 40 km ride as I knew I had to get over the "Radheim Alps" to join this circular route at Hoechst in the Odenwald. While crossing the Radheim Alps the integrated compass on the bike's bell again comes in very handy - I soon realize that it isn't Jack Sparrow's compass but that some locals have in fact twisted the signpost around by 90 degrees, thus sending me off on a short circular detour! Once over these hills, it is all pleasant going alongside the pretty River Muemling until shortly after Erbach. Suddenly the path is mostly gravel-packed tracks through woods and is very hilly indeed. Well if it don't kill me, it can only make me stronger (and hungrier and thirstier ...). About now two things go through my mind: 1. An alternative to all these "world tours" people do. Being more of a fan of Europe, why not cycle to all the European Olympic cities (summer + winter)? 2. On a more pressing note. I've forgotten to pack my trousers! Buggered if I'm going to get to my bed & breakfast, have a shower then put my sweaty cycling shorts back on again. Trousers Grommit! Luckily I do manage to buy some in Hirschhorn.

Schaafheim Watchtower

Schaafheim Watchtower

Steinbach Schloss Fuerstenau

Erbach Houses next to the River Muemling

Erbach Chateau

Hetzbach Himbaechl Viaduct

On the first day I specifically missed out a few of the so-called tourist highlights such as Michelstadt as I had been there once before. When out on my bike I prefer to ride rather than stop and take lots of photos, look for the perfect shot etc. And a camera is not really the ideal tool for capturing the complete atmosphere of cycling through beautiful countryside. Likewise it's almost impossible to photograph just how steep a hill is, what it means to make it to the top, or how exhilarating it is to cycle down steep tracks such as the one into Hirschhorn (it was almost a "single trail", real mountain biking, but with 12 kilos of assorted luggage in this case!). Hirschhorn on the River Neckar is very pretty, the most southerly town in the state of Hesse, but my thoughts are more on the nearest bakery, a well-deserved alc-free beer and a cigarette at last. Then it's up the hill to the next village and my guest-house for the night, a revitalising shower, a hearty meal and a good night's sleep after all those steep climbs. More "touristy" photos of places along the route can be found using Google Earth and Panoramio. To view Panoramio photos you require Google Earth. To ensure you can always see Panoramio photos, activate the Panoramio button under "Geographic Web" in the "Layers" panel.

Open full tour using Google Earth

Day Two starts with that most vital part of a day's cycling - a bloody good breakfast! You've got to hand it to these country folk, they know how to look after their guests. You always seem to get treated much better once you leave the beaten track. By nine o'clock I'm on the road and heading towards the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. Mercifully no sign of any tired muscles after yesterday's efforts. It's a beautiful morning with lots of mist on the densely wooded hills as I ride back down into Hirschhorn and along the cycle-way next to the River Neckar. All very flat (as you'd expect!), which is just as well given the fact that it is mostly forest paths and farm tracks. After about 40 km I pass the site of Neckarelz concentration camp. It's in a residential area (and was at "that" time)! I make a mental note to read up on it when I get home. Dark thoughts accompany me for a while. Fortunately I soon recall the words of my grandfather (who spent six long years as a very young man fighting for the Allies and saw more things than he could care to remember, including many acts of barbarism by the allied troops): "There are good bastards and bad bastards on both sides!" While it often seems to be human nature to forget quickly rather than forgive easily, the world would be a better place if it we all forgave quickly while making sure we don't forget. Anyways, that's enough amateur philosophy, let's get back to the cycling ... I soon arrive in Mosbach, a beautiful town, but being Saturday and a packed market day there is no chance of getting in any decent photos of the wonderful half-timbered buildings. I settle for a refuel instead: Delicious apple strudel and coffee. And then comes the bit I've really been looking forward to - the Odenwald Wanderbahn cycle-way, a disused narrow-gauge railway line/track (very little asphalt unfortunately) that gently climbs about 300 metres in height over 20 kilometres to the little town of Mudau. Once there I take a break at a pub for some French fries and a refreshing alc-free beer, it's 35 degrees in the sun after all. I get into a conversation with the landlord, and when I tell him where I'm heading he informs me that the road down to the valley of the River Main has recently been re-asphalted. This would mean leaving my intended route. But what the hell, being able to change horses in midstream is what travelling on your own is all about. After all the rough tracks in the past day and half it will make a pleasant change. The road is a beauty. 7 metres wide - so not much danger is likely to be posed by overtaking cars - and virgin asphalt that has just been waiting for me! The ten-kilometre downhill descent is a dream with relatively gentle corners. Later I saw I'd managed a top speed of 65 kmh here. So now I'm into the third state of this tour, Bavaria. I decide to skip the next "tourist trap", Miltenberg, as I've been there a few times before. I follow the cycle-way along the River Main, stopping to take a few photos and enjoy an ice-cream in Obernburg. Now the pressing question. Where shall I stay tonight? In theory I could make it home to my own bed by nightfall, but I've slept in that a few times before too. Departing from my intended route again, I decide to head over the River Main into the Spessart region. They have hills there too - in fact they have very little else. I reach a village after a steep climb and soon find a place for the night. Very comfy - and cheap. A double room with shower, TV, 2 alc-free beers, a pack of cigarettes, a great breakfast the next morning and tons of food to take for the day cost a mere 32 euros!