An unreasonably early alarm call heralded the start of the day. I wanted to make sure I could take full advantage of Premier Inn’s “all you can eat breakfast” before heading off to the ferry. Suitably stuffed I prepared myself for the day ahead. In this case that meant rainproofing myself and the bike as it was pouring down and I knew I’d probably have to stand in the rain for an hour or so waiting to board. No business lounge sadly ! Still it was a chance to practice that age old British custom of wearing sandals with socks. In this case waterproof ones.
As predicted I did spend an hour in the rain, looking enviously at people in their nice warm cars. The lane next to me was full of classic sports cars off to a rally in the Lot. They all looked very pleased with themselves, but I consoled myself with the thought that being mainly Italian sports cars, they would no doubt breakdown on the way there. The socks despite being a fashion faux pas worked brilliantly.
An uneventful short crossing and I was in France !
Funnily enough it was still wet ( very at times) . To make matters worse, I struggled to find my way out of the port complex. On one of several detours, I passed a building site, no big deal except the lorries had deposited a lovely layer of earth and dust all over the road, which proceeded to cover me and the bike in a brown sludge. Once I eventually found Dunkerque and left it, things improved, with much better infrastructure on the Belgian side, including a few well surfaced river/ canal paths.
Apart from a brief stop at a Tabac for some snacks and the obligatory roadside coffee stop, I ploughed on North, stopping after 64km to find a hotel for the night in Middelkerke, about 5 miles out of Oostende.
The hotel didn’t have any bike parking, but I explained I could fold the bike and take it to the room. Fortunately, the Brompton in all it’s mud covered glory was hidden outside, otherwise I think it would have been a “non” !
After a shower for me and the bike and a quick bit of laundry in the sink, it was time for a well earned dinner.
One new thing I discovered today, is that mini bars hidden in wardrobes generate so much heat, they make great drying cupboards !
Steady Pedals 