Tjs recovery ride 5. The low countries and France

Public taps seem rare.

Are you finding petrol stations or the town centre cafes etc?

I’m not gonna ask what sugar has to do with your bathroom rituals, best not to know 🤢

The granular nature works brilliantly as a scouring agent mixed with washing up liquid when washing hands.
Can’t say I’ve ever tried it on loo roll – my bum doesn’t need to be that clean.

Molgrips. The eurovelo doesn’t go where there are petrol stations and misses many towns as well. Anyway I prefer not to buy bottles. Spain and italy there are public taps in every village but in the low countries they seem not to do this.

Another tailwind 😎😁

🙌

Another tailwind

That’s the Stella talking

Belgium seems to be one long promenade

The north coast pretty much is! Apart from where there is a port it’s sandy beach all the way from Netherlands to France. De Haan is the nicest little town along there IMHO. Bruges would also be a nice detour if you’re not in a rush.

Belgium seems to be one long promenade

Up where you are it certainly is unfortunately :(.  Once you hit koksijde you could contemplate heading south for an hour to Westvlateren.  You can’t get into the abbey (and I don’t think you want to) but the cafe next door has the famous Westvlateren 12 at a sensible price.  3 of those and you aren’t riding anywhere else for a while

http://www.indevrede.be/home.php?lang=en

🤣

Im in France. One can tell. The helpful eurovelo signs disappeared. Im camped up near dunkirk . The campsite has chips n beer

Long day for not that many miles on tje map. Fairly forgetabke riding in the main. First breakdown of the trip in the chain quick link failed. I was moving again in 5 mins tho.

Two wee ferries across inlets today. Both free. I do love a ferry

Struggled to eat enuogh today in the heat.

Happy Trails TJ, I’m vicariously enjoying this and quite jealous.

Assuming you’re riding the Normandy/Brittany coast to Roscoff? That is also lovely. Lots of little medieval towns and inlets, the Granite Rose coast etc etc. Apart from being fried alive – brilliant.

At least mega early starts help avoid the heat tho you’ll need to find somewhere with aircon to hide under for the afternoons. 👍

I dont do mega early starts!

Looks like a change in the weather might be coming. Ive made good use of the unusual tailwind the last 3 days. A bit head down and ride a lot and the wiggly but nice eurovelo route meant miles on the ground are a lot more than miles on the map.
I do love France. Its nice to be back

Things you dont realise with a long tour:

My toenails, finger nails and hair all need to be cut. I have also run out of soap again and sunscreen.

I also have a callous on my thumb from the gear twistgrip and tendonitis in my left elbow

Head is good and arse and legs coping well. Feels like plenty of miles left in the old bod

I lost my saltire yesterday. However the tourist tat shops in Ostend sold me a pirate flag.

However the tourist tat shops in Ostend sold me a pirate flag.

Are you happy with it?

There is someone riding around Brussels in a black cargo bike with his two kids in the bucket and a pirate flag on it.   It is 100% ace

*couriers TJ an emergency saltire*

Public taps seem rare

There are usually taps in cemetries.

Camped up west of Calais. Hot hot hot today . Squeezed in in whats normally a parking space when i looked tired and pathetic. 😁🙄. Campsite has chips n beer

Ta edukator. Ive had sucess before with churches

Duff signal here. Low batteries as well.

Lol yes I/we can send you a Saltire, also if you run out of chain lube I don’t mind buying one, frying it and posting it on, if we can work out how to do it.

Why was the Scottish pirate unusually calm near the sea?

Because he’d lost his salt ire.

C”mon, its the best I can do!

Lolz

Where you gonna get a saltire moley?

Chains still fine. Not even adjusted it since Cardiff ta.

Restaurant is fully booked. Booooo. Got a beer tho so its ok and i have food to cook tho in this heat its difficult to eat. I think im still losing weight😎

That bit west of Calais along the coast road is Fab. One of my best touring days in sunshine – pissed it down the next day…….

Where you gonna get a saltire moley?

The internet, obvs.

Its a tough life. Sitting in sunshine eating fresh croissants and drinking good coffee.

I have to decide whether to try the coastal path or not this morning. I dont know if its ridable all the way. Either way today is the last day before the weather changes for south westerly winds and rain. It will come as a nice change given I have been baked for days

I rode Le Havre to St Malo around 12years ago along the coast (but cutting across the cherbourge peninsula?) and the cycle paths were well developed with lots of D-day information. Around 250 miles which was nice 50 mile days.
On a previous trip i rode due south out of St Malo towards Redon, St Nazaire and then towards La Rochelle. Detoured from the coast towards Angouleme then south again towards Mont de Marsan. All nice cycling. Did eventually make it to Vitoria Gasteiz after cycling across the pyrenees both ways and back to Biarritz.

I think im still losing weight😎

Did a longish cycle tour a few years ago and lost several kilos. Wouldn’t have been so bad except I was already at pretty much racing snakes weight when we started. Think I started at 63 kilos and finished the tour at 58. (Was eating stacks of food as well!)

Sounds like a fab trip. I’m just on the train in Sheffield having trained it up from Bilbao inner the last few days. I hope San Sebastian is on your stopping list. It’s a great place to rest up for a couple of days – beautiful city beaches and miles of cycle network.

The local tram/trains in Basque country are brilliant – eusukatran. They all take bikes and there is a station in hendaye that will have you in San Sebastian in 40 mins if you are so minded.

Bilbao also lovely – we found a great breakfast stop with world beating tortilla at knock down prices (cafe Bilba in the matika area)

Ta

Im camped up just north of le tourquet. 3rd full campsite i tried a man with a majestic moustache fell for the weary traveller act. Im offered an eroded spot in the dunes. Gonna be sand in my pants. Fortunatly the site sells beer.

Battery situation crtical so nowt more until i get a recharge

Looks like I can get a recharge.

Im camped on pure sand . Fortunately some concrete blocks available to hold the pegs down

Long days riding for disappointingly few miles on the map today. Its clouded over and the wind has turned to the south.

The restaurant is full again. Mind you thete is dreadful “entertainment ” on offer. Booo. More pasta for my dinner. Food is running low. I need a proper shop tomorrow and a day off in the next couple of days.

Might have to head inland given the weather. Anyway not bad miles in total this week. Pushing 300 i think. Ive totally lost count. I seem to be on target tho to meet pals in northern Spain

Lots of ww2 defenses tiday. Including one that had been blown up with a dozen graves next to it

Today i paid some ksrma back and taught s young Belgian couple the code. They were standind looking hopelessly at a punctured tyre. I got them going again but i made him blow the tyre up in the midday heat

Blown up ww2 bunker

And the graves beside it. Lest we forget

Should be 3 pics in the last post. Can you see them?

I can see only the last one