9 May, 2015

Our first night camping turned out to be not the most relaxing experience.  We are covered from head to toe with mosquito bites and, for once, not just me.  The first night camping on a cycle tour is always uncomfortable.   It takes a bit of time to adjust to sleeping on the hard ground; no matter which way you turn, something hurts.  My left knee throbbed all night long, which was odd because it hadn’t bothered me at all on the bike.

Packing the tent and setting off was done in double quick time.  The mosquitoes were still feasting in their droves and we couldn’t get away quick enough.

The ride today turned out to be different in every way from the one we did yesterday; the sky is overcast with the threat of rain hanging in the air.  The track is flat, straight and smooth for the whole day.  The scenery is unchanging, pine forest for kilometre after kilometre, a high sand dune to our left, beyond which roars the Atlantic ocean.   Today is all about the cycling rather than the landscape, just enjoying turning the pedals and the sense of freedom.

We hope to stop cycling a bit earlier today.  Already I’m behind with the blog because reliable WiFi is, as usual, proving to be elusive.  Last night was a good example, it was only available for one hour and it took 10 minutes to upload one photo.  Unfortunately, my good intension came to nothing when we reached a particular village that had closed off all but the main road to hold a cycle race.  We had to divert for several kilometres and then could not find our way back onto the cycle track.

Following a cycle track is a mixed blessing.  The big positive is that there is no traffic to worry about.  However, you are totally in the hands of the way markers.  The French region we travelled through yesterday was pretty good, giving consistent signs using the Eurovelo logo.  Today we are travelling through a region that has gone native, using its own style and numbering system which can only be understood by the committee that designed the signs.  Very frustrating.

We ended up rolling onto a campsite at 6pm again, where the receptionist told me that I could use the WiFi for 30 minutes.