Day 153 Sunday 4/12/2016

Up early and walked most of the way back to Marseille then downloaded more maps to get me to Montpellier. Back on the bike again and cycled through the port area, where I lost another flag and flagpole, the next one I make is going to be a one piece pole and I’ll try and fire harden it, then I’ll have a lance, a trusty steed ( my bike ), and Sancho Panza ( Pippa ), am I going mad and do I think I’m Don Quixote out on a quest.
Back to the original plan and follow the coast again just keep the sea on my left.
I stopped at a McDonalds for a coffee as I can get a large cup and filled up my waterbottles, while sitting outside drinking my coffee a man offered to by me food, I must be looking rough, it’s a fine line between being a cycle tourist and being a down and out bum living on the streets.

The fine line between being a cycle tourist and a down and out

I had to head inland and up a hill, I pushed most of it up to the summit at Le Rove. It was ok from there as it was downhill all the way to the med. I stopped at a campsite but found it was closed for the season, I really need a break and have promised myself 3 or 4 days off when I find a campsite. Continued to Martigues where I shared another kebab with Pippa and then found a bench to sleep on yards from the sea. I slept on the bench and Pippa slept in her basket on the trailer, a security device as if anyone touches the bike it will wake her.
Today 41km.

Day 154

Up early and found a bakers, for bread, pain aux chocolate, coffee and top up my water bottles. I stopped under a bridge on a canal for breakfast and then carried on, hell week is not over as I came across a closed road, railway lines and motorways so had to turn around, I returned to the bridge I stopped at for breakfast and decided to stop there for the night even though it was still early.

Another bridge campsite

I lost a screw on the Bob Yak skewer today and the only thing that kept the trailer on was the safety pin, lucky i have a little pot of screws to replace it, I really need to give the bike a service, I just need somewhere to stop for a few days. Tonight was the first time I had a chance to cook a meal.
Today 26km.

Day 155

I was and still am compleatly exhausted, I slept until 8 and did not leave until 10. This morning I took a couple of paracetamol, as I think I’m coming down with something, a couple of ibuprofen to help with my mussels and a couple of Imodium as not having proper sanitary conditions my bowel movements are very loose, must be down to wild camping and not enough good hygiene. I will have to wash my hands more but with wild camping water is at a premium.
Cycled back to Martigues past where I slept the night before last and out again, I took smaller roads to avoid traffic, I did not quite make it to the other end of the closed road I found and ended up wild camping in some rough land that has been used for fly tipping and dirt bike riding.
Today 26km.

Fly tipping campsite

Day 156

Very cold early morning and had a frost on the tent, only a little but it must be due to being inland a few miles. Pushed the bike over the rough dirt track and while I was checking the map a Frenchman on his bike insisted on showing me the way, he walked me over the railway tracks and back to tarmac before he continued his bike ride. I was very tired and at 2pm I had to stop by some trees on another canal to have a lie down. I layed down a groundsheet, took my sleeping bag out as a pillow and fell asleep until about 4pm. I then put up my tent and went to bed. At dusk there was lots of shotguns going off from Bird hunters. At about 6.30pm a big dog was barking outside, when I looked out the tent, there was a man with a shotgun under his arm and he was trying to stop his dog from barking at me in the hushed shouting you do when you are trying to be quiet, he seemed upset that he had woken me.
Today 17km.

Day 157

Walked for the first 5km until I found tarmac again then cycled to Arles. Still very tired today and could not find a suitable place to camp so I had to camp by the road.
Today 39km.

Day 158

Up at 7 and on the road again by 7.30, after a couple of kms I had to put my gloves on again, after 5 more km I had to put my waterproofs on again as it was cold. Lucky I left early enough before the frost set in. Cycled to Saint Gilles and then Le Grau-du Roi where I saw some large water rats/musk rats. Broke another spoke today and ended up sleeping on a closed beach that had a hot tub and little shelter that they used for Sun bed cushions that ment I had a mattress for the night.
Today was Pippas first time on a sandy beach and she loved running up and down on it.
I should not have cycled so far today but i could not find a suitable place.
Today 56 km.

Day 159

I replaced the spoke on my back wheel and also had another go at trying to find the puncture in my trailer wheel, I found the hole this time so that’s another problem sorted. At Le Grande Motte I stopped for a few hours to try and find some inter-web and managed to download more maps to get me to Barcelona. Still extremely exhausted and had a lazy Saturday stopped by a bench and slept in a carpark.
Today 12km.

Day 160

Very cold night and a sea mist rolled in at night, my sleeping bag was very damp in the morning. I must have another puncture in the trailer tyre as it was flat again. I passed 4 campsites before 9am and they were all closed for the winter. Stopped on the beach at Palavasoles Flots for a tea and breakfast.

View for breakfast

Passed over a dozen more campsites today and they were all closed so I found a picnic spot by a lake just inland in Frontignan, I waited for dark and put up my tent. While waiting for darkness I saw some flamingos in the lake, only 2 but when I got my binoculars out and scanned the lake I saw 10 plus lots of terns, tried to take some pictures but needed a tripod tried using a walking pole as a monopod.
Today 39km.

Pink flamingo