All at sea

Away early from Karlsruhe along the hills on the western side of the Rhine valley. By the Hunsruck where the fabulous German to drama 'Heimat' was set, then the Mosel, and up through the Netherlands on ever-bigger motorways around the bottom of Amsterdam and then t o the port of Ijmuiden. Onto the ferry and into our delightful cabin. Another 400 miles under our belt.

Grey and humid and then as night seemed set the sun dropped beneath the cloud. Here we are entering a North Sea gas field and for the next hours we passed many platforms blinking in the fitful July night.