Day 3 - Dunkirk to Amiens

Day 3- Dunkirk to Amiens
81 miles (most ever in a single day), average speed 12.2 mph and maximum 32.3 mph

We left a damp and grey Dunkirk for a long day through the damp and grey French countryside. One quickly learns that when in the morning briefing you are promised some spectacular views these are not generally from the valley bottoms! At the top of all the big hills though our accompanying piper was playing us up – something rather surreal about cycling through the French countryside to the far distant sounds of Scotland the Brave. Today was a slog, and very few made it to the one memorial service as we so spread out – several hours between the first and last. Lunch was spectacular – there is something great on a wet and cold day being greeted by mountains of hot pasta bake and steaming urns of tea! Having given myself plenty of time to pack I did forget one vital item – the Udderley cream, so I stopped at a French pharmacie for a substitute. I thought Sudocreme was a fairly international brand, however the two rather pretty yound serving girls played ignorant as I then had to explain what I wanted – or more to the point (my schoolboy French being somewhat limited) – demonstrate why I needed it! After much hilarity and bemusement I came away with some cream which I was told was excellent. I am now looking for a French speaker to have a look at the packaging before I try it – the last thing I need is some form of deep heat! Good hotel, red wine plentiful and sleep deep….