Namur to Givet. 57.5 km
And they’re off! Our first proper day cycling. Yesterday evening we met up with Sally and Joris, friends from way back (Cate and Sally met at Medical School in the, err…, 1980’s). They live in Antwerp, so have driven down to Namur to join us for the first couple of days.
The forecast was not promising: spells of rain throughout the day. The reality was much better – a few clouds, and lots of sun. It was a great day. We followed the Meuse river, with most of the route along the towpath, watching barges glide past, avoiding the swans, and passing through the town of Dinant about halfway. We stopped for lunch at a little riverside brasserie, and arrived in Givet in the early afternoon.
Today was a deliberately light day – we hope to manage a bit more in the days to come, but we were unsure of our fitness and this is also the first outing for us on our new bikes. In the event, the bikes have performed brilliantly, even if we are suffering a little with aching limbs and a degree of saddle soreness! Thankfully we have some chamois cream to help with the latter problem!