I was walking from Cap Ferret to Point de Grave in the Gironde.
I only had a 1 litre (1.75 pint) water bottle with me and was suffering from blisters on my feet.
It got hotter and hotter and I limped slower and slower, at first I took drinks of water, then slurps, then sips and eventually the bottle ran out before I could reach the next ville and campsite.
At the ville I refilled and immediately emptied my bottle at the tennis club, at the beach bar a had a ice slush drink. Reaching the campsite I put up the tent and broke a tent pole through incoherent fumbling, luckily I was able to repair it. I didn't cook dinner as I couldn't face eating anything.
Lying in my tent I heard English voices in the tents around me, I wouldn't need to get help immediately as English speakers would understand when I really needed aid. In the night I needed to go to the toilet block, and wandered around the campsite in the dark trying to find my tent again. The next morning I discovered there were no English speakers in the tents around me, although there were a couple of English boys, brothers, in blue speedos in the toilet block when I went for a shower.
Dehydration and sunstroke can occur very easily even if you are experienced and careful. Always take more water than you need to the beach and try to cool off and find some shade if things start to go wrong.
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