Distance: 31.31 miles

Time: 3:31:08

Average Speed: 8.9 mph

Elevation Gain: 940 feet

The hotel in Hamburg was showing the late match of Portugal vs France on the big screen, so I had a few glasses of bier vom fass, oblivious to the fact that the match was happening just a few miles away.

Awakening the next morning, I was readying myself to cycle the 3 miles across town to run my first international Parkrun, at Alstervorland park, then at 3 minutes to 9, I suddenly remembered that Parkruns in Germany started at 9, not half past, like back home in Scotland. I had been remembering, until I wasn’t. It was probably for the best I thought, I could definitely use the extra sleep, but, knowing that some of my more bloodthirsty readers would be disappointed in me for giving up so easily, I readied to go anyway, at least to see the course.

Arriving at the course, they’d already begun tidying the signs for the opening part of the course away, so even if I had wanted to attempt it, I wouldn’t know where to start. Unless… I opened the route map on the Parkrun website on my phone, and started to piece together the route from what I’d seen, then thought I may as well give it a go! 26 minutes later I’d managed to stumble my way around the course, ending up with a little too much distance, but my attempt at the Parkrun course was close enough to register as an ‘Alstervorland Parkrun’ segment attempt on Strava. It would have been a nice run too, flat on firm gravel paths, and beside a lovely lake.

Back on the road, it was becoming clear that Hamburg was more a city of industry than culture, as I passed through a world of concrete and iron, and billowing chimneys. The cycle path, while serving its main purpose of keeping me off the road well, was causing me some irritation as it meandered around the pavement, then across to the opposite pavement, then onto the road and back again.

Stopping at a busy flea market by the canal, I hoped to get some lunch before leaving the city confines. When the only option was a Nutella crepe, I kept on moving, before stopping for a pizza just off the main road in the bustling suburb of Harburg.

As I began to push on, the route started to take liberties, the path throwing up a short spell of gravel through the trees, maybe a forewarning of what was to come, namely the road out of Sottorf leading into the Buchenwälder im Rosengarten Forest where the road started to climb up a rough stony track, this would be lovely, I thought, if I wasn’t on a loaded bike with road tyres.

Keen to avoid the inevitable spate of punctures, I briefly considered turning back and finding another way, before opting to get off and walk, and hoping that soon the surface would change. Fortunately, on reaching the top of the climb, half a mile later, I was delighted when the route turned left onto a chunky concrete road.

Relieved at finally rejoining the main road once more, I enjoyed the smooth surface, and the shade of the trees, until the cover ended, when I was left ploughing on into the full force of the gusting 30 mile an hour winds, and a fierce sun.

Clouding over, as I reached Hollenstedt, I made for the supermarket just as the rain began, and as I consumed a tub of fresh raspberries in front of the store, a lady pulled up on a very fancy-looking Reise and Muller E-bike, and although I had no barometer at all for what was regarded as a good bike in Germany, I was pretty sure this would be high on the list.

When the lady reappeared from the shop, she gestured that it was good that the rain had stopped, and she was right, I should probably be on my way.

Taking the road to the tiny villlage of Ochtmannsbruch, the road had run out before I was out the other side, first turning to rough old cobble stones, before they in turn gave way to loose stones on a sandy base.

All these factors having added up, the race to not run a Parkrun, then running it anyway, the days of ploughing on into these stiff prevailing winds, the lack of sleep, the heat of the sun, and now being bounced around on these infernal surfaces of varying quality, meant I was undoubtedly in need of a rest. So, having passed through the small town of Heidenau, and on seeing a sign to a nearby campsite, with tent camping round a pretty duck pond, and a Greek restaurant on site, I knew it was time to stop.

• cycle-touring