Welcoming Committee & Home!

Despite my reservations about this trip being truly over, I couldn't have had a better day! From waking up to the perfect English Summer's day, to my morning mug of tea, to meeting my 1st fellow female solo cycle-camper, Karen, and this was all before I even went to meet the Welcoming Committee at our favourite cafe in Boroughbridge.

And here are the gang! Starting from the back left and working clockwise: Bri, Phil, Robert, Chris, Alan, Ramsey, Captain Ken, me and Janice. Thank you all so, so much for welcoming me back with such a super day out on the bikes. Although it was your easiest ride of the year, today I achieved one of my fastest average speeds of the trip simply by making it into double figures!! Chris commented on how strange it must look to the public seeing all these guys (& Janice!) on lightweight road bikes and me, a female, lugging all these panniers along! My spirits were high and I worked as hard as I could to keep my pace up. My legs are very tired tonight!

I couldn't have asked for a better welcome home. And a big thank you to all of you who have wished me a welcome home but couldn't be there today for various reasons - at work, away on hols, etc.

And I want to add that Ramsay, after hearing about my trip & watching the Olympics, did his own cycle camping tour in the Lake District over the Summer which was hugely exciting to her about. Good on you, Ramsay!

My big moment of walking through my front door and the trip being over didn't happen quite as I anticipated. First, I met one of my neighbours & had a good catch up with her. I was due at my friend, Debby's, within the next 30 minutes & definitely needed a shower as well as some food, I was starting to "bonk" (for any of you not familiar with this term, ask any cyclist/runner & they will explain!). I threw my panniers through the door, had to take a water meter reading before I turned the water back on, I'd got a potential leak identified only when my monthly direct debit suddenly trebled for no reason, I hadn't even got off the loo (sorry, I share everything on this blog) before another excited neighbour was at my door, I then had the fastest shower of my life, quickly heated up & ate some filled pasta, peas & pesto, printed off a voucher that Debs needed for her holiday and raced up to see her and my favourite 3 year old, Grace Ruth Jackson (pie) who was rather hyper! Happy holidays Debby, Jim & Grace who jet off to sunny Spain early tomorrow morning!

I think I got back home by around 8pm after I'd met some more neighbours en route home. My panniers are still dumped by the door, all my post is still untouched & I've decided to leave everything until tomorrow. It can all wait!

So I've had a fantastic day and I can't tell you how happy I am to be back home. As soon as I did walk through my door, my flat was looking fabulous and the views over the moors were as stunning as always. I love Ilkley, I'm so lucky to live here. And I love my gorgeous little flat. I have so much to look forward to, so much to catch up on, so many exciting things to do.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all again and again for your wonderful company on the blog, email & text whilst I've been on this journey. Your amazing support has helped me through the good days & the grumpy ones & I've enjoyed hearing about what's been going on at home, especially the Olympics. I loved Charlie's latest blog post, that was a lovely thing to say, thank you. I'll have the e-book out in time for the Christmas rush!!

And, I didn't dare say this before, but...NO PUNCTURES!!!! No mechanical problems with the bike at all, just my broken tent pole. I have a Ridgeback World Voyage, what a trouper.

For the stats lovers out there, early indications are that I covered nearly 1,400 miles (over 2,200km) on a mostly mountainous or hilly route. In summary, I cycled across the Swiss Alps, in the French Alps, the Swiss Jura & then through France via the Vosges, Champagne & up to Calais. I encountered everything from heatwaves to violent mountain storms to severe gales to torrential rain to snow covered ground. What a trip!

I'll let you know when the e-book's out!

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Waking up to a Perfect English Summer's Day

Did I bring the good weather with me?! I awoke to blue skies, fluffy white clouds & lovely warm sunshine today, fabulous! Even the birds sounded really happy!

I slept so well last night. I loved being back on a real, sweet smelling, springy grass pitch. I knew it would be a relaxing morning so I ate breakfast in bed (well, sleeping mat & sleeping bag) & even had enough gas left in my canister for a perfect mug of tea (see photo - hope it's worked, it's gone blank on my phone screen).

And then it happened - I met my first female solo cycle-camping tourer of the trip! Karen has cycle toured for many years and is currently touring from Mansfield to Sunderland (she admitted the route was slightly unusual!). I'm so pleased she came over to say hi, we had a wonderful chat & I was so delighted to meet a fellow female enthusiast. Karen said she'd only met one other solo female cycle camper in Cornwall - the famous Josie Dew! I hope you have been able to log onto the blog when you get home, Karen, it would be great to stay in touch and swap stories!

I wasn't due to meet the Welcoming Committee until around 11.30am so I sat in the warm sunshine pondering how I felt about going home. At the time, I actually suddenly felt very sad that when I opened the front door of my home, this incredible trip would be over. I didn't want it to be over.

As always, I then started to think positively. A new beginning, finding an exciting new job, seeing my friends & family again, planning future cycle camping trips. I'd booked various things in for the rest of this week knowing I'd need to keep busy. This includes a full body massage (what bliss!), a facial - a big thank you to Contis again for both of those as a voucher for the Devonshire Health Spa at Bolton Abbey was my incredibly thoughtful leaving present - and a much needed haircut! And, yes, I had to admit I was actually looking forward to my 1st big supermarket shop and restocking my fridge, cupboards and fruit bowl rather than only being able to buy what I could squeeze into my panniers every day & wasn't likely to go off in the heat.

But I still didn't want this to be over....

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Back to Britain with a Bang!

I thought I'd fill you in on the rest of my bike bus journey and day now that I'm finally cosied up in my tent listening once again to the patter of British rain.

The rain actually started approx 2 minutes after leaving Dover this morning. It occasionally stopped en route and then started to really batter down. Those on the bike bus found it most amusing that I would be camping in such conditions tonight. Hmmm!

Originally, we were due into Boroughbridge around tea time. Unfortunately with the delays due to bad weather, I didn't leave the bus until around 8.15pm. I didn't realise it was dark here at this time, it gets dark an hour later in France. So I'm trying to locate the bolts to put my handlebars back in place in the dark & the rain & load all the panniers on. I'm in normal clothes not cycle kit so was frantically pulling my waterproofs out of various panniers. Helmet lights on, rear flashing lights on, headtorch on...oh, battery dead. No headtorch. Never mind, the streets are lit.....

Not the ones I needed to cycle on. Great. My little front helmet light is so others can see me not for me to see the way. Off I pedalled and, after a mile, somehow found myself back in the same place. What?! Ok, I'd been up since 4am UK time, on a ferry & bus all day, now it was dark, raining, my headtorch wasn't working at the worst time & I seemed to be really disoriented and clearly not thinking straight. STOP!

Call the campsite from somewhere sensible. The owners guided me from a big obvious roundabout and so I continued. I then had to call again when I ended up in the next village having gone too far & down the wrong road. They gave me the clearest instructions you can give to mankind (Boroughbridge isn't very big, by the way!) & they stood outside the campsite in the rain flashing a torch to guide me in!! What service!

Best of all, they'd saved me some milk for my brekkie tomorrow, the wonderful, wonderful people!

Now the fun part, getting the tent up in the rain and the dark and, oh yes, a bit of a breeze without destroying my broken tent pole. I literally coached myself through every step as you would a child and did most things by feel since sight was barely possible. Tent poles are quite slippy when wet as well. Incredibly, my tent has remained dry inside so I'm grateful! I'm actually more proud of myself for this than most of the trip! Particularly as I did it from a position of stress having cycled in the dark and got lost, much as I'd remained as calm as pos.

The adventure never ends!

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Bike Bus Day

I had to send a photo of Boozers car park in Calais at 6.30am this morning! I'm not sure why it's called that, there is only a florists and a boat shop.

So I was up at 5am (4am UK time), had a fabulous shower to wake up and breakfast number 1, my wonder bowl of muesli, before cycling as the sun was starting to come up to the meeting place. It was quite chilly so early so I'd brought my fluffy bed socks to keep my feet warm!! I was so grateful it wasn't chucking it down or gales as it had been the previous 2 days, there was no shelter there.

At 7.20am, the bike bus let me know they wouldn't be arriving until 9.15am. Oh.

I knew they'd been a couple of hours delayed on their outbound journey from the UK to Spain having been caught in the appalling weather for their Channel crossing at the weekend. They said they'd send further updates and I could phone the coach emergency number in the morning. This I did at 5am, 5.15am, twice at 5.40am and again at 6am leaving 2 voicemails. I also sent a text and an email. The hotel I was staying at also called them (I can highly recommend the Ibis Calais Car Ferry, the staff are superb). No response at all. So I had to get to the meeting point on time in the absence of any other information.

I was glad I finally received a response from the bus at 7.20am (I'd called again at 7am). This meant I could return to the hotel for a feast of a breakfast!

So I put my handlebars back into position (you have to turn them 90 degrees for the bus), reloaded the bike with all my panniers, etc., and pedalled back to the hotel. They welcomed me with open arms for breakfast, bless them! I ate so much - cereals, fruit, yogurt, compote, bread & jam, croissants, juice, 2 mugs of tea - fabulous! They also had pancakes and cake - some children were going wild with excitement! So this was breakfast number 2.

And then I cycled back to my meeting point! A nice, morning fresh 6 mile cycle altogether. And it was such a gorgeous morning. I was really happy, the delay had added to the day really!

I've met some lovely people on the bus. I was sat next to a guy originally from Durban, South Africa for a short while. He lives in Maidstone now so wasn't on the bus long. He'd decided to cycle tour the Pyrenees on a friend's bicycle with borrowed everything and is now so converted to cycle touring that he plans to build his own touring bike before next year's tour. Although he was taking his friend's bike to a bike shop as soon as he got off the bus to mend a puncture...

Breakfast number 3 was considerably more modest on the ferry - a summer berry muffin and a large tea (obviously). And I ate macaroni cheese for lunch on the bus, which I love. I can highly recommend lots of food and drink for motion sickness.

Everyone I've met on the bike bus so far has travelled on it a number of times. It does seem very easy for cyclists. My bike and luggage were whipped on in less than a minute. There are so many destinations to choose from although predominantly in France rather than other European countries. Other than the communication difficulties experienced this morning, I've really enjoyed the service. I can have endless cups of tea and I was sold when I saw the macaroni cheese on the menu!

But, by gum, it feels cold back in the UK! We recently had a stop at Newport Pagnell and everyone was laughing at my golf ball sized goosebumps! And I'm camping tonight! At least my pint of milk will stay cool for another wonder bowl of muesli tomorrow morning which generally wasn't the case in France.

And I'm looking forward to 11s with the Tuesday cycling crew tomorrow and my escort home. What a way to finish such an amazing tour!

Until tomorrow!

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Rest Day in Calais

Hi everyone and a big happy birthday to Kate today!

Today has been lovely with the weather improving throughout the day. It is still very windy but without the strong gusts of the last couple of days.

Calais came to life this afternoon when the sun came out (today's photo is of the beach this afternoon). I thought it would be rude not to join in & have another chocolate crepe, tee hee!

I'm settled into my lovely hotel room tonight. And I've located where the Bike Bus will pick me up early tomorrow morning (although maybe not so early now, they were delayed a couple of hours on their outbound journey south with the bad weather across the Channel). The Calais pick up point is in the car park of a cash and carry called Boozers! It will be interesting travelling on a coach filled only with cyclists. I'll let you know how it goes!

Enjoy your extra day off tomorrow everyone!


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Tent & me survived!

This post is more for my Mother to let her know I'm still alive!!

What a disturbed night. The 2 tent pegs & filled water bottle on the porch were finally ripped out by the wind at 3.25am, then again at 4.30am and again at 5.15am.

It's partly because the ground is so poor as it has been throughout northern France. I'm going to start a petition that says you are not permitted to call a campground a campground unless it has some true grassy space. Not these hard, dry, concrete type areas that are more suited to motorhomes & caravans.

I'm looking forward to camping again in grassy spaces in the Dales and hanker back to the Swiss and Alpine campsites! I also started dreaming of fully geodesic tents that can withstand the winds on Everest, one of those could be my next purchase!

I slept well between 6-8am so it's now time for a yummy brekkie!

Happy relaxing Sunday! Mine will be, nothing will be open here!

xxx


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I made it to Calais!

I'm not sure I've fully digested this tour yet. I'm too busy trying to batten down the hatches with my tent in these in sane and ferocious gales. 4 of my 10 tent pegs have been ripped out & 1 of my guy ropes snapped & broke. I've sorted the guy rope and, in the 2 areas where pegs are continually being ripped out, I've put 2 tent pegs and placed filled water bottles on top, which are the heaviest things I have. I didn't remember to bring some spare bricks/rocks with me. The wind is actually physically lifting my filled water bottles! I've propped the back end of the tent up with my 2 front panniers to try to limit the side walls being sucked in & out so violently. The poles are flexing & bending like crazy. I'm pretty concerned to be honest. I've camped in some bad weather in the Yorkshire Dales but I've never been in this before. You can barely stand up and walk. Hence Calais is deserted.

Anyway, I can't change the weather & I've done the best I can to keep my tent upright & in 1 piece. It's all experience!

The creperie was open this afternoon - hurrah! So I celebrated the end of my tour with a wonderful chocolate crepe and a big pot of tea! And, of course, my glass of wine this evening. I didn't attempt to cook on the campstove tonight & it was a nice treat to go out. Good old omelette, chips & salad! I haven't eaten that since I started the tour in Paris. I attempted a nice invigorating stroll along the prom afterwards but could barely breathe let along walk. It's the sort of wind that flattens your eyelashes! Such conditions are difficult for asthmatics and I've needed my inhaler today whereas I fortunately haven't had to use it much all tour.

And tomorrow, I'm booked into a hotel, yippee! Another treat for my last night in France. It is much closer to where the bike bus will pick me up early Monday morning. And this tour is an early 40th birthday treat to myself so I should have such treats! PS I will be celebrating my 40th all this year as well as next given my birthday is the end of December!

Thank you all again for staying in touch throughout this incredible experience and for keeping me company. I definitely couldn't have done it without each & every one of you.

When I set out on this trip, I didn't know what I was capable of. Could I cycle up a col in the Alps fully laden with camping gear? Could I devise my own routes? How would I find it on my own instead of the security & sociability of a group? How would I deal with difficult situations, whatever they may be?

I think this is where you find what you're made of. Some days are fabulous & effortless, others you have to dig really deep & find ways to keep yourself going. Some days, like broken tent pole day and today, you have to be creative and resourceful. It certainly pays to have a sense of humour & to find a way make yourself laugh when in the deepest grump! And I think I'm so appreciative of some of the basics: a cup of tea, a hot shower, supportive people, my workhorse of a bike, warm sunshine, finding a shop that's open! One of my sayings on the road was "it's difficult but possible" and this would help me through a number of times. And I believe you then bring this into normal everyday life. You know you can achieve anything when you put your mind to it. Amazing!

It will be wonderful to reflect over the next couple of days as I enjoy a rest day in Calais tomorrow and travel on the bike bus on Monday. Then I look forward to returning full swing back into normal life from Tuesday once home in Ilkley.

I'll see you all soon!

xxx

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What a change in the weather!

Wowzers! The wind blew furiously last night and the rain was torrential. Needless to say I got very little sleep being a nervous wreck about my broken tent pole surviving this onslaught. But it did, thank goodness! And not a drop of water in the tent, luckily. Phew! I've never seen my tent flex, bend, flap and go as crazy as it did last night.

The winds are ferocious today and dangerous for cycling. I considered my options. Firstly, I could stay put for another day & cycle to Calais on Sunday in the hope it would improve. Secondly, I could give it a go and cycle 2 very short days to Calais if the going was really tough. Thirdly, I could get the train to Calais. I asked about the weather at the campsite. He said it would be like this today and tomorrow. The irony - beautiful all week and then diabolical for the weekend. It happens in France as well as the UK!

So, I decided to give it a go, of course. And, can you believe it...I should have realised...the weather had changed...so the wind direction had changed...which meant my persistent daily headwind....had become the most extraordinary tailwind I've EVER experienced! Incredible! How lucky was I?!

I literally flew to Calais! I had significant shoves up the hills from the wind. I took the coast road which was really beautiful, even in the awful weather. There wasn't much traffic, that's all on the autoroute (motorway) not too far away. And I don't think many were out sightseeing today!

On one downhill, I achieved nearly 46mph!! Such was the strength of the wind.

I didn't stop (other than to eat my pain au choc) and here I am now in an exceptionally wet & windy Calais. I literally end the tour as I started - cold and wet!

Trying to get the tent up was ridiculous. I had 2 panniers holding it down whilst I tried to get the pegs into my pitch, which can only be described as godawful waste ground, and even then, the tent was tearing away trying to achieve flight. I've not had the misfortune to try putting a tent up in such wildly windy conditions before.

It's up now & I hope the tent pegs & broken pole hold.

So I'm about to go and celebrate with a chocolate crepe around the corner. This is assuming they are still open!

I'll blog further tonight.

Toodle-oo for now!

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Camping on the Coast

Hi Everyone

It felt quite special to make it to the coast today. At yesterday's campsite, they had a huge map of Europe on the wall & I was staggered, amazed & proud when I saw that I had cycled all the way from the far east of Switzerland to the northern coast of France. A bit of a zig-zag route, too! I don't let myself get too excited at this stage about what I've done, I've not made it yet! All being well, I'll have a fairly short day to Calais tomorrow, a rest day there on Sunday and then the ferry & Bike Bus to Boroughbridge, Yorkshire on Monday, camp overnight & cycle back with some wonderful clubmates who are coming to meet me in Boro on Tuesday. So home Tuesday afternoon sometime.

Back to today. I've had a lovely day's cycle in warm sunshine, quite flat & easy until the last few miles. Where I'm staying tonight (doesn't it look gorgeous?) is all steep hills, it almost reminds me of Dorset. It is actually raining now! And there are some attempts are rumbles of thunder but they're a bit pathetic. The forecast was for rain so I've been immensely lucky that it's only just started this evening.

I reached here around 2pm as I'd decided on 2 short days of cycling to Calais. So that gave me time to do quite a bit of washing and fortunately everything dried in the warm sunshine before the rain arrived. I even went for my glass of wine (1 euro 60!) at 4pm which felt very frivolous & naughty but it feels more like a holiday now I'm on the coast!

My real "moment" of today was seeing the White Cliffs of Dover! I can see England again!! Incredible! A very exciting moment. I guess if the weather is fair tomorrow, I should be able to see them throughout the day as I pedal. Cool!

Thank you all so much for your wonderful messages and happy Bank Holiday weekends everybody!

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Do you like my picnic spot?!

How gorgeous is this? Lunch at Hardelot Plage. The forecast rain very, very fortunately hasn't turned up yet & I've enjoyed a very pleasant cycle today. Lunching in places like this makes everything so special.

I'll blog fully as usual this evening.

Tatty-bye for now!


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This is more like it!

How different did today feel?! You're right, Teresa, it must have been the extra glass of wine I had last night!

Today just seemed a much better day. I didn't care if I couldn't go faster than 6mph on the flat into the headwind whereas I've struggled the last couple of days & tried to push (to 7mph!). I can't change the weather. And there were definitely less hills today. Phew!

The photo is the view from my picnic lunch and much of today. I had a somewhat disturbed lunch when someone (presumably/hopefully a farmer) started shooting something. They were rather close. Instead of worrying about myself - I felt well protected by my considerable number of panniers as I sat on the grass eating my picnic - I hoped they would leave my bike tyres alone. I'd finally found a bike shop that was open today and they kindly blew up my tyres for me. I didn't want some stray bullet puncturing them!! Does that mean my thought process has gone a bit skewy on this trip?! Will I ever be normal again?!

I'm 3-4km from the coast now. Why didn't I continue? I dived into the 1st campsite I saw! Actually, it was the 2nd. The 1st one I tried, there was no-one on Reception, no-one in the house opposite where the note on the Reception door sent you and no-one answering the phone number provided. It did say their opening hours were 10am-12pm. 2 hours a day, it's a tough life!

So I was successful with this campsite although I had problems with the showers again. All the doors were locked and no-one was in them. Hmmm. So a trip to Reception, which was open. It resulted in me having a whizz around the campsite in one of those fun buggies with a member of staff so he could show me what to do. He took me to the disabled shower (yeah, thanks!) which was clearly easier for him than explaining anything else. As it turns out, EVERY shower in my block is broken along with almost every toilet. They obviously keep up to things here...Anyway, it was worth it for the fun buggy ride!

I was really cold this morning in particular despite temperatures still being healthy and thankfully lots of sun today. I still have all my Winter kit with me from my days in the mountains earlier in the tour which I think I'll need when I return to Yorkshire!! I'm such a wimp! You keep soaking up as much warmth and sunshine as possible, T, I'm doing the same!

It was definitely much cooler last night and I was in my silk liner as well as my sleeping bag. What a change from a few days ago! I know I'm North in the country now!

Right, time for wine!

Have fabulous Bank Holidays everyone! I'm saying this early for those of you taking Friday off and for those of you who don't even work Fridays!

And thank you all again for your continuing messages, some have really made me laugh today :-)))

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Hills & Headwinds

Hi Everyone! I'm not sure how well you'll be able to see this photo. It shows the continual up and down that I'm facing daily and how far into the distance I can see. I didn't set out on a mission to find hills in "flat" Northern France but that seems to be what I'm achieving! I'd do anything for some flat cycling now, which is what I fully had in mind for this area. Add to this a stronger daily headwind. It's definitely energy sapping. Cycling in the mountains is much easier!!

Thank you all so much for your recent blog responses, emails and texts. I do seem to be finding it harder the closer I get to home. I guess I just want to be home now and, if I'm honest, I'm cycling in an area that doesn't really inspire me. I loved all the mountainous areas and right to the end of my days in the Vosges, I was cycling through scenery and villages that seemed to be trying to outdo each other in exceptional prettiness. At the moment, I have these debilitating headwinds (& no Robbo & Ade to hide behind!), fields that go on for miles and completely empty, lifeless red brick villages that remind me a little of the outskirts of Manchester just with more countryside!! In fact, Peronne which I cycled through today is twinned with Blackburn which may give you a better picture!! I am so very homesick at the moment & missing everyone terribly. I am so looking forward to seeing you all again massively!

Disappointed in the UK, JB? Are you kidding! I'm so lucky, I love where I live, despite the pretty atrocious weather most of the time! I know how lucky I've been to experience the generally very good and sunny weather that I have on this tour. About time too after all my years of touring in the wettest/coldest/snowiest on record!! And after Thursday this week, the forecast is rain, rain, rain so I'll be re-introduced to England rather abruptly!!

So many of you had storms last night! From the UK to Geneva. I was glad not to be in the tent as well, Mary. No storm but the winds really picked up last night and the heavy rain - wowzers! It's v breezy now so it will be a good test for my broken tent pole. Fingers crossed! I don't have a replacement pole, it's a sleeve that fits over the broken bit. But yes, Teresa, not my best moment of the tour! Great to hear you're back and enjoyed your tri-camp so much and sorry about the sucky expensive home owning bit :-(

Charlie, I love the fact that you're already thinking of names for the e-book! Anyone else? I was going to go with something like My Summer Sabbatical: Cycling in Switzerland and France. Not very catchy! But the sort of words I used to find cycle touring e-books. Is that a really awful title? Thank you for the tips, John, as well. I'm excited about this project!

Phil, Ken, Bri, I can't wait to meet you all next Tuesday for the escort home! I'll be the exhausted one slumped on the table in the corner of the cafe snoring!!

And, when I say tan everyone, I mean a tan for me, i.e. I've finally achieved everyone else's normal level of white!!

I've not toughened up either. The infamous gilet has been on all day today although it's in the 20s. I know some of you will struggle to believe the gilet has been off at all! I had terrible goosebumps sat at a cafe yesterday and was shocked to see it was 27 degrees! Hopeless!

Best of luck to my Sis for THAT scary Board meeting next week and I look forward to visiting you Mum ASAP when I get back to see all the home improvements.

Stay in touch everyone, I'll blog again tomorrow xxx

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It was time to treat myself to another night at a hotel and here is a photo of the lovely goats at the Chambre d'Hote (B&B) farm I'm staying at in the middle of nowhere. Peace! Actually, I'm just outside the town of Ham, a place every vegetarian should visit...!

It's such a lovely place, I even have an en suite! I've ruined the effect somewhat as it's currently covered in cycle kit busy drying. And, best of all, I had access to their kitchen so could cook my dinner tonight on a real hob and use a real kettle!! I'm trying to preserve the little left in my gas canister (I did pass a Decathlon, where you can buy these gas canisters, a couple of days ago in Chalon en Champagne....Sunday....you guessed it, closed) so that definitely helped tonight. I can't wait to make another cup of tea with the real kettle, such indulgence!

The routes were quite soul-destroying again today. I could see well into the distance my rollercoaster road - up, down, up, down. Except the time taken to cycle it is more like up, up, up, down; up, up, up, down. Boo! Still, I was better prepared for it mentally than yesterday when I was Miss Grumpy Guts!

I loved Mary's comment about the food! (And thank you for clarifying the hand, foot & mouth virus!) I've actually had to unbutton my trousers this evening, my stomach has definitely grown on this trip! I'm just loving eating so much and it's still generally quite healthy stuff along with my daily pain au chocolat and, of course, my biccies which I'd never be without. My favourite all tour has been to mix fruit compote into natural yogurt - YUM! I know fruit compote is really more for kids but I LOVE them! I've got apple & rhubarb today, there are so many flavours for me to work my way through before this tour is over! And does anyone know if I'm right in thinking that there are creperies and ice-cream parlours a plenty in Calais? Actually, don't burst my bubble, the thought of that drives me forwards every day.

Thank you for your support & the update through my "Grumpy-Bum" day, Mandie!

Does anyone know anything about writing and publishing e-books? I think it would be a wonderful project when I return home whilst I'm searching for my next job and it may help other cycle-campers. I bought loads on the Kindle before setting off. Some are excellent, inspiring and helpful with information; others are just not my cup of tea. I've nothing to lose & would love it if it helped others. Thank you!

Until tomorrow :-)))

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Be careful what you wish for!

A photo of one of the incoming storms today. And, no, the air doesn't feel any cooler yet. Here's hoping!

I was clearly in quite a grump today. I wonder if it's possible to get that Monday feeling when not at work? Maybe it was because I had to wait for a shop to open to buy some milk to eat my breakfast (late breakfasts always lead to great irritability!). Maybe it was because I realised that next Monday, I will be on the Bike Bus heading home and my amazing adventure will be over. I need to keep this somehow in my everyday life. Maybe it was because of storm after storm rumbling through. I know I definitely blamed the hills for part of my grump! Where on earth are the flat bits? I've earned them now and just want some easy riding. Instead I'm swearing my head off slogging up ascent after ascent. All I could see on my map were chevrons. Is there no end to the hills? Aaaggghhh!!!

So I decided to call it a day when I reached Laon after just 20 miles. I'm not on a clock or racing, I can do as I choose and be flexible. Laon is a big town and therefore has facilities and a campsite. The town is so big, in fact, that it was a further 7 miles before I reached the campsite at the other side of town. The grump was deepening! No shops, no cafes & I didn't pass anything helpful en route as I was on some sort of ring road which was also being dug up & resurfaced at the time.

I even had a grump putting my tent up. I can't get most of the pegs in. The ground is so hard as most campsites now cater for motorhomes and caravans so nice grassy pitches for tents are becoming more scarce.

If I was going to have a grump, I was going to do it properly! I never do things by halves!

Then the heavens opened & I dived into the tent. Then I laughed! Tension released. At least I'd got the tent up. Another thunderstorm had arrived. I got everything set up in the tent and then promptly fell asleep for the next hour. So the true reason for my grump is probably that I'm just a bit knackered!

The sun was shining when I woke up. The campsite sells lollies and I spotted a Magnum which I thought would cheer me up. I ate this with the most perfect chin-dribbling peach. Yum! And I'm consulting my maps to get out of here as early as possible tomorrow, whatever the weather. I have milk at the ready for breakfast!!

Get well soon to Mary who is recovering from the human version of foot and mouth. Thank you Laetitia for letting me know even when you're on holiday. And happy holidays in the beautiful Savoie region :-))

Janny, I can't think of a better way to celebrate than with pink champagne when I'm back! I'll have to get some of this Tramadol out of my system first, it's sending me doo-lally!

Mum, Charlie, glad the decorating went well...or did it?! Was too much of the champers you found consumed?!!

And just to add, the Vaude Customer services team responded to my broken tent pole issue immediately this morning. What service!

I'll be in a much better mood tomorrow (I hope!).

Tally ho until then!

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Champagne...& the police!

It was 39 degrees as I cycled into Fismes late this afternoon to set up camp. 70 miles of cycling in eyeball burning conditions. Sweat is still pouring off me now as it approaches 9pm, it's still in the 30s. I guess a hot night ahead! And no storm in sight yet.

I made good progress today in rolling countryside although I had some sizeable climbs and descents in the "Montagnes (mountains) du Reims". I always find the hilly bits! I'm sure I've earned my flat bits now so here's hoping as I enter my final week in France.

To say I've been cycling through the Champagne region for a few days, I didn't come across any vineyards until I reached Epernay today, at the heart of the Champagne producing area. I cycled past all the famous Champagne houses, bumping along the cobbles until I reached the town centre for probably my best cup of tea ever. I needed it so badly. They were kind enough to refill my water bottles with ice cold water as well. I ate my picnic lunch in a nice square with a big water fountain. Again, I was astounded at how quiet it was. A major tourist town but barely any people, cars & certainly no shops open.

Epernay was supposed to be my destination for the day but I'd arrived before 12pm and felt strong enough to continue even though I knew the temperature would sky-rocket in the afternoon. So, here I am, a further 30 miles later in Fismes.

I located the campsite and, with no-one at reception, the note said to pitch up and the caretaker would be along shortly. Fortunately, I had no issues either dismantling the tent this morning nor pitching it this afternoon with the broken pole. Phew! That had been a major concern. I was hoping the caretaker would be along soon. Unusually, the shower block was locked & a code was required to enter. So no access to showers or loos in my extremely sweaty state. I don't like leaving it too late to shower as I need to get my cycle clothes washed and dried as well.

I sauntered up to the noticeboard to see when reception would be back open. 8.30am tomorrow morning. What?!!! So how was I supposed to access the showers and loos before then? Ah, a number to call if no-one was manning the campsite. Oh, office hours only and it is Sunday evening. Well, there was nothing else for it but to call the police!! They may know the access code or someone who did.

I was right! After some discussion, they gave me the number of a man who could help and he was with me 5 minutes later running through the codes. Phew!

After dinner, I strolled back into town and 1 cafe was open. They had sorbets so I had a scoop each of apricot, passion fruit and raspberry so 3 of my 5 a day! V cooling and I gulped a carafe of water whilst I was there. Now I'm back at the campsite, lots of other people have turned up & they're all asking if anyone knows the code to the shower block. At least I can now help. A very strange system. You can't have people unable to access a toilet! Anyway, all's well that ends well.

I hope you all had good weekends and I look forward to hearing of your Bank Holiday plans next week!

xxxx

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Rest day in Vitry le Francois

Oh my gosh, this is like sitting in an oven. The temperatures rocketed towards the 40s today and it's sunshine and the most perfect powder blue sky. I'm glad I wasn't cycling in this! At least the temperatures are set to drop to "just" the early 30s for the next few days...

It is impossible when camping to keep anything cool whatsoever in such temperatures. So I've shopped at the local supermarket a number of times today, partly to get just what I need at that exact time and partly because it's the coolest place in town with mega air-con!

When I went to sit in a cafe and watch the world go by this afternoon, they automatically brought out a carafe of iced water. Very thoughtful in such conditions. After my ice cream (which I ate in a more civilised fashion compared to my previous nosediving effort in Vittel), they must have thought me mad English when I then ordered a pot of tea! Seriously, you can't beat it!

I've just had a shower and the shampoo was so hot having being in the tent, it nearly burnt my hand! It made me jump. It really helped cool my head down...

And now I'm sat blogging with more rivers of sweat running off me.

I must state I am in no way complaining and infinitely prefer this to battling the cold! I'll try to hold on to some of this feeling for the forthcoming British Winter! And I promise to try to bring as much of this back to the UK as possible so everyone can enjoy some warmth and sunshine.

Sorry about the photo, I couldn't get a better angle being on a major road junction. It's the gateway to the town.

One final observation today is just how quiet the town was this afternoon. Compared to a Saturday afternoon in the UK where towns, supermarkets, etc., are usually heaving, this place had a handful of people, not many cars, loads of car parking spaces along the sides of the roads and the supermarket car park was only a quarter full. And I've had the campsite completely to myself. Bizarre, but lovely. No screaming kids!

Enjoy the club ride tomorrow everyone from the OCC. I can't wait to pedal with you all in a couple of weeks.

Happy weekends everyone else! And wish me luck in getting my tent down tomorrow and then re-pitching at the next campsite, eek!

xxxx

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Superb day...then disaster!

What an utterly fabulous day. I slept so, so well last night (sorry Mary!), I awoke to blue skies and sunshine and the temperatures have again soared into the 30s. And I hit the 1,000 mile mark on this tour today!

I celebrated my mileage with a cuppa in Wassy. What a strange place! It was one of those situations where everyone turned to look at you when you walked into the cafe bar. Eventually, someone asked me something so I explained I was English and that I was doing a cycle tour. The fact that I'd cycled from the other side of Switzerland and was now heading to Calais drew huge gasps from the crowd. As I left, everyone waved me goodbye and wished me bonne route and bon courage! So funny!

My favourite moment of today was cycling through a small village and a little old lady, who could barely stand, was hobbling out of her front door. I said bonjour as I went past. She threw her fist triumphantly in the air and shouted "bravo!". My strongest supporter yet!

The countryside has been so pretty. I started with a surprising 2 mile climb this morning through forests and then enjoyed some fabulous sweeping descents. The rest of the day was gently rolling. It's starting to get flatter as I pedal further North. Again, the space is vast and liberating.

I'm in Vitry le Francois in the Champagne Ardennes region tonight. I think there are only 2 or 3 other families at this campsite in addition to me, I've never seen a campsite so empty. It's actually really lovely! And I'm so pleased to be able to walk into town for provisions. You can only imagine what it's like trying to keep any fresh produce and items such as milk cool in this tremendous heat. So a huge bonus.

Then....disaster! A tent pole snapped and my entire tent collapsed! Bugger! Once recovered from the initial shock, I calmly sought out my replacement pole. Simples! Except the metal on my broken pole was stuck out at all angles so I couldn't get my replacement pole over it. I tried standing on mangled to reduce the mass but it wasn't sufficient. Reinforcements were needed! I went to get the lady running the campsite, she in turn went to fetch her husband. He arrived with a magical pair of pliers and some strong hands to reduce the metal. The tent is now 100% fine...for tonight. I don't know how it will be getting it up and down for the next couple of weeks. I may need a Plan B. I guess I'll find out tomorrow morning when I try to dismantle it. I'll also have a go at putting it back up again whilst I'm still here. Assuming that works, the next test will be all the storms forecast early next week, yikes!

I was supposed to be having a rest day today. But I didn't want to stay another night in the 25 euro campsite! I may have a rest day tomorrow but am keen to get into the main Champagne region. However, campsites may be packed there on a Saturday night on the hottest weekend of the year so far. The main thing I'm missing here for a rest day is....a washing machine! There may be a launderette in town. If so, I'd be wiser to rest and enjoy Champagne on a quieter Sunday evening. Decisions, decisions!

Have fabulous weekends everyone and I hope this French heatwave has also engulfed the UK :-)))

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My expensive campsite

...as I left this morning. Stunningly beautiful and in the middle of nowhere. I agree with Mary's list regarding what I should have had for 25 euros. Instead, I got exactly the same as my 4 euro 70 campsite this evening (better grass here for pitching so this one wins). And I'm on the outskirts of a town tonight which means not only shops but that some are even open as well!! Awesome!

I'll send a further update on today's events shortly.

In the meantime, Diane enjoy your running race against the steam train in Wales this weekend...!! And I hope your bees get the sun they need to give you lots of honey.

The Friday Slackers Lunch sounded great today, Kate, Mandie, Mel and Cath!

Congrats to Charlie's goddaughter, Nicola, for passing her A levels and making it into Bath Uni.

Loved the conservatory drawings, Mum. An ambition of yours for a long time. Please also pass my best wishes onto Paul.

Enjoy all the bendy and non-bendy decorating this weekend Mum and Charlie. You'll have to enlighten me later!

Enjoy Go Ape, Sis & Gus!

Happy pedalling this weekend, OCC. I hope the sun shines for you all :-))

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How much?!

Wow, I've found the most expensive campsite ever in the middle of nowhere. Kate and my Dad will not approve: 25 euros!!! I've not even had to pay 10 euros yet and my lowest was 4 euros! So every sentence this evening finishes with "well, it does cost 25 euros here, you know....". How Yorkshire of me! Fortunately, I enjoyed my glass of wine during their happy hour so it was a large one and only 1 euro 50 so I'm feeling slightly better (if a little tipsy)...

I'm not exactly in a position to argue. I am precisely in the middle of absolutely nowhere with no towns, shops, cafes, bars or facilities of any nature. The bonus of this is almost no cars on the roads whatsoever, a bit of a cyclist's dream. Although the lack of anything at all is a bit of a cycle tourist's nightmare. So I'm very grateful to be here. They even have a shop with milk for my cereal tomorrow morning! Well, it does cost 25 euros here, you know...

I've had a very enjoyable day's cycling. The mileage is up again with the lack of mountains. The countryside is still very rolling at the moment. There's so much space, it's a very liberating feeling. The weather was very nice today and in the 20s, far more tolerable than yesterday. The storm came and went, the heavy driving persistent rain remained which lead to rather a disturbed night's sleep in the tent.

A very happy birthday to Mel for today! I'm hoping to join you and Mandie for a Friday Slackers Lunch when I get back!

Mandie, it was lovely hearing from you today. I hope Amanda and Linda were well.

Joan, glad you enjoyed your hols and that you and Paul survived in tact!!

Wendy, Maureen, welcome to The Blog! Wendy, I hope the photos are sufficient evidence of me "smelling the roses"?!! Hi to everyone at PHP. I'm still so grateful for the Kindle whose battery is still going strong on this tour.

Phil, glad the white tux saw some action on the cruise ship's dancefloor! There's no need to train to cycle with me - have you seen the load I'm carrying?! I've only just got my average speeds into double figures on these flatter days! Look forward to seeing you and the Tuseday gang in just over a week's time.

Adele, I hope you got some photos of Lizzie Armistead's Otley bus tour! I bet the atmosphere was great.

Hi Uncle Kev's, thank you for your email and love to you, Nan & Gramps. I hope Auntie Hazel's broken hip is mending well also.

Janny, we need to get you a new goal after your pull up achievement!!

And Mum, stay away from the office, it's bad for your health!!

Tally ho until tomorrow everyone when hopefully I'll be at a campsite that doesn't cost 25 euros...!!!

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I made it to Vittel!

I wasn't expecting to make it so far today but here I am, awesome! I kept thinking of how I'd celebrate tonight when I got here: a meal out with a nice glass of wine and masses of ice cream for dessert. Except....it's a French bank holiday and everything is SHUT! AGH!! But my emergency rations of a mushroom risotto with my remaining fresh carrot, courgette and tomato have done the trick. And lots of biscuits with my tea of course :-)))

It is extremely hot here with temperatures soaring into the 30s. Why was I concerned about heading North?! A lady at a tourist office said this was not normal and was the result of some freak winds from the Sahara. And it's set to last! I don't think she has many people in her tourist office though. She showed me the forecast weather and temperature by morning, afternoon, evening and night for every day until the weekend...thorough! She enjoyed practising her English, I spoke in French and between the both of us and Google Translate, we had quite a conversation! It was really enjoyable. She then waved me off like a long lost friend!

I had another lovely encounter today with my camping neighbours from yesterday's campsite. We had a chat this morning and they were excited because their dogs were English! They were gorgeous little Yorkshire Terriers. So I explained I was from Yorkshire which made them even more delighted. Nearly half way into my ride this morning on a random country road in the middle of nowhere, a car slowed, the occupants waving like mad and I thought I don't know anyone in France, bizarre. Then the heads of the 2 Yorkies appeared and I realised it was my neighbours from this morning! So I started waving and grinning like a lunatic and they waved lots more before driving off. It really made me smile!

Oooo, there's a storm coming! I hope it clears some of this thick, heavy, humid air. It's hard enough to breathe let alone cycle. I did find an ice-cream seller late this afternoon and literally nose-dived into my ice-cream to cool my face down!! Never have I enjoyed or needed an ice-cream so much in my life. My asthma wasn't happy and I coughed and spluttered throughout the otherwise joyous experience.

Well, I'd better batten down the hatches before the storm arrives. How exciting!

Keep the messages coming and sod work, keep reading the blog!!

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Cycling in the Vosges

Hi Everyone! A nice 13km climb before lunch anyone?! It's a good job the views are always worthwhile!

Today was an important one for me. I remember a few months ago when I started toying with the idea of cycling back from Switzerland whilst I was working my notice at work. I saw a photo of the Ballons des Vosges (apparently so called because of their more rounded tops rather than craggy peaks) on the website of a cycle touring company and knew I wanted to see the area. And now I have! The vision from one lunchtime in the office has become reality.

But I do now hope for some flatter days! I know my 1st 20km tomorrow is going to be on a Voie Verte, a green cycle way, along the Moselle river which is a good start. I'm hoping to visit Vittel as well before leaving this region especially given I cycled through Evian...bit of a mineral water theme.

The rain thankfully didn't appear today although it's been extremely humid with heavy clouds all afternoon. This morning was boiling which made the long climb a very sweat-drenched affair. I was awarded another "chapeau" by a French cyclist and some more "bon courage"s. Excellent! I then grin for the next 30 minutes!

Thank you again for all your messages! Jeanette, glad you've been inspired to get on your non-wobbly stationary bike! Emma R, was I really such a chatterbox at school?? Some may say the same now, especially in my cycle club...!!! Paula, great to hear all your gliding news and best of luck with the Diamond Height gain in Scotland early September. Diane, taking part in triathlons is amazing and something I'm sure I couldn't do. It took me ages to untangle myself from my sleeping bag this morning, let alone manage transitions between those 3 sports. And I'd want to stop for tea and cake part way round! So good on you! (And hi to grandad Mark.) And lovely to hear from you today, Laura. Get Jane baking a cake pronto! Mary....there will come a day when I add garlic to my cooking!!

Mum, please pass my best wishes onto Paul for a speedy recovery. And happy home improvements! And Janny and Gus, enjoy Go Ape this weekend and may the sun shine on you :-)))

I'm loving hearing all your updates and stories, please keep them coming!

xxx

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Cycling to the Vosges

Wow, I think I could now write the Slacker's Guide to Cycle Touring after these last 2 days! The distances have been so short for me & the cycling considerably easier than my usual col bagging. It's been so lovely, this easy life is something I could get used to!

The roads today were like a gentle rollercoaster as I pedalled further away from the Jura and towards the Vosges. In fact, I'm in the foothills of the Vosges this evening in Masaveux. I'd stocked up massively on food earlier in the day after yesterday's issues. My panniers were bursting at the seams, my bike was creaking, my legs felt it on any slight incline...and there's a Super U (huge supermarket) round the corner from my campsite tonight!! The problem is never knowing so I'd rather carry too much.

It was a very hot and sunny today, fabulous! Rain is forecast tomorrow - boo - so I'm making the most of the last of the sunshine over a gorgeous glass of chilled dry white wine (1 euro 30!!!). It serves me right for heading North as well as back into the mountains. Part of me is shouting "head South, head South!" and then get a train up to Calais when I need to. The rest of me says I haven't explored Eastern France and probably won't come out this way again so make the most of it.

I've developed a lovely tan as I've pedalled along, I've been so lucky generally with the weather. My tours are usually in the wettest months on record whichever countries I seem to visit. Yes, I've had rain and I've certainly endured some vicious storms but I've had lots and lots of fabulous sunshine to this date. I'm reading about a guy who cycled from the UK to Italy in the school Summer holidays in 2010 & he suffered dreadful weather most of the time. It makes me feel luckier! I appreciate it could all now change so I want to record my overall happiness with the weather to this date!

Great to hear from you Caroline, Mel and Phil. Wobble well and truly over!

Phil, I hope you enjoyed another great cruise with Sharon and that your white tux got out on the dance floor!

Mum, I need to get my bum down to Somerset to see all these changes to the house!

And very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sister, Janny! I hope you all read her post about her incredible weekend at a castle in Normandy - wow! Glad you had such a great time, Jan, well earned and well deserved. And your arm warmers from Gus sound a great gift!

More col bagging in the Vosges tomorrow fully laden, in the rain, I must be bonkers. To put these and all my other climbs into context, Ben Nevis is 1,344m high so most of my climbs are higher than that. Indeed, some of my campsites have been approaching the 1,000m mark hence the chilliness factor!

I'll let you know how I get on!

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Messages for you guys!

The photo of one of my camp cooked meals is simply to represent that food is on my mind most of the time! And I was proud of this colourful creation produced rapidly in between storms last weekend.

My pizza and salad was duly delivered by the camp owner this evening who didn't want any money for petrol. Thankfully he accepted a few euros. He then brought me out a huge punnet of locally picked yellow plums and grapes in return! They are utterly delicious!

I wanted to ask anyone from the Otley Club if they were there for Lizzie Armistead's homecoming on Wednesday? I bet it was a fantastic event!

A huge congrats to Kate Taylor who "only" has 15 more marathons to go before achieving her goal of 100 marathons. Now, that's something! Super fit and well 'ard! And, yes, my Dad would definitely approve of your recent Tesco shop!!!

I'm glad I've inspired Mandie to get back out on the bike and Donna to do a spinning class - awesome! Mandie completed her 1st Great Yorkshire Bike ride this Summer (72 miles) along with sister Joan who completed her 3rd. What an achievement! And glad to hear you still have your bum, Donna!!

Mel, Loz, glad you are enjoying the blogs and thank you for keeping in touch throughout. We'd better get a Pizza Express night booked in before Loz jets off to the Amalfi coast!

Great to hear from you Debs and a big hello to Jim and cuddles to Grace Ruth Jackson (pie) - Friday evenings aren't the same and yes we'll get a date in the diary pronto. Well, as soon as you're back from your sunny hols in September :-)

Mary, thank you for delivering some of my things home whilst on your trip to the UK. I know you already had tonnes to do whilst you were there so I really appreciate it. And remember I'm going to need all the recipes from my stay at yours! Especially the awesome quiche and how to chop fennel!!

Laetitia, domestics are so important to cycle campers - daily clothes washing and, hopefully, drying, the daily shop for provisions (in fact the daily hunt for a shop)...so don't you worry about talking domestics! It sounds like it dominates both our lives at the mo so here's to plenty more sunshine!

Thank you again to Adele (triathlete) for the fabulous emergency chocolate pudding she thoughtfully bought me before the trip. It even came with its own rich chocolate sauce! It truly saved the day!

Hello to Teresa who is having a fab time at a triathlete training camp in the Dordogne and to Emma R who I believe is a triathlete also? I know so many uber-fit people! I actually feel a bit rubbish in comparison!

To everyone from the Otley club, thank you all for your uplifting and supportive messages by blog, email and text. I miss our weekly banter and am looking forward to seeing you all again soon. Ken, you'll have to see if there is any interest in your suggestion. Bring a bottle may make it more popular!!

Charlie, I liked the fact that you responded to Jane (another mega fit triathlete!) about NZ! And awesome photo with the Olympic torch! Jane, glad the photos and stories are helping you get through your Winter!

Tim, Diane (did I mention Di is also a triathlete?!), please keep the emails coming. We are long overdue a meet up and we've lots of tour story swapping to do.

Jeanette, I may have to try your marmite theory as I got bitten AGAIN whilst eating lunch today and my ankle is now beautifully puffed up. Agh!!!

Uncle Kev's, I look forward to more updates and thank you for keeping Nan & Gramps involved in the tour. I'll head over as soon as I get back.

A big early birthday wish to my super Sis, Janny (just in case O2 decide France is no longer part of Europe in the next 24 hours....). I hope you, Gus and Hero Chris of gas canister fame are having a fabulous time in Normandy. And thank you for posting the message about me being unable to blog in Switz.

And finally to my wonderful Mum. It's great to hear of your daily progress and I can't wait to meet up when I get back. We've so, so much to catch up on!

I hope to goodness I haven't inadvertently missed anyone out and I apologise profusely if I have. You can see what difference all your messages make to me on a daily basis - HUGE! So thank you each and every one of you again.

xxxxx

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The next stage of the adventure!

Today, after a 45 minute 3 mile climb and a 10 minute 3 mile descent, I left the Swiss Jura behind and started to head for the Vosges Mountains in France. I'm currently somewhere in between at a very tranquil campsite on the outskirts of Joncherey, France. This is the start of my ride north to Calais over the next 2 weeks.

It was a lovely way to say goodbye to Switzerland, pedalling easily in the warm sunshine along country lanes passing through endless pretty villages (no shops as usual). I happily re-entered France, land of campsites and the pain au chocolat!! The drivers are much better around cyclists here. They drive so fast in Switzerland, even though they give cyclists plenty of room. It's still a little nerve-wracking.

I arrived at the campsite much to my surprise at lunchtime. It's amazing how you can mile-munch when the Alps or the Jura mountains don't get in the way! I pitched the tent, sorted out the paperwork with the owner and asked where the nearest shop was, happy to cycle a few kilometres as I'd plenty left in the tank. Madame, it is Sunday in France, everything is ferme....oh dear. Fortunately, I'd bought bread, cheese and tomatoes for lunch today yesterday but I had nothing for dinner. The guy instantly said there is a pizza restaurant open in a nearby town which does takeaway and he'll go and pick it up in his car! How incredibly, fabulously wonderful! I'm so very, very happy. My order is in - a BIG veggie pizza and a green salad. Yum yum!!

I hope the good weather stays with me as I travel northwards. I don't think I've time to pedal all the way to Calais now so a train is likely to be involved somewhere (probably when it rains!).

After tomorrow, my map runs out so I hope to be able to buy some, assuming I can find some shops, or get some local ones at tourist offices. It could be an interesting journey, perhaps using the sun as my guide otherwise!


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In the Jura

I actually had a difficult couple of days in the Jura. Some climbs were ridiculously steep and went on for miles. My knees hurt, my neck hurt, my back hurt, the flies were so frustrating and annoying & I ended up with another bad reaction to an insect bite which took over most of my left calf. Luckily, I'd got plenty of wonder-cream left to slap straight on it and the swelling had already reduced considerably. It was annoying me that everything in Switzerland was so expensive. There were so rarely any shops. In La Chaux de Fonds (actually a large town but the campsite was on the outskirts in a beautiful wooded area - up a very, very steep hill - and I couldn't pedal another inch let alone face the 3 lanes of traffic for however far it was into town), I used my emergency food with no access to shops. It was even time for the emergency chocolate pudding that Adele so thoughtfully bought me before my trip - thank you hugely, Adele! The stodge & substantial portion of chocolate meant my happy face returned!

And I recognised I was having the traditional half-way-through-the-tour-wobble emotionally. Quite a normal experience. Although I was still happier than if I were at work!

I seem to have come through the other side of that now, thankfully. What a difference a rest day makes especially when it is in glorious hot sunshine. St Ursanne was a fabulous rest spot and the photo is of the River Doubs that runs alongside it. The village of St Ursanne is stunningly pretty, all higgledy piggedly pastel coloured houses protected by the castle walls. And we were in a deep valley, like a big basin, surrounded by the forests and hills of the Jura.

Best of all, I got my laundry done. Ahhh, the smell of freshly laundered clothing...dreamy to a cycle camper!!

Last night, an Australian couple turned up who were nearly at the end of their 2 year round the world tour. That put my 6 week trip into perspective!! Any homesickness vanished. It was so nice to have a conversation in English again. My French has improved a lot whilst here but it is limited & sometimes it's hard not to converse much.

On saying that, whilst eating lunch yesterday, a chap was sat nearby and was delighted to chat in English. He was so enthusiastic and said he'd visited Yorkshire and the best thing about it was Yorkshire Building Society (what?!!) And the brass bands!!! Yorkshire Building Society!!! It was a bit of a surreal conversation!

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Heading into the Jura

The weather improved considerably on Tuesday 7th August, thankfully. And I was now crossing Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) to start heading North. What would it be like North of the lake?! Would it be like North vs South of the River Thames in London?!

Well, it was very pretty & I cycled through so many vineyards, everywhere was so green. I wasn't heading straight into the Jura, I was following Swiss national route 5 initially to see Lac de Neuchatel. On Tuesday, I made it as far as Cossonay where they happily let me stay at their campsite even though it was all caravans. Phew!

On Wednesday, I continued along route 5 for a while with the Jura to my left & some spectacular views of the Alps on my right including Mont Blanc shimmering away in the distance. Seeing Mont Blanc was really special, the mountain had always been hiding in clouds when I should have been able to see it in the Alps.

Yverdon les Bains was an exceptionally pretty town and the lake a perfect turquoise. It looked like the regional cycle routes ran alongside the lake on the map and they were for a bit. I enjoyed lunch next to the sparkling lake in a place called Grandson! But then the routes were slightly away from the lake with railway tracks in between and trees blocking the view. At this point, although it was pretty, I wanted to be back in the hills, and felt I was missing too much of the Jura.

So I did an about turn and headed into the hills. So much better! I cycled through a small village called Champagne! I had a 10km climb up to St Croix where I stayed in a hotel for the night. No campsites to be found. I was dreading the price of a Swiss hotel but it was just CHF 40 (guess £30ish) so I bit their hand off. I was shattered. It wasn't very glamorous. The window in my room was broken, my room smelt of damp, it was 1 shared bathroom amongst all guests and yet I couldn't have been happier. Plus they ran a pizzeria so I enjoyed a fabulous dinner with them as well. Yum!

So that takes us to Wednesday night....

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Au revoir La Suisse, bonjour La France

I'm back in France so I can blog again, hurrah!!

I'll be updating the blog over the course of today. In the meantime, a MASSIVE thank you for all your blog responses, emails and texts of support whilst I've been "out of Europe", according to O2, and therefore off-line. They have really kept me going. I've been cycle-camping mostly on my own for more than 3 weeks now so your messages do mean a great deal and keep my spirits soaring.

I've got so many photos and stories to share with you from this week! I'll get them on the blog as soon as I can!


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Great day despite yucky rain!

What a great day! My longest to date at 60 miles although the 1st bit was either downhill or flat. I find cycling along the flat quite dull. Cycling along the flat I'd driving, persistent rain was a bit worse.

However, I then stumbled across the red London bus with Notting Hill as the destination in the photo! Most unexpected! There was a sort of cafe in the background. Did they do hot drinks? No, but they could make me one. What a wonderful and warming, much needed cuppa!

After lunching in a rather characterful stone and wood bus shelter, I was happily back in the hills. As I approached the summit of a small col, Col du Perret, a guy jumped out of a van with bare feet and ran across the road waving a banana and Snickers bar at me!! He and an equally enthusiastic lady were working for a Dutch cycle touring company and they thought I was amazing for carrying all my own kit and for doing it in this weather (it's only like the UK!). We had a super chat and they really made my day.

These are the sort of experiences I love on tour.

I made it to Yvoire this evening. When planning with Mary last week, I was going to stay in Bonneville tonight and then pedal to Yvoire tomorrow. However, as I reached Bonneville before 10am, I felt strong enough to carry on!! Although in the UK this week, Mary and Rene will be happy to hear I've now done Col de Saxel, the closest col to their home.

My insect bitten arm had reduced considerably by this morning so I'm happy it's going in the right direction. It's still pretty swollen but nothing like yesterday and no camel hump appearances today. Phew!

I'll be back in Switzerland tomorrow for a few days. I'll update the blog when I can. O2 stopped my internet access last time as I'd used my "outside Europe" allowance apparently. O2 need to check their maps. It's not like I'm in Africa!

However, I can still receive all blog responses, emails and texts. Please keep them coming, they're such a lifeline for me and a daily delight to look forward to. Thank you Mandie, Mel, Loz and Kate for all your communications. Emma R, great to hear from you again. Teresa, glad to hear you're having such an amazing time at the triathlete camp in the Dordogne (what mad sporty friends I have!). Jane, keep blogging from NZ! Laetitia, hope the sun comes out back home! Also for Mary's visit.

And thank you always to my Mum and Sis for being in touch so brilliantly every day with all the news and gossip. Glad to hear about Murray beating Federer! Hope you got to meet lots of exciting Team GB peeps, Janny!

A big happy birthday to my Auntie Hazel today also!

Keep me up to date with life and the Olympics everyone, it sounds like we're doing great!

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Aravis Mountains

I've fallen in love with this gorgeous place despite the violent weather encountered all last night, much of today & apparently tonight and tomorrow - joy!

The scenery around here is truly fabulous & there's a real buzz in the little village of St Jean de Sixt.

Despite the rather terrifying start to the day - these storms can be really scary and the last thunderbolt made it sound like all the mountains had split in two - I still managed to pop down into St Jean for my tea & pain au chocolat. Nothing stops me from that! There was a fantastic atmosphere in the cafe bar & I sat happily reading my Kindle (thank you again, PHP!).

A picnic lunch hunkered down in my tent during a cloudburst and then, given the weather changes in a heartbeat, I was able to go for a lovely stroll in the hot sun during the afternoon.

I needed to pop into the pharmacy to show off a rather extreme reaction to an insect bite I suffered on my elbow yesterday. The pharmacist looked rather alarmed and I must admit my eyes popped out my head as my elbow had again doubled in size and now resembled 2 humps of a camel, a big lump overtaking my upper arm and another my lower. She rather doubtfully gave me some cream and said doctor's tomorrow if no better. I asked back at the camp where the docs was and then a debate ensued in rapid fire French, none of which I understood, as everyone wanted a look and it culminated with one of them showing me my arm would need chopping off...!!! I think it will be fine, I'm a quick healer. No arm chopping off this tour.

I hear the rumblings of the next storm. It sounds just like T-Rex on his way in Jurassic Park!! And he is makes his dramatic entrance accompanied by lots of strobe lighting (lightening) and dry ice (cloud). The storms are certainly impressive, it's just the flimsy piece of fabric separating me from them that's the concern!

I hope we're still doing well in the Olympics? And, Donna, fantastic to hear from you today. My energy, what about yours, woman?!!

Look forward to hearing from you all!

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By jove, I did it!!

Yippee, I did it!! I completed my long, difficult day and even reached the lovely campsite by 3pm! My tent is the green one bottom left with all the panniers stuck outside and the yellow thing on top is my tea towel drying from having just dried the tent! I didn't realise I had a matching tea-towel and pannier set!!

It's really weird, I didn't remember climbing the Col de la Colombiere last year until the very end when I could see the cafe at the top. Then I had a great chuckle when I went into the cafe, which is also a souvenir shop. I remember very well that, given last year's weather was so awful, I contemplated buying some oven mitts to keep my frozen hands warm on the descent!!! The fact that I wouldn't have been able to brake was a minor issue... And, in true style today, I enjoyed a very yummy chocolate crepe at the top with my cuppa. I was so proud of myself. Do you remember the Col de la Colombiere, Diane? It's simply stunning when it's nice weather! I love the Aravis Mountains.

It's been great hearing from you, Diane, as well as Tim and Jane from the Pyrenees trip. Di and Tim, your North York Moors cycle sounded fab, especially the fish & chips in the rain after!! Sorry if we're making you jealous, Jane, in your NZ Winter.

Lisa, great to hear from you and especially that you and David enjoyed your honeymoon in Italy! Good luck with the mad workload over the next few weeks.

Mary, great to hear from you at Norrey's in the UK & hope you are all having a good time. All the campsites are working out fine, thank you, big plus! I know you explained the meaning of Camping de Cret tonight, however I still wasn't expecting a 20% climb for half a mile to the campsite after I'd already got Col de la Colombiere in my legs!

Charlie, thank you for the ACCA Council vote! Anyone else who is ACCA or knows any other ACCAs, please vote for me too, thank you!

Janny, glad you enjoyed the Team GB rowing, sounds an awesome time!

And Mum, keep getting that knee better.
Rest day tomorrow. I've already got my laundry done, how efficient! So the day is free for sightseeing, cuppas with pain au chocolat, checking my fabulous workhorse of a bike over and generally chilling out before the next leg.

Happy weekends everyone!


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Gorgeous Gorges

This photo of my bike says it all-it has collapsed in a heap and is sleeping deeply in preparation of the next outing!

Another long climb to 1700m today to the Col de Joux Plane. I was grateful for the cool and cloudy weather as I creaked and groaned my way up the mountain, sweat gushing from every pore. A few cyclists went past me today, all with messages of "bon courage" and I also had my first "chapeau" of the tour! The highest accolade from the French so I was absolutely delighted. This was from 1 of 2 young lads who cycled past me close to the top. They cheered me in with a round of applause and gave me a banana energy bar for my efforts!

Two more amazing things happened today: one was a cyclist WALKING up the mountain (come on, I'm lumbering what feels like thousands of kilos up) and I also OVERTOOK a man today as we pedalled the steady climb to my campsite. Wow!

I'm in the jaw-dropping Gorges des Tines tonight. None of my photos do it any justice. You can look it up on the internet. You should be able to find my campsite too: Camping Le Pelly near Sixt Fer a Cheval. You'll see the enormous rocky cliffs towering over us and all the waterfalls. Mad!

I have a lot of respect for tomorrow's ride (code for I'm terrified!). It will be a much longer day mileage wise with the 17km ascent of the Col de la Colombiere. I've cycled that on the road bike before. And I think this col featured in this year's Tour de France? I'll be doing it at a slightly slower pace!

I'll be in touch tomorrow! xxxx

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So where did you have lunch today?

Can you believe this view?! Wowzers!! This was my picnic spot this fine Thursday lunchtime as I indulged in local fare. Phenomenal!

To start from the beginning, last night's storm was mental. Non-stop vivid flashes of lightening, thunder crashing around, torrential rain and the wind tearing at my tent. Not my most relaxing night!

I knew my mileage was low today so there was no need to rush this morning. In fact, I only cycled 100 metres from the campsite into Abondance before promptly sitting down to a well earned cuppa and pain aux raisins!

I then just climbed seemingly forever. I climbed through the Abondance valley - so pretty - to Chatel which is a huge outdoor sports resort, Summer and Winter. I then started the climb proper up Col de Bassachaux (1783m). I'd met an English guy at the campsite in the morning and we'd chatted about cycling. Once I'd reached the top of the col, I heard a voice booming "now THAT'S what I call impressive!". He was there out hiking with his family. Neither of us knew each other would be there so that was a lovely surprise. I had lots of "bon courage" from the French today as I battled my way up.

The whole area around the climb is one huge mountain biking area. None of the mountain bikers actually cycle up as I was doing. They stick their bikes on a chairlift and cycle down. Cheats! Actually, the descents were crazy and very technical, there's no way I'd switch places with them. They probably think likewise with me!

The next part of my route was a very adventurous off road section. The guidebook said 75% of this route was passable by those on road bikes with slick tyres. I would argue not even 25% was passable. I bounced down the tracks as much as my poor bike. Various bolts loosened and rattled as we descended to Les Lindarets which I've now fixed.

Clearly I deserved a chocolate crepe with my cuppa in Les Lindarets! This was an interesting village dominated by goats which were causing chaos in the streets!

And then a simple descent on a normal road (phew!) to my campsite this evening in Montriond near Morzine. The mountains in the distance are already engulfed in grey rain clouds so let's hope it doesn't reach here tonight. A storm free night would be appreciated!

I've just heard another British cycling team has won on the track at the Olympics - fabulous!

I forgot to ask, was Linda on Calendar the other night?

Looking forward to hearing from you all soon!

Andi xx
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