Rain and a strong breeze blows across the site this morning as we are ready to leave at 10:30. We are waved goodbye by the family and drive along the narrow muddy lane 900m to the road.

The Czech countryside is beautiful despite the rain. Rich green fields, small farmsteads and wooded areas stretch across large areas of rolling terrain.

We drive through the border crossing, unmanned today but it appears functional I f required] into Austria. Within a few miles it is much hillier with more curves, but the scenery is still green with tree lined hills and fields of rape.

At Mauthausen, once the site of a concentration camp, but now an attractive little town, we get our first sight of the 'Mighty Danube'. The showers stop as we drive a mile beside it before road and river diverge until we near Grein. Here road, rail and river run alongside each other. At Grein we stop for lunch right beside the wide, fast waterway. Cyclists cruise the distant bank and a large cargo barge rumbles downstream. Ali and Grete wander up to the nearby schloss before we set off towards Melk.

We ride right next to the river for miles, with the odd schloss visible on a distant hilltop, and at one point a levee separates us from the water which appears to be higher than the road.

We overtake the barge we saw in Grein before the road crosses the rive and climbs high above it. Before long we see the imposing Melk Abbey in the distance. We drop into the town and check into Farhause camping on the south bank of the Danube.

Unfortunately it is not as peaceful as our stop by the Vltava as there are large river-cruise liners moored nearby with engines running.

The Lonely Planet guide mentions cobbles, so Ali and Grete head into town for a recce before we decide whether to take the wheelchair in tomorrow.

The river cruisers leave one by one and all is peaceful.

Grete cooks a nice pasta dinner and we play music while planing Vienna.