Coping with the unexpected.

(Germany is not always perfect.)

We had been cycling along the excellent Weser Radweg cycleway's extension to Cuxhaven when we came upon a shut gate.  It was not locked and it was easy enough to open and carry on on our way.  However after about 2½ km we came to a herd of cows, which barred our way to another gate.  We were obliged to ease our way carefully through the closely packed animals to get to this gate, only to find that it was padlocked!   The side gate was padlocked too.

Having plugged away against a strong headwind all morning, we were not inclined to cycle all the way back, so we had to unpack our bags, hump them over the gate, and then lift the bikes over too, watched very closely all the time, by rather curious cows.  

and on our way (having shut the gate properly first).

Note this is the first time we have come across any obstacle on thousands of km of cycling on the Continent.