Setting off after my second poor night's sleep in a tent (my first of many) was not greatly improved by the strong, cold wind coming from the north-east. I was making my way slowly to Oostende in Belgium, where I would turn inland and start making my way towards Brügge, Antwerpen and then Eindhoven, when I slightly overstretched the knee I had pulled on my first day in England, whilst rushing to meet Olivia in Oxford. The combined trio of poor weather, riding with a pain in my knee and still being tired meant that I had my first 'sense of humour' failure of my trip. After speaking to the family on the phone and a lunch rest in Nieuwpoort, I felt slightly better about the situation and eventually made it to Oostende. The situation then improved a lot more as I turned inland, getting out of the worst of the wind and made the 20 miles to Brügge with relative ease.
The campsite just on the east side of Brügge was exactly what was needed. Unlimited, hot showers (instead of tokens), a Carrefour 200m down the road leading to my first proper meal since Wingham (500g bag of pasta, bolognese sauce and grated cheese) and a Canadian couple who were travelling Europe for 6 months, who I chatted to for the majority of the evening!
Waking up cold again was forgotten quickly when I realised that the weather had picked up and the sun was shining. This made the day's cycling seem easier so I ended up doing 75 miles and on the other side of Antwerpen, after cruising around the city for an hour or so, in another campsite. Unfortunately the campsite was 'rustic', as the brochure I picked up in the tourist info in Antwerpen had called it. But the sun was still out most of the evening so I wasn't really that bothered.
Surprise, surprise, another cold morning later I arrived in Eindhoven after an easy 45 miles for a late lunch and my first proper rest!
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