Day 5 - Poix de Picardie to Chaumont en Vexin - 18 May

Having arrived in sunshine the previous evening, they had pitched their tents in the shade so not to be woken by the sun in the morning - but it was a cold night and their tents got moist and didn't dry out when the sun came up ! So they spread them out to dry and headed off for breakfast in Poix de Picardie before packing up the (still moist) tents and leaving the campsite and friendly staff.

Joe in action

The previous day was a day of Eoliens as they passed very close to a number of wind farms. This was a day of living creatures - they were chased and barked at by dogs, followed by a cow ( thankfully behind a fence ), investigated by curious horses and heard birdsong and creatures rustling when they rode through the forests. It was also a day of less steep, longer climbs topped by a view and then a long descent again. Joe achieved a downhill speed of 49 km/h ( had he looked at the dial he would have peddled a bit faster!) and Pierre overtook a tractor cutting grass!



It was a day of lovely picture postcard scenes - beautifully kept Normandy villages, with wood and wattle houses, straight spired churches and stunning countryside. A day of dirt tracks and fragrant woods, animals...and "reverse sleeping policemen" - ie signs, but there were hollows in the road rather than humps! It was also a day when they found somewhere to get lunch ( though they did have supplies this time in their saddlebags, just in case). The lunch in question for Joe was a culinary first for him - Hamburger Raclette Cheese Toasted Panini! - and gave some much needed energy. They even managed a quick panache in the afternoon ( well, you didn't expect them to have tea and scones?).


They're building up suntans (or windtans?) and although the clear skies clouded over and there were rain showers around , they didn't get wet. They cycled on wet roads and passed cars coming the other way with wipers still going but managed to dodge the showers. It's also getting warmer!




They arrived at Chaumont en Vexin where they were booked into a hotel as campsites in the area were scarce . The hotel doesn't currently have a bar or restaurant ( an application for a change of license has been submitted ) but the owner took pity on them and kindly offered to drive them to a local restaurant or said that they could bring a take-away pizza back to the hotel. They decided on the pizza and some cans from the pizza shop and ate back at the hotel, where they'd been given plates, cutlery, napkins etc, and a dining room to eat in. Imagine that in England?


For the first time on the trip, when they arrived at the stopping point, they felt that they could have gone on further that day...



Vital statistics : Poix de Picardie to Chaumont en Vexin 76Km, Average speed 13.2 km/h

Day 4 - Sibiville to Poix de Picardie - 17th May

Another 75 km day, but this time back to climbing again, with a rural campsite the stopping place. They made a good start and good headway, but despite looking for many hours, they could find nowhere to eat. There were bars ( mostly smoke filled, in defiance of France's anti-smoking laws!) but no food was available. This was a real concern for them today, as they're burning lots of calories and need fuel ! It's one of the disadvantages of following a route on the minor roads - it's more pleasant to cycle on the small roads, and less lorries should make it safer, but no lorry drivers eating means no cafes serving food. Still they made it to the campsite late this afternoon and have plans to stock up with sandwich ingredients from the local shop for tomorrow. Pierre was pleased to arrive - as can be seen from the picture below! Next step was to check in and pitch their tents, which were small so wouldn't take long! Another steep climb today - the campsite is, according to Joe, " at the top of the world" but they've pitched their tents and headed off for a well deserved meal and no doubt a beer or two.







































Vital statistics: Sibiville to Poix de Picardie 75km, Average speed 13.6 km/h

Day 3 - Haut Pichot to Sibiville - 16th May

After showering, clearing up and re-packing the bikes, they left Haut Pichot early and headed to a nearby village, Frencq for breakfast. The cafe didn't serve breakfast but directed them to the local boulangerie where they bought some large croissants which they took back to the cafe and ate, washed down with a couple of cups of coffee. The cycling would be further, but a lot less hilly, overall they'd be descending and it was a nice day so they were looking forward to this leg.


They were also looking forward to a good meal and some drink... as Pierre's parents would be in Sibiville! The journey went well and they arrived in the afternoon with the sun shining, as you can see from the picture of Pierre pointing out that they'd arrived!

Vital statistics : Haut Pichot to Sibiville 75 km, Average speed 17.3 km/h

Day 2 - Channel Tunnel to Haut Pichot - 15th May

Joe and Pierre made it to breakfast on time and munched their way through scrambled eggs, sausages, juice and hot drinks before donning clothes to suit the chilly start and then ensuring the bikes were packed up again.

Joe on right, Pierre on left.

Cyclists can't travel as foot passengers with their bikes on the Channel Tunnel in the way that they can on the ferries, but they must use the Eurotunnel Cyclist minibus and trailer service that runs twice a day at 8 and 15.30. Time for a few photos and goodbyes and then they headed off to the Tunnel, though the driver warned that there would be delays due to a train stuck in the tunnel....












I then headed off for the station and the first of my four trains to take me to Kingston to spend the rest of the weekend with a friend - Joe and Pierre should be in France and en route to Haut Pichot by the time I arrived at Kingston. That was the idea - but as I travelled towards London, they were still waiting at Cheriton and I was comfortably installed beside the river with a glass of wine before they left England. The route to Haut Pichot from the tunnel exit is very hilly, and they were tired and hungry ( good thing they did make breakfast that morning, as lunch was cancelled!). They actually arrived in France at the time they'd hoped to be arriving at Haut Pichot, and still had a long hard cycle ride ahead. We contacted friends in Northern France to see if they could assist, but they couldn't transport the bikes, and cycling to their home would be the same distance as travelling on to Haut Pichot...so they had to battle on. They just reached Haut Pichot in daylight, having struggled up the hills and added to their journey with a few minor wrong turns - but they made it at around 9.45 french time!



Just time for a beer and a couple of sachets of Uncle Ben's instant rice ( better than Pot Noodle !) and then time to get into the sleeping bags...


























Vital statistics : Tunnel to Haut Pichot 53 km, Average speed 10.5 km /h

Day 1 - Charing to Folkestone Channel Tunnel - 14th May

After catching a train that didn't stop at Charing, (so having to change trains and haul the bikes around) Joe and Pierre cycled off for Folkestone . Having already cycled from Ealing, Pierre was running out of fuel, so they stopped midway for a pint (and a jacket potato for Pierre). Pub was the Tiger Inn at Stowting, where the beer and surroundings were timely and welcome. http://www.tigerinn.co.uk/ .

Suitable refreshed, they headed on for Folkestone ,and the Holiday Inn Express Channel Tunnel Cheriton, cycling up a few "challenging" hills en route and arriving around 6pm.

Pierre on left, Joe on right













Showers, food, a bottle of Reserve Pierre wine and an early (ish) night were the order of the day, as breakfast next morning was scheduled for 7 am .

(Bikes and cyclists have to be ready for collection by the Channel Tunnel cycle minibus at 7.45 for departure at 8am from the hotel car park so an early night was needed) .

Vital statistics : Ashford - Holiday Inn Express Cheriton 27 km, Average speed 13 km/h

It's Finally Started!

Joe and Pierre have just set off from Bromley. Pierre arrived from Ealing ( 30Km) and had a restorative coffee before they set off for the station. They're taking the train to Charing ( the end point of the "Dry Run") and then cycling to the hotel near the Channel Tunnel. I'm catching the train there later and will see them off tomorrow at 8 a.m. Spirits were high as they left - the extra couple of degrees in temperature this week have helped.

Joe on left, Pierre on right

Only 3 Days to Go..

Well only 3 days to go and we are off.  First leg of the trip is take the train to Charing (our furthest point on the Dry Run - see below) and then cycle to the Holiday Inn near the Channel Tunnel terminal.  More details on this first leg here later.

I did a 38km run over Biggin Hill and Westerham Hill today.  It’s a bit late for training now, but felt I needed to do something.   Google Earth link below.   I know why they named it Biggin Hill now – it’s steep.  Still a restorative pint of Harveys Best Bitter at the Grasshopper on the Green at Westerham http://www.grasshopperonthegreen.com/ helped a lot.

Cycling route below : Note GPS lost signal for a bit of the trip, hence the straight line over the trees.

http://sites.google.com/site/joewillisinfo/JW11May2010.kml?attredirects=0&d=1

I’ve got my bike booked in for a service tomorrow at Bromley Bike – it will need a check over before setting off.

New pedals are great – highly recommended.  I can choose between a flat pedal or a clip-in pedal.  Flat pedal is great in busy traffic.

Also been busy route planning – trying to find a suitable route with easily available campsites or cheap hotels is proving a lot more complex than I thought.

I’m hoping my “Assistant” (Penny) can update this as we go along – so watch this space.