A heatwave is a-coming! Hard to believe it in the cool of the morning as I was wearing a fleece and enjoying a hot drink. Still, we left just as the sun began to show itself and the temperatures began to soar.

Before the days ride passed in too much of a sweat, we stopped for a break in the little town of Guipry. There was a small cafe in the shadow (literally) of the church. It had a couple of spaced tables and a friendly lady brought us coffee and some complimentary biscuits after she was unable to provide us with croissants. We must have looked hungry. Clare even managed to send out some work emails while we rested. The ensuing heat was astonishing and on the next section we encountered a few more detours which added to the mileage count. We had left early and chosen a short distance as we knew it would be too unpleasant to ride after midday.

As planned we arrived at the village port campsite in Besle at noon, but as to the extent of the heat, we were not acclimatised. It was already beyond hot and as we spread ourselves about in the riverside shade, it only continued to get hotter. By mid afternoon it was a blistering 38°C and stayed that way until the sun set at 9pm. There was no breeze.

A cool off in the river was a tempting option, but the campsite lady warned against swimming. ‘Big big fish’ was her concern, mine was the slow moving, thick brown water with oily film and weeds. We cooled our feet for brief respite.

During a brief period of semi-cloud cover, we ventured up into the village, where we found a church and a cold can of drink. 

At dusk, the whole campsite breathed a sigh of relief as the sun disappeared. We walked up onto the bridge and watched a otter swimming across below us. 

The sun may have gone, but the heat remained. Where as on previous nights, the evenings cooled down, tonight, the heat stayed hot and heavy. We got in the tent and lay on our mats, unclothed, waiting for sleep and the breeze that occasionally picked up some cooler air. The alarm was set even earlier for tomorrow…