Muscles and mussels

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Hello there. We have got to Bruges in Belgium after a mostly successful ride. We left Cardiff on Simon's birthday, 1st August and made our way to Dover in six days. This involved me getting fit fast but are now both developing good cycling muscles! Mostly things have been good. We have camped in a variety of places, including farmers fields, ministry of defence fields, beaches, sand dunes and a friend's floor.
There was a major setback in Folkestone when we were staying in a very un-dodgy capsite (flowers, lots of families and caravans). In the night there was strange rustling by our tent which we put down to an over-friendly badger. However, in the morning we realised that one of Simon's panniers had been nicked, someone had actually reached into the tent and fumbled around, then taken it. Another tent had had the same happen too. Simon has been pretty gutted as it had his player with all his music for the trip, but going to France the next day cheered us up.
Calais is not the nicest of places but as we cycled towards Bruges things have got progressively nicer. Fortunately there is a striong line of Lidls here too so we are never stuck for cheap and easy meals. We spent a night on the sand dunes where the Dunkirk evacuations happened. It was nice in a way but we are now regretting it as we are continually shaking sand out of all of our possessions, including our bikes. Then it was a days ride to here. Today has been our first day without cycling, after nine, so we enjoyed wandering around the medieval streets and had huge bowls of mussels for tea. Next stop Amsterdam!

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Comments

[Robert P]

Stone the crows!
Not another blogger in the family! Enjoy, my dear! Dad

[Cat Pudner]

nice legs.
Hello Lou and Simon, A real pain about the panier. What a pain in the bum. So soon into the trip as well. On the bright side though, Louises legs must be looking good by now.