Il Fait Pleut

France has greeted us with rain, rain and more rain, so a Bear Grylls spirit has been conjured for cycling in torrential rain and setting up tents in same pissing rain … and thus a nomadic / gypsy spirit is slowly replacing the casual spending spirit as I post from the campsite laundry room with the only free plug.

France has been teaching some basic lessons in touring. Route planning was disastrous at first – ending up on motorways or cycling through farmyards …  being over choosy about accommodation causing trips from place to place at night in the rain … opening/ closing times – skipping breakfast after a late Sunday start (Cherbourg top party town!) when ALL food places are closed for the next 70k (my other brother Derek, who has since joined with a strange looking bicycle trailer, resorted to going into a field to pick carrots for some cycling fuel!

Soaking up some beautiful French countryside and lots of sleepy French towns and villages (apart from local gun club) with a detour to Mont Saint Michel and lots of war memorials along the way.

The French really have a particular way of doing things – to get a sandwich and a cup of tea – I go into the only Café looking place in town – he tells me to go up to the Boulangerie and bring my sandwich back to sit down with the tea - that’s the afternoon rules  – different rules for evening, depending on whether it’s a Wednesday evening or a Sunday evening!

On the cycling front – all going well – trip total 551km - gradually increasing the daily km rate – yesterday being the longest day by far with 128 covered to make it to Nantes … today is a blessed rest day … novice cyclist Ollie is doing pretty good.

Finishing off Week 1 in a quirky bar in Nantes – next main stops La Rochelle and Bordeaux – hoping to hit the Euro Velo Cycling Lane all the way to Spain.