camping trip Albert France. 27 July - 03 Aug 2013

[kevinL]

I had another visit doing a Saturday to Saturday staying at Bellview Campsite Authuille. If it wasn't raining buckets it quickly turned to unbearable blistering heat.

I have to say for the most of it i was either taking shelter under the awning from the deluge having rescued a poor soaked fledgling half drowned on the path. Otherwise i was sheltering out from the blistering heat. Anyway i dried out the little chap in my warm dry shed overnight and i'm glad to say he flew out when i unlocked it the following morning. The plumes of steam rising up from the woods on the west side of the Ancre valley in the heat was an amaizing sight.

Shopping for provisions again in nearby Albert was exhausting and i had to take a moment to cool off in the Basilica and museum. There wasn't much done in the way of cycling around the nearby battlefields and cemeteries it was just too hot. I have to say that the site owner has much improved the washing/toilet block facilities now. I think he's going for 3 stars! The only relief from the stifling heat was half drowning myself, constantly ducking my head under the cold water tap in the corner of my pitch. It would cool off sufficiently around 7 ish for me to venture out hoping to get some lovely shots of french Dragonflies, there are some impressive ponds in this area but to my dissapointment there wern't any. The french love their fishing that much all the ponds are so over stocked with Carp and such they've eaten all the dragonfly nymphs.

I took some photo's i'll attempt to post the links here, i'm sure most of you have seen these before assuming they work!

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I also popped over to the tourist information office and i was fascinated by the models they have of the Basilica showing how it looked during the war with all it's damage and how it looks now after the restoration had been completed. A really interesting comparison.

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[kenf48]

Interesting to read your account of the weather, when we were sweltering here last week I was thinking about how they coped on the WF - from your experience it seems the answer was 'only just!'

Ken

[kevinL]

I didn't mension the biting insects Ken. Something got me on Tuesday i think it was on the back of my hand and it swelled up like a balloon! itchy as hell. I didn't know there was no pharmacy section in any of the supermarkets.