La Francette

After the delights of the Lake District Storm Darra encouraged us to head directly back to Sheffield which gave me a useful extra day or two to prepare for departure. We used up the last of the Decathlon bike exchange voucher, the van had an oil and filter change and an ancillary belt for good measure : I have it done every year as at almost 8' long it's tricky to replace by the roadside and I was also pleased to get the right semi synthetic oil put in after the debacle at the Continental Garage, Galway.

A gentle run down to Brecon was only interrupted by an hour's delay north of Monmouth due to a landslide and I was soon tucked away in my usual corner before an enjoyable evening of badminton. At my dental appointment all was well so I immediately booked on the Portsmouth to Caen ferry for the following Thursday at 08.00. I caught the bus down to Neath to catch up with friends and then on the return broke the journey in Ystradgynlais which has seen a few changes in the 20 years since I left but the waitress in Merlin's cafe was the same. Back in Brecon I saw a double bill at the Coliseum and on Friday a group of us enjoyed a good catch up at the Shoemaker's over an excellent meal. I fixed an aluminium tread to the side door step whilst at Pentrefelin where the litter of puppies were as adorable as you would expect.

I walked out along the canal to Talybont on Usk to raid the bus shelter book exchange but couldn't nip over to see Mike and Claire as the swing bridge is out of order. The bus back to Brecon was late which had me thinking I'd have a 7 mile walk back after dark with a heavy bag of books....

Moving on to Lower Chapel I caught up with Pete and Jan and Ian. Pete had nearly come a cropper in his van avoiding fallen trees on the lane so we nipped down to resolve the issue and later enjoyed a good Thai meal in Brecon. The final engagement was the much anticipated Badminton Club meal at the Bull, Libanus. It was a memorable evening amongst good friends, many of whom I have known for over 20 years: as I was driving directly to Portsmouth overnight I stayed on the soft drinks and felt sure that my new shirt (an excellent present from Mandy's brother) went down very well.

There was little traffic on the M4 and south of Newbury I called the police to report a car that had careered off the road - it wasn't safe for me to stop - before arriving at the Portsmouth Ferry Terminal just after 6am. 

We were loaded and away on time passing our two new aircraft carriers docked as they always seem to be with a constant police presence on the water. Earlier in the year I had watched 'The Warship' a BBC series about life on board one of these huge and complex vessels : well worth a look.

After leaving the fascinating waterfront we headed out past the Isle of Wight (still on my list to visit properly) and I found a quiet corner to catch up on some sleep. We docked on time and I was soon away via a supermarket for some basics to a quiet park up in the Grimboq forest with one other van arriving later.

After a quiet night I cycled back north to Caen and then out to the ferry port at Ouistreham following the old railway line that forms part of La Francette a 600 km voie verte that extends out to the coast at La Rochelle. I very much felt for the group of African migrants occupying a humble array of tents and shelters as they attempted to cross to a new life and I could only I imagine the hardships they had already faced to get this far.

Reflections on another aspect of sacrifice came back at the Pegasus bridge, a vital link in the 1944 Normandy Landings when troops of the 6th Airborne Division landed by glider to secure the location. The original bridge, on display in the adjacent museum, was replaced by this faithful copy in 1994. 

After another quiet night in the woods and despite a worsening chest infection I cycled south the following day returning via lanes and a village bakery that unerringly sold me a memorably mis formed baguette.

After returning to Caen for a bigger shop and to get a Campingaz 907 (€30) I moved on to the small village of Clecy where the service point needed a jeton available from shops in the village for €2. The small deli I went in to was run by an English family who had moved here from Cumbria 32 years ago quite a bold move as there were two other similar outlets run by locals.

The weather remained cold and grey but dry although quite a wind blew up in the small hours but by mid morning it had abated and I rode north to Grimboq again before tucking away with the heater on and one of the dozen or so books liberated from Talybont bus shelter. A night of paroxysmal coughing and a dawning of grey blustery conditions persuaded me to rest up on what was the shortest day of the year, marked at midnight by an impressive firework display although given the torrential rain at the time I'm not sure how many saw it.

Down at Domfront the aire was tucked away on the north side of the town hall and only accessed by the narrow streets of this pretty mediaeval town with half timbered houses and impressive castle ruins. It provided a good base for rides on Christmas Eve and Day and I was surprised that on the 26th almost everywhere was open and all public services running - apparently Boxing Day is a largely British tradition.

The rides north and south filled in the gaps before I moved south to a small aire at St Loup de Gast right alongside the cycle track. Unfortunately the water supply was off so I headed across to Lassay Les Chateaux where the service point was working and even the sun came out as I walked round the pretty village with its convent, rose garden and yellow stoned castle.

With my coughing fits easing I rode north through the bocage of Normandy with barely a soul around returning after 20 miles for a delicious meal of roast duck washed down by a local farm cider.  

Yesterday saw me cover 63 miles down to Laval and back passing through Mayenne but it remained very cold and grey so the hot shower and warm van were appreciated more than ever. The lack of opportunity to use the solar panel combined with very little driving means that the leisure battery is having to work hard, particularly when firing up and powering down the Eber. It is better left on continuously and I have been using the EcoFlow power pack to charge phones, the SatMap and so on as it can be recharged when I do drive. 

So today I have moved south of Laval to Chateau Gontier on the banks of La Mayenne with a large parking area providing the necessary - easily accessible water and the prospect of two routes north and south following the river which joins the Loire at Angers. After yesterday's long day I have settled for a walk round the town admiring the huge old hospital building that at first looks like a castle and now watching people arrive for the Sunday afternoon performance at an Italian Circus located further along the bank. I may well give it a look tomorrow night after my planned ride south, the weather is forecast to get warmer if not brighter before rain midweek and beyond that the possibility of some sunshine.

I meet Mandy in Carcassonne in a fortnight so will be following this route towards the coast and then another inland via Toulouse and may well be able to intersect Pete and Nina as they head south in early January.

Free WiFi here has enabled me to get the blog done and compile a reflective album of the many highlights of 2024 - yet again I fail to see any tangible benefits of our ludicrous decision to leave the EU and would welcome any of the ' vote leave' brigade (who seem hard to find and largely silent) to list the top ten benefits so far....... OK, I'll make it easier : three will do!

Click here for this trip

And here for 2024