2019's bright idea: cycle to Gibraltar via 21 back-to-back centuries. Let's help M.N.D. research, Bloodwise and Blesma! Wagon rolls on Friday 20th September...
Excellent- is it that time already? Come on Lardy, shake a leg and get down to breakfast- oh, and don't forget to rob a few pastries for elevenses!
Anyway, I got out the door just before 7.30am. and immediately felt a few spots of rain: meh, nowt to worry about...that'll do one. So long story short, eight hours later it did cease, hah-hah!
No problem. None whatsoever.
Twenty minutes later = peak saturation, hah-hah!
Never mind him, who'll stop the rain?
Suffice to say that this area of France is not one for soft gets like me: the climbs are regular and there's no hiding place from the wind. Oh yeah, there's not a lot of humanity around either. Wonder why, hah-hah!
9 seconds of your life gone, folks.
I'm aware of sounding like a stuck record- honest- but the progress was desperately slow. The crossing of The Seine at Le Havre seemed years off. Not to mention my hotel in Arromanches, which Google Maps seemed to place further away each time I checked for directions!
Eventually the magnificent span of the Pont de Normandie bridge came into view. Blimey! Alright Wiki, time to shine:
It's a decent effort up. Free though, so must'nt grumble.
Mais oui!
S'pose La Seine has gotta start somewhere.
I know they're two very different kettles des poissons, but crossing this was like night & day compared to Sunday lunchtime's Thames drama. Bonus ball: there was a McDs about a mile away on the north side. Result!
Not a fan of segregation usually. However, this is a Good Thing.
You've got to be joking- I'd almost dried-out after 7 hours.
It didn't take a genius to realise that my arrival time in Arromanches would be about sunset/8pm: this wasn't a goer from my point of view, in terms of getting sorted, food, recovery, whatever. I reckoned that a decent Plan B would be to stay in Ouistreham, which was the site of the first landing on the eve of D-Day.
I rang my hotel in Arromanches to let them know of my no-show, and although I expected to lose the money paid (as per the Ts & Cs), the lady said that she would e-mail Booking dot com and ask them not to charge me. Here's hoping, hah-hah! Messing aside, I'm not that miffed at not making it to The Beaches as I want to return and give it the time they deserve. I know where I'll stay too...
Standing together.
Café Gondrée at Pegasus Bridge. First liberated house in France.
And from June 2010. Ace!
On the final run-in. Trés bon indeed.
So that's a wrap for today- thank you for sticking with this nonsense. Hopefully more to follow!
