Last ride in Europe ! I’ll be sad to leave, but I’m looking forward to the next part of the adventure. Every day now, I seem to get slower and lazier as it all winds down.
It’s a short, flat day of 35kms with a small town along the way. I’ve booked a ferry from Dunkerque and booked a room near the wharf area. Everything is organised, what could possibly go wrong ?
The campground was a mix of families in cabins and campers in tents and campervans. It had a nice restaurant (it was in the middle of nowhere) and was run by the kindest of staff. At one point yesterday, I tried to tap and pay and it didn’t work. No matter, the guy just said “pay tomorrow”. That contributed to the laid back feel of the place.
I grabbed some breakfast at the campground and headed off along some quiet roads.
I didn’t see much of the coastline but I was always close to it. The route passed through Grand-Forte-Philippe and followed the river inland to the next bridge. Komoot suggested a ferry halfway along but at low tide, it would have been the world’s shortest ferry ride and didn’t seem to be operating.
That brought me into Gravelines where I got my last lunch from a Boulangerie and found a nice park to sit back and relax. When I’d finished, it felt hard to get going again and face the last little bit.
I also went past what I think is a refugee camp. It was extensive too – more than 400 metres long. I really feel sorry for these displaced people. I went past many of them on the shared path, and they all waved and smiled. I simply can’t imagine living in those conditions, especially as autumn approaches and winter begins.
Along the way today, I reflected on the last 18 months, where I’d been, what I’d done and the people I’d met. If I were to do it again, I’d do it differently, but that’s simply because I know more now.
As I neared Dunkerque, the quiet roads became bike paths, and I entered the town, found the BnB and got my bearings. I thought I’d go for a walk and check where the ferry terminal was. It was a shock then, to find that the Dunkerque ferries don’t leave from Dunkerque, but from a terminal, 17kms away – back where I’d just come from. I had another ride to do in the morning. I’m glad I didn’t book that early ferry.
Dunkerque is a nice place. It’s not stunning by any means but it’s good to wander around. It was destroyed in WW2, so it’s missing the charm of other French towns. I saw other tourists and wondered if they’d made the same mistake as me.
Over dinner, I planned the easiest way to the terminal and realised that all I had to do was to retrace my steps from today until I saw a big sign saying “Ferry Terminal”, which I hadn’t noticed today.
