Today’s destination was EU Le Treport and I wanted to get there for the England / Switzerland Quarter Final at 6pm. But first you’re probably interested to know about the suspended tent. In short, I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s probably ok if you stay in the centre and don’t move, but if you move left then the base of the tent tilts left and you’re then scrambling to get back to the middle. And having cycled a few miles, my legs are a bit restless and so staying still is not easy. I also found that when I did get out I had a bit of motion sickness. So after a restless, frustrating and sleepless couple of hours, at 2am (when I could find the entrance / exit) I abandoned it with all my stuff to sleep on tables in the communal area.

Not great preparation for a long cycle, but at least l could get an early start @6:45 after the rain had stopped. The first target of the day was Dieppe at 45 miles. The coastal(ish) route varied from undulating to hilly. It was also quite chilly but at least I had a strong tailwind as I descended down to and ascended out of a few ‘……-sur-Mers’. It was interesting to note that the walking clubs have their own club kit.

After Dieppe, the landscape became more rolling but with the same rural patchwork quilt of crops interspersed with villages. It was still very windy, but in a nice way….

It was also good to see a few chateaux. Reminds me of the late Paul Sherwin reading pre-prepared notes on the TdF coverage.

Wondering why it always seems so quiet at weekends, I found out how some of the French spend their Saturday afternoons, playing a petenque league match on the seafront at Criel-sur-Mer. Noticed that they all have a small hoop in which to place their foot before throwing.

Arriving in Le Treport from the west was spectacular, with tremendous views over the town.

The helpful tourist information staff informed me that my hotel was another 8km in Eu (it seems like these towns are merging…) and I was able to catch another tense England knockout game.

Afterwards, having done some (limited) research, I was really looking forward to an Asian buffet, but was left disappointed on finding it had closed down and had to settle for a chicken BK (not my restaurant of choice, but I need some calories).

So that’s 8 days completed at an average of 77 miles/day. From a kit perspective, note to self not to buy Provitz overshoes again as they have literally fallen apart after only a few wears. On the flip side, after 18 years I can’t complain about my Giro helmet but which is now falling apart inside. It’s interesting to note how few bike shops I’ve seen. There used to be one in every town, but with us all shopping online….