I didn’t sleep so well last night. I’ve got one of those neat Exped Downmat 7 mattresses, which was great, but I did toss and turn, and at 6am I was up…ready for another day.
Today was cold…really cold…I don’t know what happened, but the chill just came in and it was a tad uncomfortable…really motivated me to head south as quickly as possible… Can’t wait to see the Med!
As we negotiated our way from Dieppe to Rouen, Roaul and I took a few round about ways. Gorgeous country side…great apricot croissants!
On ou journey, we made a quick stop to get some water in and put on some gloves when a french cyclist on a road bike pulled up, Beniot. He tried to start some conversation, but quickly realised that this was pointless…my French is useless. After a few failed attempts at conversation we did get across that we were headed to Rouen. We showed him our route on our map, but he was quick to point out to us that there is a far prettier route than we had chosen. Rather than explain it to us, he actually led us…for over 35km! Truly amazing. I found it absolutely encouraging that another cyclist looked after us so much. It was great to not worry about the map, get my head up and just enjoy the ride…although is was a little cold. (I can feel the windburn on my face and neck tonight!)
Beniot, our cycling savior
We stopped in Cleres for a crepe and a coffee to warm up before heading the last 20km or so to Rouen.
Crepes and Coffee in Cleres
Once in Rouen, we made the decision to stay in town – fancied going out for a pint and a meal…and so cold we’d rather not camp tonight (although I do appreciate it could get colder later and I will need to face this demon anyway). There is no hostel in Rouen, so a cheap hotel it is.
After a greasy kebab and a drink I’m exhausted and ready for bed. I’m in the hotel now punching this out on my laptop…my legs are burning (the good kind of burn – the kind where you know you’ve done something good), my eyes are heavy, I’m ready for bed…and it’s only 8pm! Hehe…looking forward to a nice sleep.
75km Bicycled Today
140km to Date
