Author: Garry

Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in France on Thursday, 21st-March-2019. Pacy-s-Eure to Ouistreham. 100 miles. Well, I think I may have got my cycling legs back; 100 miles, not a bad effort on my part! There’s still some life in the old dog!

Originally I was going to come home via Le Havre, but due to there only being one ferry a day and that’s at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, I was a bit worried that I’d miss it!

And even though Ouistreham is further away there are more ferries. Which in the end turned out to be the right choice.

There’s not really much to say about today apart from it’s been overcast for most of it, and I’ve been cycling all day, 12 hours in fact, that’s 12 hours actual peddling!

Despite the long day and hard ride I’ve still enjoyed myself, and look forward to being able to go away again soon before I have to go back into hospital!

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Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in France on Wednesday, 20th-March-2019. Paris to Pacy-s-Eure. 61 miles. Well, that was an enjoyable day, hard work but enjoyable! There’s been some pretty steep climbs, as well as some long climbs that went on forever!

Paris was fun first thing this morning, although I must admit there was definitely something a bit different! It just didn’t feel the same, whether it was because I’ve been there a few times now I don’t know! Or maybe, what I really think it was, was the aftermath of the protests/riots that happened at the weekend! There was definitely a bad vibe in the air!

Shops along the Champs-Elysees had smashed windows, other shops were boarded up, and there was debris all along the street, still waiting to be cleared up! And the mood along the Champs-Elysees seemed to reverberate around the whole city!

Speaking of the protests/riots, I think my choice of top probably wasn’t the best! I seemed to get a lot more thumbs up today! I even heard somebody at the hotel tonight, as I was checking in say “Gilet Jaune!”

After leaving Paris I went to Versailles and played the tourist there! Only from afar though, you’re not allowed too close with a bike!

After I’d finished prating around and decided to start cycling it was gone midday! Leaving not a lot of time for cycling, but it doesn’t matter, as I said earlier I’ve had an enjoyable day!

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Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in France on Tuesday, 19th-March-2019. Neufchatel-en-Bray to Paris. 81 miles. Early start again today, some idiot forgot to change his alarm clock! Three o’clock the blooming thing went off! And of course, you can guarantee that you won’t be able to get back to sleep, well not until it’s time to get up anyway!

It’s been an enjoyable ride for the best part of the day. I started off on the Avenue Verte, until Forges-les-Eaux where the off-road part of it finishes, and you then follow quiet country lanes.

I decided to leave the Avenue Verte at that point and get to Paris my way! Which was along the main roads!

I’m not very good at quiet country roads, I find I’m forever stopping to look at a map, making sure I’ve taken the right road! No, I much prefer the main road where I can easily navigate!

All was going well until about 30 miles from Paris when the road I was on just ended! They’d changed the layout and the road was more like a motorway now!

No problem I’ll just get the phone out and get Google to direct me! That worked out fine until we were on the outskirts of Paris. It then started taking me down dirt tracks, and around the houses. And to top it all down a flight of stairs! But at least it got me here and the last five miles were enjoyable, as I knew where I was going. It was just that bit with Google in charge, I don’t like not knowing where I am!

Made It

I didn’t arrive at the campsite until nearly eight o’clock tonight. And I just about managed to get the tent up before it was really dark.

I might go and get the obligatory photo of myself and the Eiffel Tower tomorrow, seeing as I didn’t have time today. I’ll see in the morning as I head home. I’ve got to be back for Friday.

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