Rest day

Last night I slept from 5pm till 7am.

The Dutch guy 2 plots up from me told me I slept well, I think it was his polite way of telling me I snored. Showered and felt better then read the paperwork I was given when I arrived at the campsite. I discovered that I had a safety sheet in case the nuclear reactor up the road blew up.

Health and safety gone mad

Arrived in Dieppe at 5 am, rescued Pippa from her crate and she was pleased to see me, I do not think she had slept.

Cycled into Dieppe and waited with a Columbian cyclist till 7, then we had a coffee and she went to find her hotel at 8, I had another coffee and waited till the shop’s opened so I could by a map, I could not find any meths for my stove so I’ll be using wood until I can. Left Dieppe at about 11 and half and hour arrived back in Dieppe as I had taken the wrong road, did you know all there road signs are in a foreign language and they drive on the wrong side of the road, it’s no wonder they have so many accidents.

I arrived at the campsite in St Martin en champagne at about 3 pm, put my tent up and as I had not managed to sleep on the ferry passed out at about 5pm.  Having cycled 29 km today.

Left Norman’s bay campsite at about 1030 and stopped 2 km up the road for a fry up and to work out the route to Newhaven, decided to take the A27 as there were fewer hills then going over Eastbourne, anyone who has driven that road will know it often has traffic jams and today they were caused by me. I made Newhaven at about 6pm and checked out the port, had a brew then went for a meal returning at 8 pm to line up for the ferry. The gates opened at 10 pm and at 11 we boarded the ferry, Pippa had to go in a crate on the car deck while I tried to find somewhere to sleep. First night since getting her that we have not slept together. The ferry departed at midnight.

Cycled 46 km today, grand total since leaving London 458 km, 286 miles in 22 days.

Rest day, distance cycled 10 km with no panniers, went a bit wobbly as not used to riding such a light bike, steering is too easy to turn.

Ferry booked for tomorrow on the midnight ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe.

Day 9

Left the comfort of a nice bed in a chalet in Laysdown on sea, said goodbye to uncle Mick and left about mid-day to try and reach the UK mainland again. From the bridge to the isle of Sheppy to Laysdown took about 4 hours riding and most of it up hill, the way back only took 2 hours but when I reached the mainland it started to rain so I pulled over under a tree to make a cuppa, at 4pm it was still raining so I set up my tarp as a tent to wild camp for the night, as soon as I’d erected the tarp I thought I should have put it up as a flying Vee. It rained all night but the tarp held up. Only made 18 km today.

Day 10

29 km cycled today, I’ve broken the 100 mile mark and it has only taken 10 days. Lots of horrible cycle gates on long distance cycle paths, that do not let long distance cyclists through with panniers, a lot of unloading and reloading of the bike. Wild camped again in a little bit of wooded area.

Had to remove all panniers

Had to remove all panniers

Only had to remove 1 front pannier 

Day 11

28 km cycled today, total of 200 km. Discovered that I’d missed a couple of bolts on my service the other day but fixed the problem with a cable tie. Gave Pippa her morning exercise by clipping her leash to the handle bars and had her pull while I walked for the first couple of kilometres. I can only push the bike up hills at 5 km/hour but with Pippa pulling we can make 6 km/hour. In the evening I had blisters all up my arms, not sure if it is a reaction to stinging nettles etc or sunburn. Slept under the star’s in my bivi bag.

Toe clip repair with cable tie

Day 12

Made 44 km today, cycled through Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs and slept on the beach under the star’s again.

Day 13

37 km cycled today and made it to Martin Mills campsite, set my tarp up in the flying Vee style, and uncle Mick delivered my tent back to me, decided I was getting fitter plus a tent was better at campsites. My Pletscher kick stand broke today, bought a bottle of chilled rose wine, drunk half and my legs went all giddy.

Flying Vee tarp set up

Broken kick stand

Day 14

Rest day, put up my tent with my tarp as an awning, drank the rest of the wine and slept till the afternoon. Had a quick service of the bike, shower, washed clothes, and started using my bush buddy stove to save on meths.

Tent back with tarp as awning

Bush buddy wood burning stove

How do you tell your dog that this is a wood pile and not a toy selection

Day 15

Another rest day. The day was very very hot, so sat in the shade gave Pippa a small haircut and nail clipping then we shared a 1/2 litre tub of icecream.

Day 16

23 km travelled today, most of it pushing the bike, headwinds into Dover, and steep hills out of Dover, thick fog on the cliffs. And stayed at little Switzerland camp site, and learned that it is best to be not so close to the path as when anyone walked past Pippa growled, I did not get much sleep thanks to my guard dog.

Day 17

36 km today, total of 340 km and made the 200 mile mark. Nice and flat on Romney marshes but some headwinds, camped at Lydd.

Day 18

30 km cycled today, flat day into camber sands and rye, really tired so stopped by the mary Stamford lifeboat house at 2 pm and slept on the beach.

Day 19

Early start at 5 a.m. and taking over a hour to push my bike up fairlight hill, only about 1 km. Freewheeled down into Hastings, through to Norman’s bay campsite and set up camp at lunch time. Made 32 km today. Slept till tea time, ate, slept.

Day 20

Rest day

Woke up, ate breakfast, slept, woke up for lunch, then showered, washed clothes, and did some sewing to Pippas bed or my pillow, we have to fight over it.

Stuffing coming out of Pippa bed or my pillow

Another rest day, and a bike service day, all nuts and bolts checked and tightened up, tyres filled up and a check of all my equipment to decide what I do not need, and the cycle camping trip will continue without a tent, that also means no tent repair kit, 1 shirt, 1 Rab top, and 1 pair of underpants, my spare microfibre towel, Pippa spare blanket and half her toys, she will have to make do with sticks and my smelly shoes, half of my heavy duty sewing kit and my 2nd meths bottle, I’ll have to use the Bush cooker more and use the trangia less. Plus I can carry another water bottle where that bottle went.

And a little bit of shopping with another water bottle for Pippa so she can drink whenever she wants.

New water bottle for Pippa 

Day 2

After a good night’s sleep on Ian’s sofa, a day of cycling along the Thames path, and plenty of chances for Pippa to run along next to me and in front of me causing me to hit the brakes, hopefully she will learn not to do that. Most of the day was along the flat but the afternoon had some hills to push the bike up, I now know I have too much equipment and will have to lose some weight soon, but until then I’ll use it as a training aid to build up the legs.

At about 4pm my legs were dead so at 28 km for the day I found somewhere to wild camp for the night, just 3 metres off the path in a little clearing.

Night 2, 1st night wild camping

Day 3

Rest day, my legs do not work, a nice easy day of sleeping and resting in my tarp, and trying to get Pippa not to bark when anyone walks past, with a bit of thinking of what I do not need.

Inside the tarp relaxing

Day 4

Back on the road today with a total distance of 42 km, and I found out I can push the bike up hill at 5 km/hour. A lot of cycling and quite a lot of pushing. At about 5pm I stopped by the Thames to make a cup of tea and then sat down to watch the birds on the mud banks, and wait until sunset, about 10pm, then as it was a nice night I slept under a tree on a groundsheet watching the stars.

Day 5

Up at sunrise, about 4am as I was sleeping somewhere that had no camping and I knew there was a nature reserve warden somewhere close, so about a mile further on it was time for a brew up and porrage, after that at about 6am I started moving. I stopped at a cafe for a 2nd breakfast about 10 and Pippa managed to get a free sausage, then at lunch time I pulled up to a burger caravan for a cup of tea and this time she got a free burger, I think she is eating better then me.

The rest of the day it was the push to reach leysdown on the isle of Sheppy, and there was a lot of pushing involved, but at least I have a uncle with a chalet there with a lovely spare bed with a soft mattress which I needed after another 35km.

Day 6

Recovery day

Lots of tea, lots of rest, a shower and the use of a washing machine.

Day 7

Rest day, sorting out what I do not need to carry to lose weight. I have started with the tent and will just be using a tarp.

tarp set up as a tent

Day 1, well I survived the first day with no major injuries, and confirmed what I suspected i  knew, and that was I am unfit, a little bit of muscle ache in the legs, and a little bit dehydrated. Lucky I planned an easy first day, mostly on the flat, and a short distance, some how I managed to reach 60 km per hour, 38 miles an hour, down to the woolwich ferry roundabout i think.

A short day of 20 km or 12 1/2 miles, but with 6 panniers, a bar bag, a 24 ltr rack pack, and trailer with a dog in. Not bad for a middle aged man who is unfit.