Mike Bedard
mike.bedard@rogers.com
Mike Bedard
mike.bedard@rogers.com
This was our 10th cycling trip to France but our first north of the Loire river. Once again, we travelled with our good friends, Heather and Peter Stark who have joined us for five European trips. We were very apprehensive about the weather but our worries were unfounded as Normandy had a sunny and dry summer that year. We are all middle-aged (actually getting to be late middle-aged). We travel unsupported but we stay in hotels or chambres d'hôte (B&B's). We average about 60 km per day. We dine well. It's an elegant life we lead!!
The following is a log of our journey which includes some very subjective editorial opinions! The attached map outlines our route.
Day 1: We flew overnight from Montréal to Nantes (near the mouth of the Loire river). We are fortunate to have available a charter carrier (Air Transat) which flies out of Montréal (and Toronto) to regional centres in France: Nantes, Toulouse, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Mulhouse, Strasbourg and Nice (as well as Paris, of course). It allows a lot of flexibility in trip planning although it's "no frills" air travel to be sure. First class or economy, I hate the transatlantic flight. It's not the "fear of flying"; it's the boredom! It's like being stuck in a large crowded elevator for seven hours. Aéroport Nantes-Atlantiques is small with no pleasant cycling routes out. The most obvious exit leads you to an expressway! We cycled into the city of Nantes through rather grubby commercial suburbs. Our Michelin maps didn't indicate any easy route out of the city so we decided to take the train to Redon, a pleasant but not memorable little town about 70 km north of Nantes in eastern Brittany where we spent our first night.
Day
2 (65 km): On a warm sunny morning we headed north on
narrow country lanes through beautiful rolling countryside. We
stopped for a drink at the edge of the
Forêt de Paimpont in Beignon. This is Merlin's
forest - the site of the Arthurian legend! It is near Beignon where
Lancelot and Guinevere first betrayed Arthur. Within the forest is
Merlin's tomb; the lair of Morgan-la-Fée; the "lake" of
Lancelot-du-Lac; etc. It is dark and quiet with great
cycling.
Carol's
chain broke! Peter and I were able to make the repair at roadside
under difficult conditions. We were quite proud of ourselves
(although it broke again in England the next summer. I bought her a
new chain for Christmas after the second break). We stopped at the
Relais de Brocéliande in the tiny village of Paimpont
in the heart of the forest. Good dinner!
DAY
3 (61 km): Another beautiful day! The ride through the
rest of the forest was wonderful. At lunch, Carol complained of a
"click" in her newly repaired chain. (Stiff link - I fixed it
correctly this time. She thinks I can do anything! How little she
knows of my true bike-repair skills!) We arrived in the beautiful
town of Dinan in early afternoon after a pleasant but hilly
ride. The vielle ville is truly outstanding with half-timbered
buildings and lots of flowers.The cobbled (and
uncyclable) rue du Jerzual twists steeply down to river level. It
is quite remarkable! We had a fun dinner at the Crêperie des
Artisans about halfway down the hill - rustic decor and a lively
player-piano performance. Despite the hordes of tourists, Dinan is a
"must see" for any trip to this region.
Day
4 (37 km): There isn't an easy route from Dinan into
St. Malo. We made our way into the old walled section of the
St. Malo - "Intra Muros". The vielle ville was severely
damaged by bombing in WW II - St. Malo had been used by the Germans
as a submarine base - but it has been nicely restored. It is
completely enclosed by ramparts. We had a
splendid (windy) walk all around at sunset.
Day 5 (49 km): We agreed to spend another day in St. Malo. Peter and Heather decided to spend the day exploring the town and the surrounding beaches and tidal pools. Carol and I cycled east along the coast to Cancale, famous for its oysters and mussels. The ride was beautiful - bright sunny day, wind at our backs all the way to Cancale ( but of course in our faces all the way back).There were lots of tourists in St. Malo - mostly English - St. Malo is one of the major cross-Channel ferry destinations. There are many dining options in the town, although prices are a little above average - all the tourists, I guess.
Day 6 (68 km): We got an early start on a sunny Sunday morning. We were heading for Mont St. Michel. There's really only one possible route for both bikes and cars although there was a cyclable shoulder on the road, so it wasn't too bad despite the traffic. We decided to stop at noon at Pontorson, about 8 km straight south of Mont St. Michel. We left our panniers at the hotel and headed north to this "grand site de France". We found a nice country lane that paralleled the main road for most of the route. The first view of the site is spectacular - in fact the best part of the experience is the approach along the causeway. It is truly a remarkable structure! Heather had a puncture just as we arrived. It was very hot as we repaired it right outside the walls. When we entered through the gates, my first thought was "I've been here before! This is like Rocamadour!" And it was! Thousands of tourists (from the hundreds of cars and dozens of buses) winding their way from the base up to the abbey at the summit ("La Merveille" - the marvel!) - and back down! Heather and Carol persisted - Peter and I found a cool bar and a cool beer. It was just too hot and too crowded. Even the women ultimately gave up! If you must see it (and you MUST!!), go early in the morning before the buses and the throngs of tourists arrive.
Day 7 (57 km): We chose lovely small lanes to Pontaubault (where we had breakfast) and on to Avranches. Look for these tiny "white" roads on your Michelin maps. The rewards are great. We ended the day by the sea at Joulouville-les-Pins. Typically, at the seashore we had a little difficulty finding accommodations. We have learned over the years that if you're on the coast, stop early! The wind was up and the sky was grey but we had a brisk walk on the beach nonetheless.
Day 8 (75 km): After an early start we travelled small country lanes all the way to Villedieu-les-Poêles. We arrived at 11 AM in the midst of a large, busy market. As usual, Peter and I "watched the bikes" and had une pression (a draft beer) while the women "power shopped" the market. We found a hotel. Peter and Heather decided to relax and tour the town. Carol and I headed off to the east down some very tiny lanes through some equally tiny hamlets in quite hilly terrain. It was great cycling - no traffic except for the odd tractor. Back at Villedieu-les-Poêles we found out why the town was so named. There were many stores with copper and brass cooking utensils for sale. We had a nice dinner at our hotel, the "St. Pierre et St. Michel" (what a coincidence!).
Day 9 (46 km): Another early start - another beautiful day! After a hilly start, we arrived at the ruins of the Abbaye d'Hambye too early to tour the impressive site. The hills continued to Roncey. Peter and Heather were taking a break on a bench outside the library when the librarian came out and invited them in to see their display about cycling and the Tour de France. She and her partner were so proud of it all and we were delighted with them. We continued (and so did the hills) up the Cotentin peninsula all the way to Coutances (with its beautiful cathedral) where we spent the night.
Day 10 (68 km): We were awakened at about 6 AM by the noise of a market being set up below our window. We had breakfast in a little bar in St. Saveur Lendelin, just getting in before a sudden short shower. There was a very small market in the village featuring a small stage with a group of players who were promising a 15 minute version of Hamlet in French at 11 AM. We were tempted, but it wasn't yet 9 AM so we carried on over very small lanes among the bocages (hedgerows) to the town of Valognes. We had a great meal at the Grand Hotel Louvre and watched a cycle race (it was the eve of Bastille day). A fun day!
Day 11 (45 km): We decided to stay an extra day in Valognes. We woke up to a large market where we spent a leisurely couple of hours. After lunch we found a back-roads route to the village of Briquebec to see the ruins of the old chateau. Dinner in Valognes was at the Grand Hotel Louvre again. Another great meal - we highly recommend it!
Day 12 (73 km): As before, we avoided the more
direct routes, choosing instead the small country lanes through the
bocages. 
The
last 4 km to the beautiful coastal village of
Barfleur were in the open with a strong wind at our backs
- my kind of cycling!! We turned towards the wind as we headed south
from Barfleur to St. Vaast La Hougue (pronounced 'sain
valoag'), a fine small port where a morning market was just closing
up. After lunch, we carried on down the coast and then headed inland
to Ste. Mère-Eglise, the site of the American parachute
attack on D-Day, 1944. The story of the attack is interesting but the
exploitation of it in the town is hokey!
Day 13 (70 km): Sunday. We cycled to Utah Beach where there is an impressive monument. We continued on to Isigny-sur-Mer where we met a young couple from Calgary en route from Brussels to St. Malo. From our conversation it became clear that we had chosen the correct direction for our trip (west to east). They had been riding into stiff winds along the Channel coast for several days. We found a so-so hotel (the Petit Mayereur) in Grandcamp-Maisy, an attractive little fishing port. Carol and I cycled up to La Pointe du Hoc at the western end of Omaha Beach. This is the site of a tragic U.S. Ranger attack on D-Day where two-thirds of the 225 men were lost in a futile exercise to capture a gun emplacement - the "guns" were dummies! The real ones had been moved inland a kilometre or so.
Day 14 (70 km): It was (appropriately) cool and overcast as we cycled along the road at the edge of Omaha Beach. I can't imagine how terrifying it must have been on D-Day - they were so exposed and the cliffs seem so insurmountable. We headed south and found a very nice chambre d'hôte (Danielle & Henri Lamy in the village of Etreham). We unloaded our panniers and headed into the nearby city of Bayeux. There's an interesting vielle ville and a grand cathedral, but one comes to Bayeux to see "the tapestry" (La Tapisserie de la Reine Mathilde). The 70 m long tapestry is a pictorial history of the events leading up to and including the invasion of England by William the Conqueror in 1066. We recommend that you rent the cassette and headphones during the tour. We had supper in Bayeux then a great wind-assisted ride back to the B&B.
Day 15 (77 km): Our breakfast at the B&B was very good! We headed east (again down the smallest of lanes) to Juno Beach at Courseulles-sur-Mer. There was a very large crowded market filling the town. After a little "power shopping" by our power-shoppers, we headed inland, stopping at the Canadian War Cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer. It is beautifully maintained but visiting it is a very difficult experience - over 2000 graves, mostly ages 19, 20, 21, 22. I was saddened and angered by the experience. We stopped at a B&B north of the city of Caen. We dropped our gear and cycled into town. We were late arriving and didn't do justice to seeing the city, but we did have a nice meal and cycled back to the B&B just at sunset. It was a memorable day.
Day 16 (66 km): Late start - our hosts get up later
than we do! We crossed the Orne river at Pegasus Bridge. The
small café at the end of the bridge was the first building
liberated in France, captured by British paratroopers on the night of
June 5th, 1944. We drafted a tractor pulling a wagon for 4 km,
watched constantly by a very puzzled looking cow.
Beuvron-en-Auge is a very pretty little village at the edge of
the "Route du Cidre". There are very few hotels in this area.
We found a B&B near Rumesnil in an old half-timbered
farmhouse. We dropped our panniers and headed out to tour the cider
route. The area is hilly and wooded with many orchards. There are
numerous opportunities to taste cider, calvados (a cognac style
brandy made from cider instead of wine) and pommeau (a calvados and
apple juice mix similar in style to Pineau des Charentes). We stopped
at one in Grandouet.
Our
guide was the ancient Yvon Grandval, complete with beret, father
of the current proprietor. During the tour he pointed out a
"tonneau" (huge oak cask) which had been in use since the late
1700's. I asked him if this had been the family business since that
time. He said "Oh no! Only since 1868!" We bought cider, calvados and
pommeau - he was a good salesman. We arrived in Cambremer, the
only village of any size in the area, close to supper time. Our only
option was the "Bar/Tabac/Café/Terrasse/Restaurant" -
honestly, that's what was on the sign. Our host was the
bartender/chef/waiter/busboy and he created a splendid meal (
jambon de pays stuffed with braised endive served with
freshly prepared French fries), and very inexpensive! All in all, a
superior day!
Day 17 (63 km): Peter and Heather were locked into their room. The lock was stuck so they had to climb out the window! We found a B&B early in the day near Pont l'Evêque, dropped our gear and headed out to Deauville on the Channel coast to see how the rich-and-famous spend their summers. We ran into some road repairs that loaded our tires up with tar and crushed stone - we were still picking it off days later. The beach at Deauville was hot and very crowded. We didn't stay! Not a great day!
Day 18 (25 km): We had an uneventful ride to Lisieux (except for the stop to buy another bottle of calvados en route.) Carol tripped and fell hard as we entered the hotel - fortunately she was OK. It was a day of relaxation for the guys & shopping for the women - no stereotypes here, just reality! The basilica of Ste. Thérèse ("The Little Flower") is here. It's quite impressive.
Day
19 (35 km): Another late start. We're cycling short
distances these days because I've been hit with a heat rash in the
most uncomfortable place! We had a pleasant ride to Bernay and
a pleasant lunch. There's an Abbaye and some attractive public
gardens in the town.
Day 20 (59 km): Cool and sunny. After breakfast in Beaumont-le-Roger, we cycled pretty rural lanes to La Bonneville-sur-Iton where we stopped for a drink. From there we cycled through the Forêt d'Evreux, very pretty with dappled sunlight. Carol had a "pit stop" in the forest when we had cycled far ahead of the others. As we continued a hundred metres or so down the road from her chosen site, we saw a sign which said "Attention!! Vipères!!" (poisonous snakes!) We had a little difficulty finding a hotel and, later, a restaurant in the little city of Evreux. Sunday in France often poses such a problem. We watched Indurain win his 5th Tour de France on TV.
Day
21 (83 km): This is our last day of cycling. We cycled
through grain fields on tiny lanes. Very picturesque! We couldn't
find accommodation in Vernon so we headed down to
Giverny where we found a nice (but expensive) B&B. From
there we headed down to see Monet's famous gardens and lily pond.
It's Monday! Monet's gardens are closed on Mondays! (We ran into the
same problem one year in Aix-en-Provence when Peter and Heather tried
to see Cézanne's workshop on a Tuesday. We try to be
interested in the arts but seem to have bad timing!) I'm tall enough
that I could peek over the hedge to see the lily pond. The others are
not, so Peter and I hoisted the two women in turn onto our shoulders
so they could see it and take a picture. The real thing is not as
pretty as the many paintings of it done by Monet.
Day
22-23: We took the train into Paris from Vernon. Like the train
we took to Redon at the start of the trip, we chose one which allowed
us to take our bikes as bagage à main. There's no
charge for taking the bikes but you must load and unload them
yourself. We arrived in Paris at Gare Saint-Lazare (looking very much
like it did in the impressionists paintings of it a century ago).
From there we cycled across the city to our preferred hotel (the
Slavia at 51, Bd. St. Marcel near Gare Austerlitz - it's nice,
friendly and not too expensive - for Paris - 330 FF per room in 1995
- 385FF by 1997). We spent the day wandering around the heart of
Paris. Everything is within walking distance, if you're willing to do
it. The métro is very fast and efficient if you want to travel
from one area to another. We decided at Trocadéro, across the
Seine from the Eiffel Tower, to take the métro back to our
hotel. On the train I asked Peter if he could smell burning wood. He
did. We found out the next day that terrorists had exploded a bomb in
the métro station across the river from Notre Dame cathedral.
Several people were killed!! Scary stuff! On our second day in Paris
Peter led our morning tour through the Sorbonne, the "left bank", the
Louvre (Peter & Heather braved the crowds inside - Carol had been
before), and a great tour of the Musée d'Orsay. We split in
the afternoon. They walked up to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre. We
wandered around, looking for a likely restaurant for our last night
in France. We found a very nice one (La RéCréative at
23, Bd. du Port Royal) just a few blocks from our hotel. It was a
wonderful meal - charming restauranteur and young female chef. We
took the RER (SNCF's portion of the Paris métro) out to Orly
airport the next morning. You can take your bikes on these trains to
Orly and Charles de Gaulle (for a fee). Once at the airport, the
bikes can go with you on the shuttle buses which go to the
terminals.
It was a great trip, just over 1200 km. We had beautiful weather, managing to dodge the two or three showers in the three weeks. The cycling on the small country lanes was great, especially on the Cotentin peninsula and on the Route du Cidre. The visits to the D-Day beaches and cemeteries were memorable and disturbing. Hotels and chambres d'hôte were not too expensive - except for Paris, they averaged at less than 190 FF per couple per night and the B&B's included breakfast.
