Hazy Hill Ride – Monday 15 July
Today’s 55 km ride was characterised by many hill climbs. It was a cool morning and we crossed the border into Luxembourg again at the start of the ride, to follow national cycle route 3 alongside the Our river (and the Germany Luxembourg border) to Bettel.
It was not long before we had our first hill climb, taking the bike route up above the river.
After Bettel, we moved away from the river onto cycle route 22 and started on a long climb up into the hills. We could see the countryside all hazy around us. It was peaceful and scenic, and good exercise. We took it nice and slowly.
We eventually reached a reservoir, which is part of a hydro power generation regime – the water is pumped between this and and the river. We climbed up to a viewing platform to see the reservoir.
Reservoir high up on the hill 
View over reservoir
From here we continued along the high plateau to Groesteen, on a combination of bike paths and quiet roads. We stopped for a coffee and delicious apple tart at La Sapiniere – at a restaurant alongside a holiday park.
We had nice long downhill runs back off the plateau to Lellingem.
From here the bicycle path followed the S bends of the Clerve river (route 21) and then the Wiltz river after Kautenbach (now called route 20). Unlike many river rides, this one was far from flat. The bike path was constantly taking us up above the river and then back down again. The quality of the path was excellent, taking us through lush green forests.
Wiltz river ride – view of river below bike path 
Wiltz river ride
The final few kilometres into Wiltz were alongside the road, with sparse traffic. Wiltz is a quiet town, built on a steep slope. After checking into the hotel, we explored a little on foot. There is a monument to a strike against the Nazis and a castle. We decided to eat kebabs and bought some food for breakfast.
Later we found that Kris’s laptop screen has broken, which is a bit of a blow. It must have happened when Kris took a small tumble off the bike by accidentally riding off the side of the bike path in the forest. Now we will have to manage with just the little EeePC for the rest of the trip.