Day 13 Sunday 5th June 2016 – Lüneburg to Celle 55 miles

In the campsite, I was woken up by some German cycle tourers. Although it was still only  just before 7am, I thought if their getting up, so should I. There were still many mosquitos around, so I packed up as quickly as possible, then finished my cereals up, with slightly going off almond milk.
I had left my portable battery in the reception charging, as it seems to be a better option than in the toilets! However, being Sunday, it only opened at 9am. All this hard work getting up early and quickly to have to wait for nearly an hour! Still it gave me chance to look over the route and possible campsites. I settled for a slightly easier day than yesterday’s long effort, to a small town called Celle.

Today was the first day so far that my legs are feeling stiff and aching. Although todays route was only just over 50 miles,  I began to think maybe I should have a rest day, as after all it was Sunday!

I kept on going, as even if I did stop, most places are closed so there could be little to go and do. I hadn’t fully stocked up with food properly yesterday, with all of the different dramas. All of the shops were shut though, with only small bakery shops open. I already had bread! I did pop into a few different service stations have a look, but none seemed to sell the items I needed like cheese and milk.

Peter from Santens 2 Rad, see yesterdays post, had told me that he wasn’t allowed to be open on Sundays even if he wanted to. Similarly but not quite as strict, supermarkets in the UK are only allowed to be open around 7 hours on Sundays.
I’m not  complaining about the weather at all, as this is one of the reasons I went travelling, to have some sun. However, when its +30°c and you’re trying to cycle, all the time you seem to be sweating bucket loads, even on decents!

On arriving in Celle, there were two options for camping, but chosen one with a  lake. It was a large, natural lake, with many families swimming and chilling on the banks.

Although the water was slightly murky, I decided to have my first swim of the trip. An excellent way to cool down in!