| Day # |
06 |
State of Legs |
:-) |
|
Distance (miles) |
Distance (km) |
Ascent (feet) |
Ascent (metres) |
Punctures |
| Today |
73 miles |
km |
3543 feet |
metres |
0 |
| Trip Totals |
380 miles |
km |
16346 feet |
metres |
0 |
Travelogue
Another fine day! Although there was one part, where I seemed to be lost and trapped in the Forest of Doom where it was not so fine!
The day started very well. Christian asked if I'd like some company for the first 10 miles of my route and I said "yes, very much so" and so Christian rode the first 10 miles with me on his Specialised full suspension mountain bike.
After that, we said our goodbyes and I continued on my way. The countryside and small villages continued to charm but quite soon I was on one of several off-road sections. Now the thing with "off-road" is that it comes in many forms, some of which are good and some of which are pretty much impossible or at least "challenging" on my heavy touring bike. Today had all that and more.
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| I stopped for a bit of in-ride food here |
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| Gravel trail through woodland |
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| Gravel trail crossing farmland |
 |
| The trail soon became this... just a path cut in the grass for tractors |
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| And this.... which clogged up my derailleur with grass! |
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| It's a photo of my bike again |
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| Back on the road at last! |
Per that last caption, I prefer the road sections to the off-road. Off-road on a heavy bike like mine is very slow and pretty exhausting. It was very hot today as well. All good though.
On I went and eventually came to a town called Sainte-Menehould. It was lunchtime, I was hungry and there was a patisserie, just there! Perfect. I went in and enquired about sandwiches that had no meat in them, using my best French. I was apparently understood! But was to be disappointed. Because there was no such sandwich. Instead, I was pointed to the selection of quiches. I chose a salmon and broccoli one and was about to pay when the nice lady, clearly assessing my needs better than I had, easily persuaded me to buy another quiche, a "quiche poireaux". I have no idea what was in this one but both were delicious and consumed sat in a small area of shade by this floral arrangement in front of the town hall.
It's just as well I had a substantial lunch because not long after, I switched to off-road again, and it's here that things started to go a little pear-shaped. The trail started off ok but I started to have problems matching the map to the terrain I was actually cycling. I got a bit lost, only turning back when I saw a sign saying "private property"! I retraced my steps, found a very overgrown trail that might be the right choice and headed down it. It matched my map well enough. But it deteriorated quickly and became a bit of a forestry project and impossible to cycle. I had to man handle the bike over fallen branches and push through some ridiculous terrain until eventually, I left the bike on its stand and investigated adjacent woodland on foot. I found what we'd call a sheep's track in the UK. I narrow, winding track full of tree roots that seemed to go the right way, so with some effort I managed to get the bike onto it and proceeded to ride this very precarious and difficult little path. Perseverance paid off in the end though and it was with some relief I found myself back on the road again!
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| Hooray! Free from the Forest of Doom! |
From here, I detoured to Revigny and hit LIDL for some provisions. From there, I headed for my
HomeCamper accommodation, the home of a young family of four (plus small dog, Fiji). I'm camped there now in the back garden and have just spoken with everyone. Once again, I've met some lovely, welcoming people.
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