Last full day in France

With our panniers packed and loaded on our bikes we set off this morning for our next adventure.

After leaving our hotel we quickly decended the hill into Vimoutier and stopped briefly to take onboard water and chocolate.

As we left the supermarket we spotted a forlorn cow, in the middle of the town square, that had sadly lost it's half baked shirt so we resolved to send it one asap (see attached photo). The church in Vemoutier was also worth a photo as it added a stunning back drop to the square.

Back on our bikes we headed out of town and headed for the first of the few hills the route guide mentioned we had to climb today...... But this was no ruddy hill this was a mountain! Eyes bulging, brains exploding and leg muscles seizing we edged our way up the north face and reached the summit. With no flag with which to mark our famous ascent we thought we should probably just carry on. Soon we were zipping our way through the small villages of Les Moutiers Hubert and Notre Dame de Courrson. It was a great ride with views across valleys and routes down little country lanes.

Before we knew it we had completed the majority of the 36.2 miles planned for today and so we decided to stop for lunch in a small cafe.

The ham, chips, coca cola and coffee was just what the cyclists ordered.

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Studs and Dirty Dancing - Ooh lala

Lunch finished and our legs revitalised with a little more stamina, thanks to the break, we set off once again.

The notes that supplement our route directions enlightened us we would soon pass close (less than 1/2km detour) to the home of the Haras du Pin - the French national stud and we took the opportunity to have a look. Whilst there we were lucky enough to witness a horse being gracefully exercised on a lunging rein.

- Following excerpt supplied by my dad aka travelling companion. Please note I am not responsibility in anyway for the following paragraphs unless they are funny! ;o)
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'An attractive young stable maid, looking to strengthen the bloodline, asked Jon if he wanted a job at the stud. Not to be outdone his father volunteered but the young lady said something in French which sounded suspiciously close to 'le knackers yard'. '
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The rest of the journey followed several hill contours and the valleys were picturesque and smelled wonderfully fragrant with all the small meadow flowers bursting into bloom.

We reached our accommodation around 2.45pm, the approach is down a sloping driveway. The hotel looks like it had been something special in it's heyday. The best way I can describe it is for you to imagine an American style leisure camp akin to the one in the film Dirty Dancing (yes, I know, I have seen the film, I'm in touch with my feminine side).

The hotel overlooks a large lake surrounded by additional cabins. There is also a boating lake and a couple of tennis courts situated below a fantastic patio that overlooks everything.

Unfortunately this description is how I imagine it would have been. It's not to say the hotel is not pleasant but, sadly, it is just slowing fading away.

We strolled into town in the evening for another lovely meal and we have comfortable beds so we'll be ready for the hills our route guide tells us we face tomorrow.
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The longest day

Waking up this morning just before the alarms impatient tones had chance to do it's job we both knew today was going to be the longest day.

This was not just because we had the greatest distance to cover. It was also because the bed I slept in would win, hands down, a competition for the worlds most uncomfortable place to sleep and Dad also had a slightly unsettled stomach.

Unperturbed we ate a quick breakfast and after I passed the Mensa entry test by getting hold of more bottled water - I know I go on about it, but seriously, it's ridiculous - we cycled down the hill leaving Carrouges behind.

After about 7.8 miles the route wound it's way through a lovely big forest. The air was fresh and clear with a strong smell of ferns and as we hurtled passed we startled a large doe deer that crashed back into the cover of the trees.

At 24 miles we passed a beautiful French chateau. The spires on the turret roofs reached longingly for the sky and on three sides of the house the water from the lake gently lapped the walls.

We stopped in Almeneches for a break and a sandwich and I must comment on another observation. It has been really, really difficult every day to find a light snack or tasty baguette..... By snack I'm thinking traditional French snacks like, croque monsueir, omlette, French baguette and fromage.

I perused the menu of the creperie (small French cafe). If you wanted a fine 3 course meal, followed by cheese, you were in the right office. Instead I asked if they could do 2 baguettes with ham and tomato and the owners looked at me as though I had just asked for Sushi. We did get our baguettes however and they were delicious.

My advice to the restaurant owners in these parts; peddle the food that matches your shop style and what the locals and tourists love and you may find you won't be the only ones sitting on the high stools at the counter.
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My kingdom for some water

One of the big challenges we faced so far on our travels has been finding bottled water to buy and it was no different in Bagnoles de l'Orne. There was not a single shop in sight and all cafe's and restaurants only had l'eau by the tap.

In this part of France the locals must have huge secret supermarkets where they sneak off to buy provisions as nowhere has a super marche. Despite not replenishing our water rations we struck out on our final stretch today cycling through forests and wooded copses.

This was very different to the previous days. Then the scenery had been expansive and mostly farmland. We enjoyed the forest trek and the trees shade broke up the constant blaze of the sun.

We were wearing our 'Milking it' Half Baked Brand shirts today and when we came across a fairly sociable Fresian cow we couldn't pass up the photo opportunity. As you can see from the picture; One of the poor creatures is not wearing a stylish HBB shirt.

After the photo was taken and I made it back through the barbedwire with only minor lacerations we pressed on. As we approached our destination we were treated to a procession of lovely rare old cars, Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Citreons and many others.

We reached Carrouges at 13.30 and checked into our small hotel. Not much is open on a Sunday so we elected to 'eat in'. Once again the food was excellent, even if it was a lot more expensive than the feast the previous night.

I was also overwhelmed with excitement when I read bottled water on the menu and I'm sure the waitress thought I had been plucked from the Sahara desert as I ordered two massive bottles and we drank the lot.

This evening we are going to le Creperie for tea. It's the only place open on a Sunday in the whole of the town and then tomorrow we head off on the longest ride of our holiday.

Distance: 39.2 miles
Average speed: 12.6mph
Max Speed: 29.7mph
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Onto Bagnoles

We woke this morning just before eight and knew instantly it was going to be a gorgeous day. Rays of sun were streaming around the edges of the blackout blind as though beckoning us to throw open the shutters and greet the day.

By 8.30am we were ready and had crossed the small courtyard to the main house for breakfast. We met Madame Hardy - the owner and although she couldn't speak a word of English we were still able to discuss the weather, our previous route and where we were going next.

We were on our way just after 9.00am and headed out onto the country roads. It's Sunday today and we often caught the sound of church bells, carried on the gentle breeze, as they called the faithful to mass.

After 9 miles we encountered the steepest incline of our journey so far. We huffed an puffed up into the town of Domfront and were royally rewarded for our efforts. Domfront sits on a high hill and the views over the valley were superb.

Leaving Domfront behind we made good progress and by 11am we reached the town of Bagnoles de l'Orne, a perfect place for coffee. We sat in a little cafe overlooking the lake and I quickly succumed to the lure of a vanilla, chocolate cookie ice cream. I can confirm it tasted every bit as good as it sounds, although I did manage to throw some down my cycle shirt. That will be a good test of the quality of the Half Baked Brand shirts when we wash them this evening.

Next stop - final destination for today, Carrouges.

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Did I win?

The final ride today was pretty short and it wasn't long before we approached St Cyr du Bailleul. Our directions guided us toward a steep incline on the edge of the village but as we cycled closer we could see a man stood in the middle of the road, flag in one hand, ushering with the other towards a left hand junction.

We gesticulated, as only the English can in an attempt to indicate we needed to cycle up the big hill. In return the nice French bloke explained the situation in his native tounge. I listened intentively and nodded in all the right places...... I hadn't a clue what he was jabbering on about but one thing was clear: we weren't cycling up that big hill.

So instead we took the alternative route and as we rounded the corner we were greeted with the most amazing site. The entire village had turned out to greet us. People lined either side of the road watching expectently, at last, our reputation proceeded us.

We were just about to start waving to our welcoming comittee when all of a sudden a bike shot passed us literally flying up the hill. In the saddle? A boy of no more than 12 ywars old. We had inadvertantly stumbled upon a local junior version of the tour de France and we were right in the middle. Bikes were flying past and the crowd cheered the whipper snappers on.

It turned out there were lots of races going on and for the rest of the afternoon we were able to sip beer and watch the events unfold.

Come the evening we were famished and headed for the only restaurant in the village. The cycling tour company had pre booked us a table which made our life easy, or so we thought. There was no record of a reservation and a private function meant no available places.

As a last chance saloon we went back into the small bar to see if we could buy a few snacks. As it turned out our reservation had been made here abd we were treated to the most amazing meal. 3 courses' cheese platter, wine, coffee and calvados on tap and all for a staggering 22 Euros all in, for both of us.

Today has epitomised what the good bits of life are all about; beautiful scenery, wonderful food, fabulous hospitality and unexpected adventure which even the most meticulous planning could not have delivered. Bon nuit

Distance: 44.17
Average speed: 12.6
Max speed: 30.4
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Where'd the cafe go?

After our coffee break we set off on the next stint of our ride. Todays ride has been very similar to cycling in England; rolling hills, cereal crops and dairy cows munching absently on lush grass, but there has been one big difference - the absence of noisy stinky traffic. We have had this beautiful countryside all to ourselves; a private oasis in the rat race of modern life.

It's been cloudy and mild today and although we look forward to the warming rays of sun on our backs tomorrow it's been a welcome respite whilst dragging up the hills.

We made good time and by 1.00pm we had completed 35 miles and reached Notre Dame du Touchet. Cycling in we expected a cute town with a small selection of cafe's from which we could pick, rest our weary legs and sample some more of the French cusine.

It was a cute town but as we soon discovered not a single cafe in sight! In fact the only shop was the Boloungerie and with no alternative we headed inside. In my best pigeon French I enquired

"Avez vous un sandwiche?" to which the reply was elaborate,

"Non"

So 5 minutes later we were sat on a bench eating a croissant and small pastry - my hopes rest on a slap up meal this evening!

The final ride today will be a short 10 mile stretch to our destination - St Cyr du Bailleul.
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Devon, dam and wrong hats

We were up at a leisurly time of 8.15 today, despite mon papa forgetting to turn of his watch alarn set for 6.45 and his phone which enthusiastically announced at midnight it had messages.

Breakfast was grand and fruit juice and hot coffee set us up for the ride ahead. Altogether the accomodation was a 5 out of 5 so our next stops have a lot to live up to.

Our journey today has been slightly more testing with more undulations and a few steep climbs. The most notable was the ascent to a lovely dam and resevoir approximaty 19 miles into our ride.
You'll also see from the attached photos we achieved a great feat of cycling by reaching the UK already and making it to Devon

After we had done with our schoolboy high jinks with camera trickery we cycled on to the town of St Hilaire du Harcouet for a coffee break.

It was during this break that dad noticed my gloves were tucked in his cycle hat and we realised we had somehow picked up the wrong hats this morning. It explained why the hat had been slopping around on dad's bonce. I always knew I had a big head.

We had already covered 28 miles which felt good as this broke the back of todays journey

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Beauvoir and the Mount

What a stunning ride! After leaving the cafe we wound our way through beautiful countryside with very little traffic on the roads which, I have a feeling would be a bit different in 3 or 4 weeks time.

We have already passed loads of cyclists en route but all travelling in the opposite direction. This implys one of two things; we are slower than any other cyclist going in our direction (I don't count the old French guy on the crap bike and laiden with les legumes) or the other cyclists know something we don't.

The route today has been pretty flat and on our approach to Beauvoir we were treated to the magnificant sight of Mont St Michel. It really is stunning and we took a detour to cyle right down to it.

We found a nice little restaurant in Beauvoir to eat and sample the first French beer and we were at our 'Chambre d'hote' just after 2pm. We were greeted by the very friendly Madame and our room is spacious and comfortable.

The route for tomorrow takes us more in land and with more undulations is set to be a little more challenging - nothing a good meal, red wine and a nights sleep won't prepare us for.

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First leg in France

Up at 6.45am (5.45 UK) and as our final au revoir to England we tucked into a traditional English brekkie.

We met a group of four riders, all from different parts of the south of England. They liked our shirts and they have taken the Half Baked website address to check it out.

Once packed it was time to get off the floating tin can - once we found the right stairwell - and through St Malo. First piccie is just after we disembarked.

We are now sat outside a little cafe in the village of St Benoit Des Ondes with the real deal French coffee - curl your toes stuff. So far covered 19 miles in beautiful sunshine. Life is tough.

Next stop Beavoir, final destination and a late lunch

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On the ferry to St Malo

The first leg of our journey is complete. We set off from my house at 5.15pm, our destination, Portsmouth harbour.

After following the meticulous route directions for half an hour we realised we had already taken a wrong turn and added an extra 4 miles to our journey! We quickly made up the deficit and with an exhilarating climb up Portsdown hill to get the bikes warmed up we free wheeled into Pompey, making the ferry in excellent time.

Fed and watered I'm writing this drinking a beer and watching a very dodgey music act in the ferry's bar - now I know where all the failed acts of Britain's got talent end up.

Great news regarding the Half Baked Brand shirts. We cycled onto the ferry and the first cyclist we met commented on how great the 'milking it' shirts were so they are already getting attention.

Distance covered: 21.75 miles
Average speed: 13mph


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We are off

Last blog at home and now we are on our way
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The Cycle Route

The planned route will take us from my home in Hampshire - near Hedge End -  down to Portsmouth Harbour. From there we'll take an over night ferry (allready booked) to St Malo in France. I'm hoping the weather stays toasty warm, like it is at the moment, so the channel crossing is uneventful. We maybe seeking adventure and intrigue but I'd rather avoid the ferry toliets as the first significant place to explore.

On arrival in France, we'll disembark the ferry on our bikes and this will mark thestart of our 6 day route from St Malo to Caen. Here is the route plan for each day:
Day 1 - Horton Heath to Portsmouth Harbour 16.8m

Day 2 - St Malo to Beauvoir 38.5m

Day 3 - Beauvoir to St Cyr-du-Bailleul 43.7m

Day 4 - St Cyr-du-Bailleul to Carrouges 38.7m

Day 5 - Carrouges to Vimoutier 52.1m

Day 6 - Vimoutier to Cambremer 36.2

Day 7 - Cambremer to Caen (Ouistreham) 25.3 and Portsmouth Harbour to Horton Heath 16.8m

That is a total distance of 268 and the all important 0.1miles. Our plan is to start each day at a leisurely time between 09:30 and 10:00 in the morning. We'll break the back of our journey through the morning and work in two stops. The first stop will be for the all important French coffee and pain au chocolat or croissant and the second break will be for lunch. If we stick to this plan we should be out of the saddle around 2pm each day with the opportunity to explore the immediate area in the afternoon. Alternatively we can choose to kick back and relax and if lure of red wine, maybe the odd Port or three and runny cheese proves to much we may just have to indulge. It's holiday afterall.... I wonder how many whole camembert's I can fit in my panniers?

Kitted up and test run complete

The bike upgrades are complete and the 'yellow ban-aaaan-naa' is running really well now, the gears are smooth and there is no chain noise. I'm sure we'll have to make a few adjustments along the route as the new chain and gear cables stretch but tis to be expected.

To put the bikes through their paces  we managed to squeeze in a small ride this afternoon. The route was only about 13 miles but it was long enough to check the panniers didn't get in the way of the pedals and I also noticed the bike computer wasn't reading properly. We might not be the quickest cyclists, but I doubt we were doing our bikes justice, racing down a gently decline in top gear with the computer reading a speed of 4mph!....At that rate we'd be extending our stay in France and we'd choose to walk as it would be quicker.. Fix bike computer - one more to add to the todo list.

Next blog - Our route plan.

Introducing the Bikes

Here'se a quick overview of the bikes that we'll use thoughout our cycle trip. It's safe to say the bikes are well seasonsed and getting slightly long in the tooth but, they both have seen lots of upgrades and are well cared for. They are oiled, tune and chomping at the chainset to get underway.
 
Introducing Dad's bike: 'Black Stealth'
Age: 14 yrs
Personality: Trusty Stead - Wolf in Lamb's clothing
Frame: Black Dawes Synthesis Hybrid Frame
Gears: XT Group set
Saddle: Selle Italia Gel Flow
Wheels: Mavick A719's
Tyres: Continental Ultra Gatorskin


Introducing Jon's bike: 'Yellow Ban-naaaa-na'
Age: 7yrs
Personality: Spirited Adventurer - Unkown quantity, headstrong
Frame: Yellow, Gaint Rincon Mountain bike frame
Saddle: Standard Giant Rincon Saddle
Gears: Front Shimano Dual SIS chainset
           Rear Shimano 9 speed XT cassette
           Shimano Shadow SLX rear mech
Wheels: Mavixk X221's
Tyres: Panaracer high road tyres

Here's hoping they hold together and ride swift and true