Brunnen to Sursee: 948m ascent and a ferry crossing

Thursday September 20, 2018, 41 miles (67 km) - Total so far: 6,328

miles (10,184 km)

Route 3 / Eurovelo 5 takes the ferry, so we took the ferry too! If you are following this route, be aware that it's only an hourly service.....on the hour from the Gersau side. We were not aware and arrived at 10.01.....this being Switzerland, of course it was well on its way by then!! We treated ourselves to a (rubbish) £4 coffee at the neighbouring hotel and used their wifi for an hour.

The crossing is 8CHF but it's so lovely, we'd say it's worth it. We have been lucky to have perfect conditions during our time around Lake Lucerne. It really is very beautiful, despite the road noise which I may have mentioned ;)

Once on the other side, we faffed around buying lunch at spar so didn't really get going properly until nearly 12. This is always a mistake for me - somehow it feels like I've been cycling all day even when I've only just started! Still, the route was lovely and much quieter than yesterday. Beautiful views for most of the day.

Arriving in Lucerne itself is a bit of a culture shock as there are tourists swarming all over it. It's pretty but almost too pretty....like a more over- the-top Ljubljana. We took a couple of photos and hastily continued on our way!

We stopped to find a loo in very pretty Sempach - not sure I've mentioned how happy we are that Switzerland has public toilets!!!?? Things get a little busier as you arrive at Sursee (the lake) - the road carries fast moving traffic and there isn't much bike lane. It was ok though. Bike lanes start again in Sursee (the town) which was all very busy indeed, but that might have been the time of day. There's a Lidl, which always gains a place points in our reckoning!! And an Aldi, but we are less impressed with those around here than Lidl.

There's only one campsite and it's pretty good (nest to a road of course but set back enough that it's not bothering even me). Good enough for us to stay for two nights, and it's a steal at 21CHF. There's a 'campers room' with two gas rings and loads of pots and pans, a fridge, benches to sit at and a TV. We used it both nights to save our fuel (and to avoid the rain on day 2!). Ther are other covered areas too, but there doesn't seem to be a washing machine (maybe we didn't ask the right questions). The wifi isn't included but at 4CHF per day, when the campsite is so cheap, it didn't seem too bad really. It also works, which is not always the case with the free offering!

One more night in Switzerland....it's lovely here but it IS expensive, and we do miss being able to treat ourselves to coffees and wine!