#RoadsFromRome Day 8 - Out Of The Black Forest

This morning was a bit of a struggle. The legs were fine; in fact they felt a lot fresher for their two days of total rest. I can't complain about the route either; within a few hours of starting the sun was shining, and the road was almost all downhill out of the Black Forest. The struggle was a mental one...

I am usually pretty good at being by myself, but after two fantastic days with my sister and baby nephew, it suddenly felt very lonely out on the road. It also seemed like a long way to go before seeing another friendly face in Holland in three days time. I struggled to get my head back in the game.

Things improved as the day went on. Some good coffee and cake, some beautiful deserted roads, and good progress northwards; they all helped to boost my spirits.

Mid afternoon I climbed up a stunning forest road that was completely empty, as it was shut from traffic for road works. Luckily, I was able to sneak through, and had the strip of fresh tarmac all to myself.

I had reached the day's mileage by 18:00, and had already grabbed a large tin of chilli con carne from the Lidl on the outskirts of a major town. I pushed on though in the setting sun, and managed to make the day's total over 240 kilometres. The bonus miles will help to reduce the distance I need to cover over the next two days.

I set up wild camp on the edge of a forest, with a stunning look out over the valley below. It turned out to be a good day, despite the early difficulties. More north towards The Netherlands, tomorrow.
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