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The Warm Up Phase

Days 3-5


Dover → HOOK Of HOLLAND (Via Dunkirk)



The ferry was uneventful, the sea was calm; there were many children who were not but maybe that is a not parent viewpoint and they could have been much worse.

Arriving in France, at Dunkirk was better than some Industrial ports, for example the exit was clearly marked but worse than others, as bikes and all the trucks are on the same road.


Thanks to being busy it was at least easy to remember which side to be on. An important thing to remember when abroad in foreign parts.


Soon I was on a dedicated cycle lane, heading north, following the coast. I say following not along, as I was yet to see it, but I was confident it was somewhere to my left. Unless I'd really screwed up leaving Dunkirk.


After about 30km, France was over for this trip and Belgium beginning, this was evidenced by a small sign and the path ending. It started up again somewhere new, clearly there had been no cross border agreement on where it should be.

I continued on, eventually even locating the sea. it was great, everywhere was quiet and largely shut. Last time I passed this way it was a maelstrom of kids, old folk, donkeys many on bicycles or go carts, well the first two groups anyway, the donkeys were mostly just standing around.



The peace continued until the campsite, which was also peaceful but the promised restaurant was closed, as was the chip shop next door, so after an evening stroll along the beach I fired up the camping stove.


The next 2 days continued much the same, I saw and then didn't see the coast. I explored a Belgium nature reserve mostly on purpose but also because I was distracted by some birds so missed an exit.


I exhausted my entire French vocab early In the trip by saying bonjour to some cyclists and ordering 2 croissants from a man who clearly spoke English.


My second night camping was a little more eventful only because I couldn't pay. I don't mean I'd already blown the holiday budget (the croissants weren't that expensive). I couldn't work out how to pay. I was camping in a natural campsite, which is what it sounds like, camping in nature (not to be confused with a naturists campsite which is different).


Online I'd been unable to book a 'trekking space' but that is not unusual, it normal just means there’ll always be space somewhere and to pay on arrival.


On arrival the place was deserted but there was a machine, this to me is a win, put It in English and lets go. I love technology! Not so here, Dutch only, but fine I could do this; 1 person, I tent, agree to t&c not to burn down the place down etc. So several random selections later, a very difficult to create account, I got to the payment, no go, it didn't accept either of my cards and no cash option.


Okay I'd admit defeat and book a full space online. So I got on my phone, created another account and they sent me an invoice! Which you could only pay via Maestro or v-pay. I have neither of these but at least now I understood the problem.


At this point another touring cyclist turned up. A young German guy, who's name I never got.


He also tried the machine and was also surprised by the only Dutch and proceeded with far more trepidation than me. I had been pressing buttons with the confidence of Trump on Twitter, whereas he seemed less willing to just agree to things he didn't understand, probably a more sensible approach but eventually he established he couldn't pay either. He also was equipped only with major international credit cards and cash.


We decided to pitch up and if someone complained, we would try to pay them. Also it had started raining.


After the tents were up, dinner eaten and as I was coming back from a walk around what really was a lovely natural campsite. I heard someone giving my German friend a hard time about not paying. I considered just continuing my walk but he had probably spotted the tent, it was 1 of only 2 in an otherwise empty field, he'd probably seen it, also leaving my German friend to face the music alone seemed mean. So I strolled out and basically said "me too, we tried but couldn't pay. Sorry".


"Did you phone the number?" he said


"What number?" I said


"By the machine" he said (thankfully he spoke English)


"No" I said having no idea what he was on about.


"You must phone the number to pay"


"Okay" I said reaching for my phone


"Not now, at 9am!"


"Okay" then I waffled on about trying to pay and just suggesting, some non-Dutch signage would help. Apparently that comes next year. Unclear as to why as most of the Dutch population speak amazing English they can't be short of translators. I mean this man sticking up a bit of paper with "can't pay phone this number" would help...but it's not my show.


Anyway, I promised I would phone in the morning, not just disappear. He seemed to accept this but said many people don't pay.


So, I found the number, four paragraphs into a sign which you guessed, was in Dutch. Which is fine we are in the Netherlands but a bit of bold or underlining would have helped seeing it was a key thing to translate.


In the morning, at 9am, I phoned. The chap was lovely but I still couldn't pay. He also took only Maestro or V-pay but he would email an invoice, I didn't say I already had one (as I wasn't desperate to pay for a full pitch). He could at least find one of the accounts I had created but once I said it was one night on a trekking pitch, he clearly was like this is a lot of faff for a bill of about 15 euros. I wanted to say "I know!" but I let him send an invoice which he asked me to pay when I get home. I did say it wouldn't be for a few months, apparently that’s fine.


I explained the situation to my German companion in this willingness but inability to pay dilemma he, said he understood. I don't know if he was going to phone, to be completely honest, I wouldn't blame him if he didn't.


What a strange place with lovely bird song, but I get the impression they prefer local visitors but are unwilling to just come out and say so.



.

I continued North. It was flat. Now the Belgium and Southern Netherlands are flat, the only change in altitude is for manmade banks, approx. 5m and the odd dip of a few meters to below sea level. People say south London is flat, but compared to the flatness of this coast it is like saying the Lake District and the Himalayas are both mountainous, which although true, the scale isn't really comparable.


So how easy the riding is, entirely depends on the wind. I was lucky, not very lucky but mostly the wind was from the west. Blowing hard onto my shoulder as I crossed the "Nordsee wind route" on a serious of dykes across the sea that have allowed the reclaiming of Zeeland from the sea.



This is also the home of the greenhouse. An area twice the size of Manhattan can be found under glass in the Netherlands growing much of the veg eaten across Europe. I passed hundreds of hot houses containing the many plants needed to satisfy our endless demand for fruits such as the tomato.


On my last 15km to the Hook of Holland I hit a problem. Well, hit is an overstatement but I definitely cycled into it, a headwind! The wind had not changed direction but I had, after getting a small ferry across the Maas, I turned due west and bang-WINDY.

I struggled back to the coast it was flat but it was hard. People going the other way grinned probably in sympathy but it did not feel as when climbing a mountain, when you know those descending also went up, while those riding with the wind may well not ride into it. Give me hills over a headwind!


Eventually I made it! I camped at the first campsite I came to. Eventually recovering my legs enough to pitch the tent, I had a very entertaining few minutes watching a couple try to get their double inflated air bed (they used an electric car pump) into the narrow door of their tent. They did it eventually and I'm pretty impressed none of us laughed out loud.


I also met a Scottish engineer who was also heading to Nordcape but via Finland and on an off road motorbike. He was pretty amazing having sold up everything for life on the road. We shared stories and Instagram so hopefully I'll be able to follow his adventures!


Tomorrow I ride to the ferry.


No, not giving up so soon, Hannah is joining the adventure for a week!



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