Given the horrors of the last three days, we make a pact to get up and get away early and see if we can get to our campsite for the day for before 8 o’clock (for a change!). We are on the road by 745 which feels positive.

It is though super slow going almost as soon as we head off. In part that is because it’s apparent that we have still not recovered properly from the cumulative impact of three massive days but also because the terrain, whilst very pretty now, is unrelenting and unforgiving. It’s immediately clear that we face the prospect of another very very long day ahead of us and that puts a pretty huge dent in TMAAT morale. To be honest this adventure feels like it has been high on challenge (which is good ) and low on fun (which is much less good) so far. The first 30 miles really are just so incredibly hard and really pretty miserable….at this pace we are looking at yet another really horrible day and another very late finish.

On a slightly more positive note some fine tuning of the Garmin settings (and my mindset) seems to be delivering less dead ends and dirt tracks but regrettably it is still absent the magic carpet setting we so desperately need.

Finally, after what seems like forever we drag ourselves into Florinville where we find an open patisserie and so grab a couple of much needed coffees plus multiple croissants…..the owner really did look rather alarmed when I replied “tous s'il vous plait” to her “combien?”

A combination of jammy croissants (jam courtesy of the TMAAT larder) and a change in terrain spur us on and the pace noticeably picks up. The scenery really is pretty special now and although it’s seems geologically unlikely the climbs are now definitely less climby and the downs are more downy. We don’t quite “speed” through the countryside (broken bodies don’t work like that) but we are making progress now.

We pause for lunch at the side of road (in our chairs of course) and then press on.

The Garmin teases us (by us I do mean me, I simply do not dare mention it to Marc) by suggesting that we could possibly arrive before 7 which given  the previous three days would be a Christmas miracle.

Whilst it is still incredibly hard going we do keep pushing forward through France and Belgium then France again then Luxembourg and then yes France again (honestly its everywhere) and we eventually do get it done and we arrive at our final destination for the day of Sierck Les Bains around 1830.

Given our low mental state at the beginning of the day I have, in rather typical Nick fashion, spent almost every mile trying to think ahead about what could possibly make it worse. My conclusion is that if the camp site we are heading for is full, closed or imaginary it would all be decidedly sub optimal. So I phone the campsite (without Marc knowing) and there is no answer.

Logically the next best thing is to email them so I do that. I then spend several hours waiting for a reply and role playing in my mind the conversation that’s starts “so Marc, about that campsite…”

In the event and joy of joys when we do roll in around 1900 they do have spaces, they are open and they are real. What I do find a little irksome is that when I provide my details for the stupidly long form they seem to need for you to essentially lie on a bit of grass, the lady on the desk very jollily  says in broken English “oh you called and emailed earlier but I am far to busy to reply!!!” This is the same lady who we disturbed sunning herself with her friends and a glass of pastis when we arrived, just saying! She then proceeds to charge us 13.54 euros (what the hell is that all about?) and when we can’t give her the exact money she opens her child’s piggy bank ( honestly I swear) to give us our change.

With the notable exception of the unpegged tent so nearly blowing into the Moselle this has been the best evening so far. Tired, but fed and happy.

Finally I did just want to mention that today was the internment of my cousin Peter Hibbin who died in December. We reconnected a few years ago now and he was the loveliest man. He and his wife Nicky were so welcoming to a very long lost relative and we had some very happy times together. I am so sorry I couldn’t be there today but send love and best wishes to Nicky and all of Peter’s family.