Day 1 - Lille to Bernissart

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This was the first leg of the trip and, probably not surprisingly, was one of the toughest. I put it down to little sleep (as I had to get up at 4.00 to catch the Eurostar. Then I started late in the day from Lille, like 10.30 and had to ride through the heat of the day on what many said was the hottest day in August (35 degrees). Man, when I made it to the campsite "Le Camping du Preau" - rue du Preau 1/C, 7321 Bernissart, Belgium, tel: +32 69 57 71 14, 10.00 Euros per night, plus 1.00 Euro tourist tax - I thought I was going to croak.

Here's how the day panned out (the date stamps bug me too, but it was a new camera and I didn't realise I had it set. Please try to ignore them):

4.30am at home in London:

With Charline and our cat, Casey

Then 5.00am:

(They don't let you leave your gear on your bike when you dispatch it with Eurostar, so I had to carry it all with me in a John Leis bag. Good thing I wasn't taking much.

11.00am, finally on the beginning of the canal, in Roubaix, France.

I saw a bit of this throughout the day:

And finished like this in Bernissart. 

I was so knocked out after the first day that I crashed with my feet sticking out of my tent. A couple of kids went and go their father to check on me because they thought I was dead.

Also, the campsite had a café that was the social centre of the whole place and it was rocking into the night with a pretty rowdy crowd. Which I thought was kind of funny. Though my first impression of the whole place started off on the wrong foot when I read a sign on the shower facility building which said:

"Whoever the person was that shat IN FRONT OF THE TOILETS should be ashamed of themselves. If I ever find out who did this they will be banned from the campsite FOREVER. I can't believe the nerve of some people."

Signed - The Manager



Some details - road straight from Lille Eurostar station to downtown Tournai before I stopped for a drink at 13.00 (1.00pm - I will now only use 24h times, as I am on the continent - ooh, la, la). Road to Bernissart and got there at 15.30.