Trip to the Loire September 2016

Having finished my post graduate degree, an MA in digital documentary and having shown my final piece,a film documenting the charity Stay Ip Late and their gig buddies project I am off for a short cycle through Normandy,Brittany and the Loire. I am meeting my friend Alan who has cycled from seaford to Paulliac in order to run in the medic marathon. When we meet a week today he will have done the run and will be on his way home. We are due to meet in Saumur but, and this is a recurrent theme, Alan does not do mobile phones so consequently communications between us is haphazard to say the least.
Ferry crossing fine, almost first of boat got to station and bought ticket always good to get first credit card purchase cleared so know card works. Had two hour wait for train to Rouen.on arrival struggled getting pannier onto bike struggled onto platform to find train then became Caen one so struggled back on.
After a short detour around Caen I got on the right road the’ route de Bretagne . It was one of those very straight roller coaster style road that the French do so well. It was a taster of what was to come. I arrived at my empty airbnb and found the secreted key left by Paule and made the most of the facilities that is ate my peanut butter sandwich brought from home, showered and crashed. This morning I had breakfast with, well more like in front of Paule and we discussed pellet stoves, brexit and the political futures of marine la en and Donald trump, only the pellet stove was a happy subject. At 730 we left the house together she for a half day in the Caen dept of employment and me to ride the roller coaster. The good thing was the road was quiet the bad things were that some of the ups were very long and steep it was into a headwind and most significantly I am very out of shape. I had done a couple of 40 milers but without the panniers and I’d forgotten how heavy they are. I eventually got to Avranches and the only road I could use was very long and very steep. Anyway I got here just as legs were cramping up and self booked in to the formula 1’hotel’ and having smuggled the bike into my room I eased my kit and then myself. I am struggling with French I can only imagine that my brain is like Homer Simpsons and all the new knowledge picked up in the last year has forced out what little French I knew.as I write this I am eating Carrefours finest steak hache chips with extra salt,pasta and leeks in white sauce. I have forgone a pichet of vin rouge in order to sleep rather than be ravaged by cramp, I’ll let you know it was worth the sacrifice.
No it wasn’t I had a very sleepless night and what sleep there was was punctured by very intense dreams about drug dealing involving a money man who may or may not have been known to me, another person whose identity is unknown and Simon Blaine my barber of 30 years. No cramp though, although I do have a proem with my right hamstring which is very tight and always feels bruised. Today’s ride,Saturday, took me past Le mont st michel, although it needn’t have, the route planning seems to be set for day trippers not serious cycle tourists! The metro promised rain but there was none probably blown off course by the strong wind which was manageable for the most part however the last five miles or so it was challenging. I arrived at Coursil about 1pm about 5 hours riding. Having looked for my airbnb, which strictly speaking I wasn’t allowed in until 6, I sat in the village square opposite the house and started to eat my half pain de compagne, Camembert cru and tomato when I was approached by a wan who asked if I was English and named Andrew. Having confirmed that I was both of those she introduced herself as Helene the owner. Six o clock was forgotten and I was led to my quarters a sitting/dining room and separate bedroom. There was also an ensure wet room. And cat, what more could I want, we’ll wifi code does not compute but I can manage without that. Have spent afternoon reading and listening to stuff I haven’t heard in ages. Oh and the rain arrived about an hour after hanging out my washing. Hopefully a shorter ride tomorrow and then a day off.
The ride should have been shorter but a route malfunction meant a slight detour although I still get to Jayne and Alan’s by 145. A shower and food and all was well with the world. Monday was a rest day and we visited La Gavilly where there was an outdoor photography exhibition which would appear to be an annual thing. A lot of it was pretentious twaddle especially the dichotomy between nature and science, a paraquete on a telegraph wire!
Planning tomorrows route but at present have no where to stay, a warm shower request has been made, fingers crossed. The route though follows the Nantes-Brest canal so after some initial hills the day should be flat.
It was flat and boring however it was probably good for my legs to get back in the saddle on flat ground. I had regular breaks and got to the town of my warm shower hostQuentin around 4pm. Now the thing is. I stopped writing at this point as I needed to get under cover as it had started to rain. What I was going to write was that Quinten was contacted through warm showers before I left, in fact before we went to the eotr festival and I heard nothing from him. Yesterday when I was panic ing about not having anywhere to stay question popped up out of the blue asking if I still wanted a place to sleep. I replied yes straight away and then heard nothing, eventually leaving a message saying that I was going to bed and would be online only till 8am in the morning. Around 830 there was a message saying ok so I replied where do you live. Another message got to me at 1130 giving address and phone number. So I arrive here at 4 and text him saying what time can I pitch up and here nothing. I eventually phone him after 6 and he says 730. I had identified his house having admired it as I passed it(what are the chances?). So I rumbled back into town and got a slice of pizza and pain au choc because I can’t guarantee that I will be fed. I had just finished that tea when the rain started. As I hunkered down in the porch of the Marie a bloke that had just got a cake from the bakers and was getting into a car with three under 4s shouted at me. He was Quentin and he was taking the children to sing happy birthday at grannies. So in retrospect he to ably has a lot on. However to avoid waiting round tomorrow I have texted and emailed the next place asking for a time.
Quentin and his wife Cecile were great although I didn’t see her till breakfast as she was out with the girls. The children were 1,3and6 and were most amused at my awful French openly laughing at this thickly man who can’t speak properly. All very delightful if a bit chaotic. Up early and away to my next warm showers place. The journey was mostly along busy d roads but I was quite happy except for a cement lorry that nearly ploughed into me. About 6 miles from destination I went with the bike map instructions which proved there usual standard. After a slight wrong way I found Jean Yves and Bridget, newly retired lefties. My introduction was devoid of handshakes as they were getting honey from the inside trays from their hive. We then had a local beer and I think clicked. I was shown around the small holding and then was fed really well with apperatives wine lamb slow cooked and cheese. We seemed to have a lot in common and it was a really nice evening and I was able to introduce them to bike express. The next day to Saumur and a case of pride coming before a fall when confidently cycling along a piste cyclable beside a river I wrongly assumed it was the Loire and it wasn’t I then went angrily round angers before getting back on track only to get lost at Saumur. But a young lad told me to follow him and I eventually found Alan .tent erected we then went foraged for food falling short and getting a take away pizza. The next day it poured down all day stopping only when nicki and Tom arrived. We went out for a pizza having found that there were hundreds of pizza places if you only looked in the right place.
Saturday Alan and I cycled from Saumur to Sarthe sur sable when we got there and were encamped I looked at the route that we were due to follow. Basically we were going to be doing two sides of a box when a diagonal route would be shorter. As well as this there were limited accommodation options and what there were badly positioned. I suggested another route which was accepted with the upshot being home a day early and less miles.
Sunday new route to Alencon very hilly but straight forward. N and T went ahead and found the campsite and we ate a hearty supper that night.
Monday a parting of the ways as t&n return to Caen and home and we cycle again a very hilly route. It is through an area where there were many famous tank battles in ww2 and I looked at a couple of memorials. Found the campsite at lisieux and all set for penultimate day.