Europe 2022

 After a wonderful day at the château we left the campsite full of pastries (4.80 € for 2 fresh croissants and 2 pastries) and got onto the river path. The route switched from the Seine to the canal du Loing after about 10km and we cycled happily along the multi changing surfaces of the path. Asphalt both old and new, gravel, dirt etc etc. We reached Nemours by noon and fortified by coffee and cake rejoined the route. We are camped just before the canal splits into a southern and a western arm. The western arm, the canal du Orleans, is not as well developed but is considerably shorter and, as the weather is fine, we will give it a try tomorrow. Our campsite is lovely and by all other standards remarkably cheap only €12.50 for the night including electricity! We have picked up provisions from a local mini mart and are waiting to tuck into rotisserie chicken and rice!

 We spent day 7 in the Paris suburbs mainly visiting Decathlon to get some bits and pieces. The whole town was full of Liverpool supporters who were drinking in preparation for the big game. Although it turns out they lost there was no singing in our hotel on Saturday night we spent the game with two great guys form Wales who had driven over but did not have any tickets. They were disappointed of course but took it in their stride. On Sunday we left around 9 and took off down the Seine river path South. Luckily it was very flat because, for some reason, we were both quite tired. After about 60kms I was done in, but we really had no choice so we plowed on and by 6pm we finally rode into the lovely municipal campsite right on the Seine. Luckily there is also a bar and burger place so all our needs were met!

 We decided to visit Giverny, site of the water lillies. It was meant to be a short riding day, which as usual, started with a visit to the bakery for breakfast. We stopped in a bar for a strong reviving coffee, where the sole occupation of the drinkers was filling out their Lotto forms. 30 kms later we were in Monet country, us and half the population of France. The line was so long we gave up. Interestingly nearly all French people, it is after all a national holiday and the first time after COVID restrictions for tourism. So we enjoyed the Seine cycle path to Vernon station only to be told that “ there are no trains for 4 days”. They were helpful and told us that a station a mere 25kms away had service. I’m happy to tell you that these two old cyclists made the journey at the fastest pace we had ever achieved. The only service was a stopping train which took 90 minutes. After arriving in Paris we discovered that tomorrow is the champions league final and Paris, and our hotel, ar...

 The hotel provided a lovely breakfast and we left the car free path onto quiet roads. It was “ a wee bit hilly” at least the first 10 Kms. We managed much better on the hills than before. After 15 Kms we stopped at the yellow bicycle cafe, run by a charming Scots couple. We ate our sandwiches on a lovely bike path just outside Gourney-en-Brey. The hills flattened a little but there were still a couple of long drags. At one point we noticed how many French cyclists were heading to Dieppe as it’s a long weekend. We helped out a guy cycling on a completely unsuitable bike. Luckily we bought some Ramen in Gisors or we would have gone hungry! A short greenway took us to the campsite. Along the way we met a young woman who had called the site and had been told it was full but as you can imagine I freaked out. Needless to say there was hardly anyone there! A quiet night under canvas and we hoped for a shorter next day (this didn’t happen)

 The ship sailed at 11pm and arrived in Dieppe at 5am carrying two very confused and sleepy cyclists. Obviously the town was dead, when it got light at 6 we started out. A kind fish merchant filled our water bottles and we cycled off. Luckily the path is a rail to trail the whole way to Forges des auxes. We were hungry,  cold and miserable in varying degrees, Yehudit suggested a cup of coffee realizing we have all our camping gear that helped a bit. We tried to find breakfast in Neufchâtel but apparently that isn’t a thing there however there were plenty of Boulangeries to chose from and we felt much better after sandwiches and pastry. The route is particularly well developed with shelters and tables so we took a nap in the sun. Finally after what seemed a lifetime of peddling we made it to the hotel du paix where we found a great welcome, a wonderful restaurant and the first shower for two days. In retrospect it wasn’t all that bad but at the time we were really struggling....

 The day started fine and dry, with a push up the 25% gradient from the pub to the village. Nice quiet roads then off into muddy fields. Some of the path was rideable some hardly pushable. We had rolling hills on back roads and then the very pretty cuckoo trail with a lot of rain  to Portsea where we had a tea room lunch and Yonatan managed to change all our Amazon passwords. Worse than that I got a snippy email from hotels.com accusing me of staying and dashing. This was because the owner of the pub couldn’t work the card machine and managed to delete the transaction. Dealt with that and the heavens opened on us. We were in a wood on a muddy path and it was very sad. However we persevered and found the road. Wet as a soggy noodle we wound our way through the beauty of the South Downs national park. Paths which involve uphill on grass are always difficult but we zoomed down to Seaford and its very pebbly beach. There is a good cycle path from there to Newhaven where we had an...

 The day dawned grey and dry. After 3 miles we arrived at the center cafe just off the cycle path. A real “full English” it was a great meal. The path was along an old railway line and though it was a bit muddy it was a reasonable ride. Around 11 the rain began, light at first then so heavy we had to seek cover twice. It also got very hilly, we might call it “rolling hills” but it is the start of the journey and the uphill is quite difficult for us. We cycle till we can’t breath then stop for a bit till my pulse falls below a hundred and go again. Most of the time that gets us up the hills but by the end of the day we pushed a bit. We ended up uin a lovely pub in a charming village, with another 30 miles tomorrow to the port. 

 Why oh why would I pick the longest ride for our first day? Now because it is over it doesn’t seem so bad but there were some evil hills and one huge lovely sweeping downhill. We managed to get out of Our friends home by about 7 and made excellent progress to the center of London. We stopped in Battersea for a coffee and croissant, so far so good. The day was sunny and warm the hills fairly gentle. Further out in that part of South London ghat is marked on my mental map with “here be dragons” the hills became longer and the sun a little warmer. Eventually we did push the bikes up to Farthing down and sat on the lovely grassland for our packed lunch. Rolling ups and downs till we hit the 30 mph downhill stretch. From there a long slog through urban sprawl brought us the the holiday inn where we now watch the gentle rain fall before we begin day 2 which should be a much shorter ride. 

 Delta delivered us and our baggage safely to Heathrow. London Transport had different ideas. No subway service, but you can only find that out after walking an extra half-mile from the expensive Heathrow express, then Paddington tube station was closed, but it turned out that we need the “other Paddington station” a long walk away… We finally made it to Fran and Ian’s by 2 pm. The next morning we dropped our bikes off for a service. We have had a great week in London, we visited the Tate Britain and managed to see Six, a rock musical on the wives of Henry VIII and a new production of  My Fair Lady. Of course we managed to have some quality time with our friends Fran and Ian and Jeremy and Carole. A lovely week in London and only a little rain. We cycle off tomorrow going south toward the channel and then off to France.

 “It’s a wee bit Hilly”said the elderly Scottish cyclist when we told him we had just cycled in from Berwick on Tweed and he wasn't joking... we had just climbed 1200ft over the Scottish border toward Dunbar. That was last year’s trip, 1500 miles from London to Taunton and then to Edinburgh and Glasgow. This was followed by a short spin through East Anglia. This summer, post-COVID panic, we are trying something a little longer. So we will begin again in London where we pick up our bikes and equipment. Then it’s the Avenue Verte to Paris. Then a visit to Fontainbleu and on to the Loire, finishing that bike path at the Atlantic. There we turn Southwards to Bordeaux and onto the canal des deux mers to the Med. From there up to Lyons  via the Rhône cycle path. Then onto Lake Constance and the Konigsee  cycle path to Salzburg. If there is still time we will head South and aim for lake Bled in Slovenia. Flying home from Venice. As you can see from the map, it is an ambitious pr...