A Summer Across the Channel
23 July 2022 — 18 August 2022
The big adventure of summer 2022! First, I plan to head up through England, Wales and finally Scotland to discover the Highlands and the mysterious Lochs. A short boat trip should then take me to Ireland, to explore the vast and magical west coast of the country.
Distance
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Duration
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Elevation gain
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Speed
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As often, waking up is hard. I couldn’t set up the tent properly for lack of a tall enough pole. With the rain, the fabric loosened and delicately stuck to my back, allowing me to feel the gentle massage of the big falling droplets.
I get changed and have breakfast in a rental tent nearby, just to be dry. I take the opportunity to make myself one of my famous instant coffees, because anyway, I know I have to deal with my punctured tyre.
The day starts with a disappointing discovery. A wrestling match apparently took place between my phone and me during the night. The screen is in a thousand pieces, I suppose we can say I won.
Anyway, it’s 5:30am, the ideal time to do nothing and sleep in. For me, it’s time to get up painfully and go lock myself in a container that serves as a shower to put on my wet cycling clothes.
This morning, there’s no rush. I have to wait for the village shop to open to withdraw cash to leave at the campsite reception (as planned yesterday, for those following). Small disappointment: this morning, it’s raining. It’s always less pleasant to get up in the dampness. Luckily, this feeling is quickly eased by my very friendly neighbour who comes to offer me fresh coffee (filtered with a french press, you can’t make this up). We chat a bit, he’s a cyclist too. No sooner has he left than a Scotsman, this time, comes up to me and starts asking about my route. He points me towards the best way to get to Ireland; that’s always something.
Apparently invigorated by my famous evening yesterday, I decided this morning to take all my time before starting to pedal (it’s holidays, isn’t it?). Except leaving at 8:30am to do 200 km… that doesn’t work, elementary my dear Béthus.
I try to enjoy the “little” elevation of this stage to make up for my slight delay from previous days.
Woke up shortly after 5am this morning. The air is mild but damp, the tent too. The little one held up! Although I felt a few drops trickle on my neck during the night… a stop at some outdoor shop will sort this out.
Despite everything, I slept and slept long! Around 9pm, unable to hold on any longer, I fell into a rather restless Morpheus’ arms, who woke me many times with wrestling matches from an UNID (Unidentified Nighttime Animal) and headaches.
The night was short and uncomfortable on the Normandie. Large coffees kept me company throughout the day but unfortunately the fatigue remained until the end.
In these conditions, finishing the stage was very difficult; numerous sugary oat bars helped, to some extent.
When the time came to cross the bridge linking England to Wales, a little tear was shed. This day was definitely one of the hardest of my short cycling life.
Departure (too) early this morning from Bordeaux, heading to Caen by train.
After many hours tossed around in a TGV then a TER, liberation at last. Reassembling the bike that was snugly wrapped in its bag, then departure for Ouistreham along the canal, ending with a long afternoon of sightseeing, including a nice exhibition in the town and numerous coffees.