Arrondissement de Valenciennes

After too many disrupted flights (and wrong airports) I decided the only way I wanted to spend my last few weeks of my time off getting back on my bike... my new bike!!... and heading off to Europe. The bike is a slightly newer, but otherwise exactly the same, version of skippy. Just with a few extra bells and whistles... for £4k it really is a fantastically good bike.

With the bike loaded up I got on the road at 10.15 - 15 minutes behind schedule due to a little old lady stopping me outside the house to tell me my bike looked very impressive, so I had to tell her about my journey. She looked bored and thoroughly unimpressed after the first 3 minutes but she started it so she was going to have to listen.

The ferry left Dover at 2.40, getting me into Calais at about 5pm. From there it was a quick stop at the shop for snacks and beer and then I headed east... yes I know its the wrong way! But I want to go to Brussels so I was going to have to go east at some point! And this way I could find a nice wild camping spot in France before I go to Belgium. Which is exactly what I've done... the mosquitos beat me here though... and i fear I may be an empty sack of skin by the end of the night after they've drained me.

Not much to see today really, in fact until I get to Denmark I expect the scenery will be pretty uneventful. But the cities and towns will be good fun to visit along the way!

Planning to get up early, and get to Brussels for breakfast tomorrow, lunch in Ghent and finish off with dinner in Bruges.

As usual, all photos have the bike in them... none of the photos have me in them.Read more