Breakfast was nothing to write home about. Bread, canned orange juice and powered chocolate for my hot drink. I don't want carbohydrates….. I'm trying to lose weight!
I'm pleased no readers were around to watch me snivel, plead, cry and abase myself when Daniel decided he should leave me with the other inmates in the retirement home.
Eventually we parted company. He was going to catch the 11:50 Dover ferry and head back to Manchester. His holiday is over.
Four pannier bags on the bike along with the rest of my kit and I started cycling north. After a year of not cycling with all the panniers the bike felt very heavy.
I decided to use the cycling navigation app (Komoot). Whilst the map is clear I quickly discovered the gps data lags and found myself missing turns.
The routes (EuroVelos) are usually well marked but I must have crossed one and it wasn't until several kilometres later I realised I was on the Eurovelo heading east to Budapest rather than the Eurovelo along the Atlantic Way.
I forgot to unpack my 360 camera remote control so no 360 video recording today.
Leaving Calais I headed north reaching Gravelines. This is where I took a wrong turn and headed east. Eventually I reversed course and started heading north following the Komoot route. Only to encounter my next issue. Komoot was wrong! There is no bridge across the tidal estuary.
Another long detour to reach to other side.
North of Gravelines I started to notice numerous Africans hanging around the cycle path and the scrubland on the coast side. No doubt waiting for their ride across the channel.
This situation remained all the way to the other side of Dunkirk.
Fifty kilometres travelled and I continued on. At De Panne I missed a turn but discovered the town square.
The 20km leading into Ostend was slow riding. The area is obviously a tourist hot spot. Highrise rental apartments face the beach with a wide paved embankment between them and the sand. The bottom floor of the high rises are shops and restaurants Thousands of people milling around and I'm trying to weave my way through them.
The crowded beach was sand but the water looked uninviting and the sky was grey. However people seemed to like it!
I'd ridden 100km and decided to look for a supermarket and accommodation for the night. I found a Spar supermarket and bought a large bottle of water to top up my camelback which was starting to get low.
Accommodation was very expensive. Probably unsurprising given the proximity to the beach. I wasn't going to pay $1100 for the night. I decided to cycle inland with the expectation of finding cheaper prices.
Eventually I found a budget Ibis hotel having ridden 127km. I think tomorrow will be an easier day.
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