It’s so great to properly meet paddlers who I have seen at races, but never spoken to. In the case of Nicholas, I usually see him on the podium! It’s interesting to get an insight into the life of a top athlete. What seems to prevail among all of the fast paddlers I’ve met is that they are normal people who have a real love of the sport, and have been paddling for many years.

I left La Grau-du-Roi replenished after good food and a good nights sleep. The sun shone through the clouds as I started my days paddle around the river delta of the Rhone, the Camargue.

The Camargue is a massive area of lagoons and marshland where flamingoes wade and horses run free. I stopped for lunch on a wild beach and wandered into the vegetation. Immediately a swarm of the largest mozzies I’ve ever seen descended on me and I sprinted back to the beach. I smacked a blue-bottle sized one against my leg and it crushed satisfyingly beneath my hand, spewing out my blood. Everyone moans about midges in Scotland, why haven’t I heard about mozzies in France!?

I arrived in Saints-Maries-de-la-Mer feeling tired even after the short day. After being driven crazy by mozzies I went into some empty stables where bulls are usually kept. Bulls are reared on the Camargue by ‘gardians’ (French cowboys), who ride the white horses. The bulls are then sent to Spain for fighting, or used here. I think the stench of bull testosterone in the stables repelled the mosquitoes so I happily shut the door and bedded down for the night on a hay bale. Another great day today!