Day 1 - Swindon to Dinant (B)

 Day 1 - Swindon to Dinant (Ardennes) - (B)

Friday 14/06/2023

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Getting into the Ardennes


We made it to Dinant after what feels like a very long day. A 6.30am start had us at Dover for 10am. The journey down was uneventful apart from Leon's bike struggling to restart after a fill-up and Konrad's bike over heating after queuing for the ferry check-in. Hopefully the last of our mechanical worries.

We just blasted down motorways from Calais past Dunkirk, Lille and into Wallonia and the Ardennes. We followed the river gorge into Dinant which is stunning place and a brilliant place to spend a long weekend. 

We camped by the side of the river in a lovely campsite where we made pasta and meatballs (which burnt to the pan) before walking into town to watch the Scotland v Germany Euro 2024 kick-off match. Scotland were outclassed but the 10% Belgian beers were top-notch. Amazingly we didn't drink any Leffe beer despite walking past the Abbey where it originated. Amazing thunder and lightning whilst we were watching the football, but we avoided the worst of it and luckily had all of our gear under cover before we left.

A long day but tomorrow will have us travelling for 10 hours through the Ardennes in and out of different countries and ending in France but very close to Baden-Baden and the start of the Black forest route. Looks good, but we're already looking forward to the easy/rest days we have planned in Italy.


Mileage:332
Beers / Drinks: 12
Fines: 0
Bribes: 0
Ass pain: 5/10
Mechanical issues: 0 (long start and overheating excluded)
Accidents: 0
Wetness: 2/10 (Minute drizzle leaving home)
Coldness: 1/10 (Hot with waterproofs on)
Theft count: 0
Country Count: 3

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