Ashford to Lille

An early start today with a 6am breakfast so we could get to Dover for a 10am ferry. The ride to Dover would have been very pretty if it wasn’t grey and soggy. We arrived at Dover after 25 rainy miles, soaking wet with mucky bottoms.

It was rather exciting riding onto the ferry but I was shivering and desperate for a wee by the time we got on (bib shorts were an error!)

Time for a gallon of tea and another breakfast followed by a cheeky nap.

Fortunately it had stopped raining when we arrived in Dunkerque and the wind was sort of behind us for most of the remaining miles. The miles across the Channel are not recorded below, although a few people asked me before the trip if I was going to go by pedalo!

The route was mostly flat through an agricultural area which meant surprise sudden encounters with tractors and yet more mud. Throughout this area there are obviously reminders of war and this church in Zegerscappel has been visibly rebuilt.

The afternoon coffee stop was at the top of the only hill, obviously, but it had a terrace with a great view of all those fields, presumably even better when the sun actually shines.

As we rode into the more built up area around Lille, there was one of those fabulous French cycle paths which don’t have potholes or suddenly end, and traffic gives way to bikes on roundabouts - a dream for a UK cyclist. I was getting pretty knackered towards the end of the ride which made riding into a city more challenging and I was relieved to get to the 1930’s style Hotel Brueghel and a lovely hot shower. 

Four new riders have joined us in Lille so it was quite a big group for dinner. Inevitably this meant complex ordering and a late dinner so I was trying to keep my tired hangriness under control, not helped by the restaurant’s scanner refusing to recognise the NHS vaccine QR code. I headed back to the hotel before dessert in need of a peaceful lie down.