We farewelled Mick and his wife Karen who’d flown in to spend a few days with Mick to relax after his ride, we were tempted to join them but meeting family in Vienna next meant the cycle route was calling. We set off in drizzling rain following the Danube out of Passau on the left bank as recommended in the cicerone books. The river was really flowing fast and was very high, less than a metre from the path. A scenic ride through to Engelhartszell where we caught the bike ferry across the Danube, with the ferry running just for us. This was meant to be the busiest section of the Danube but not a bike in sight. A few more kms along the river and it had to be time for a cuppa.

We stopped at a hotel/gasthof hubby had already decided the daily Kaffee and Kuchen would have to stop or he might have difficulty getting on his bike soon.So hubby tried to just order a Kaffee but somehow the waiter persuaded hubby he really needed a black forest gateaux for more energy..

We cycled around to the start of tne famous S bends of tne Danube and we were about to catch ferry no2 as recommended in the book to see the S Bend more clearly when we were captured by ferry no1.He insisted it didn’t make any difference, not that I minded as he had a really nice new boat that was easy to get onto.I’d forgotten Austrians can be very forceful and its better to go along with them.Mind you he is probably fed up with all the cyclists bypassing his boat because the cicerone guide book says take ferry no.2.

We stopped at Inzel for lunch a break from the rain again Gasthof only had one other family eating and they werent cyclists.As I was checking our route for the next section I read that the ferry we needed for the right bank to miss a rocky footpath below a castle didn’t start running till May. This meant we couldn’t get to our hotel on the left bank easily, it was pushing bikes for 1km on a rough track or we had to cycle on the right bank to the next bridge across the Danube at Aschach then cycle back down river on the left bank. Groan….we chose the cycling option so it ended up a 70km day.

Today was certainly the most scenic so far just stunning gorges and the Danube flowing so fast out of Passau then brought to a slow gentle pace by the barrage.Hotel overlooking Danube lovely although food here very expensive and you get charged for any bread you eat with your soup….