I finally set out after lunch on the 6th of february and headed to Portsmouth to catch a ferry to Le Havre in France. At the first hill i wondered if I would ever make it to the ferry terminal as I slowly climbed the ridiculously steep road. As I cruised down the other side of the hill I realised Id dropped my hat and so had to retrace my steps and climb two hills in return for my mistake. Not a good start! I eventually did arrive at the ferry terminal and caught the boat at 11.00pm for the bargain price of 10 quid.
The ferry arrived in France at 7.30am the next morning and I was quickly off and making my way through Le havre and out into the countryside. I followed the coast road and managed to cover 70km before passing out in my tent in a dense conifer forest at the foot of a valley. After some food I slept well but woke to rain the following morning. I stayed in my warm sleeping bag for as long as possible but knew I had to get on the move, so that I could meet Huw later in the day. Within five minutes of setting out a rain and hail squall blew up and soaked me thouroughly. I got blown off the road and struggled to keep the heavy bike on track. Trucks would engulf me with spray as they stormed by, but strangely I had a smile on my face as I couldn't quite believe my second day had got off to such a horrendous start!
Luckily the weather got better and I caught a tail wind that propelled me along at 45km for quite a while. The sun came out and I rested for five mintutes in a south facing bus shelter. The warm sun sent me to sleep and half an hour later I dragged myself back onto my bike and pushed on to the coastal town of Le Treport to meet Huw. Luckily the tailwind continued and I made good distance. On arrival Huw was as wet as I was and as any camping spot was only to be found at least 10km away, we both agreeded to rent a hotel room to dry off and get some sleep.
The rest of the week flew by as we tried to clock up some milage and escape the depressing Northern France landscape. We woke every morning to rain which made packing up the tents a bit of a chore but we managed to stay dry enough to carry on camping wit out a problem. The problem came as suitable campsites becasme more and more scarce as we neared the Netherlands. One night we reached some woodland only after dark to find that it was more a swamp than woodland. I think we were both just glad to find anywhere to camp and were soon asleep after a decent meal. After an hour of cleaning the bikes the next morning we were on our way again towards Belgium.
The Rain continued and on the 14th of February it rained all day from when we packed up in the morning until we put our tents up again in the evening! We stopped for a coffee in a small pub and after telling the owner where we were going he took pity on us and handed us five euros for our next stop, with the condition that he recieves a post card when we reach Australia. This small gesture cheered us both up and kept us going for another 30km throught the rain. That evening we were very thankful of the camping oven we have brought with. After we had set the tents up, soaking wet shoes were piled into the little oven along with socks and hats ready for a dry start the next morning. Maybe soon we'll even advance to roasting a chicken instead of just wet shoes!
The following day turned out to be beautiful witout a cloud in the sky. We estimated it to be 120km to Nick's flat in The Hague. We made an early start but unfortunately my right knee was giving me much pain so the going was slow. It got better as the day went on but half way through we were wondering if we had taken on too much. We were both determined to get to the Hague, particularly me as it was my birthday the next day on the 16th and for the fact there was no where to camp along the way. We eventually arrived after 140km at dusk and were welcomed by Nick and a cold beer!
The next few days will see a much needed rest and then seeing how my knee is we will push on south into Germany and onwards. Hopefully soon I will be able to get some fishing in, as the pace will be a lot more relaxed as we have got no definative target to head for. I'll keep you all posted on progress.
The ferry arrived in France at 7.30am the next morning and I was quickly off and making my way through Le havre and out into the countryside. I followed the coast road and managed to cover 70km before passing out in my tent in a dense conifer forest at the foot of a valley. After some food I slept well but woke to rain the following morning. I stayed in my warm sleeping bag for as long as possible but knew I had to get on the move, so that I could meet Huw later in the day. Within five minutes of setting out a rain and hail squall blew up and soaked me thouroughly. I got blown off the road and struggled to keep the heavy bike on track. Trucks would engulf me with spray as they stormed by, but strangely I had a smile on my face as I couldn't quite believe my second day had got off to such a horrendous start!
Luckily the weather got better and I caught a tail wind that propelled me along at 45km for quite a while. The sun came out and I rested for five mintutes in a south facing bus shelter. The warm sun sent me to sleep and half an hour later I dragged myself back onto my bike and pushed on to the coastal town of Le Treport to meet Huw. Luckily the tailwind continued and I made good distance. On arrival Huw was as wet as I was and as any camping spot was only to be found at least 10km away, we both agreeded to rent a hotel room to dry off and get some sleep.
The rest of the week flew by as we tried to clock up some milage and escape the depressing Northern France landscape. We woke every morning to rain which made packing up the tents a bit of a chore but we managed to stay dry enough to carry on camping wit out a problem. The problem came as suitable campsites becasme more and more scarce as we neared the Netherlands. One night we reached some woodland only after dark to find that it was more a swamp than woodland. I think we were both just glad to find anywhere to camp and were soon asleep after a decent meal. After an hour of cleaning the bikes the next morning we were on our way again towards Belgium.
The Rain continued and on the 14th of February it rained all day from when we packed up in the morning until we put our tents up again in the evening! We stopped for a coffee in a small pub and after telling the owner where we were going he took pity on us and handed us five euros for our next stop, with the condition that he recieves a post card when we reach Australia. This small gesture cheered us both up and kept us going for another 30km throught the rain. That evening we were very thankful of the camping oven we have brought with. After we had set the tents up, soaking wet shoes were piled into the little oven along with socks and hats ready for a dry start the next morning. Maybe soon we'll even advance to roasting a chicken instead of just wet shoes!
The following day turned out to be beautiful witout a cloud in the sky. We estimated it to be 120km to Nick's flat in The Hague. We made an early start but unfortunately my right knee was giving me much pain so the going was slow. It got better as the day went on but half way through we were wondering if we had taken on too much. We were both determined to get to the Hague, particularly me as it was my birthday the next day on the 16th and for the fact there was no where to camp along the way. We eventually arrived after 140km at dusk and were welcomed by Nick and a cold beer!
The next few days will see a much needed rest and then seeing how my knee is we will push on south into Germany and onwards. Hopefully soon I will be able to get some fishing in, as the pace will be a lot more relaxed as we have got no definative target to head for. I'll keep you all posted on progress.
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