Cherbourg to Bordeaux!

## Day 1: Delly End to Bretteville

* 5am Pickup (photo)

* Drop off jeans and toothpaste

* Ferry, waiter translation

* Hill out of Cherbourg, forgot to take photo

* Lunch bet, (Bricquebec, photo) voie verte

* Beers and shop in Bretteville

* Attic room (instagram photo)

* David and Elisabeth, cousins, guests

* First clothes wash

19, Bis, Rue de la Tirelière, 50430 Bretteville-sur-Ay

http://www.chambresdhotes.org/Detailed/7518.html

## Day 2: Bretteville to Saint-Quentin-sur-le-Homme

* Ride to sea, sprinkler, Ivo fell off (photo)

* Best breakfast, green tomato jam

* Waited for shorts to dry, left 25 minutes late (view of B&I depart)

* Old man with Campy cap

* Shared the wind with fit 50-y-o on a nice Look

* Lost Ben in Heugueville-sur-Sienne

* picnic lunch in café / shop in Hauteville-sur-Mer (photo)

* Ben swim in Carolles (photo)

* Busy road past MSM

* Climb into Avranches

* Hotel seemed closed

* Manoir aux Quat Saisons

* Drove us to restaurant in Ducey (photo of view from garden) Fancy food

* View of MSM in fancy new Citroen, like Hollande's

14 Rue des Estuaires, 50220 Saint-Quentin-sur-le-Homme

http://www.le-gue-du-holme.com

## Day 3: Saint-Quentin to Pléchâtel

* Coeur de Lion factory

* Cows in Saint-Aubin-de-Terregatte, old woman stopped

* Ride through Forêt de Chevré (video)

* lunch?

* Conversation with old man in Châteaugiron, photo

* Instagram video in Nouvoitou

* Amazing beers in Pléchatel (b&w instagram)

* Lovely welcome from towelled Didier and ?, pool, cool dog (photo)

* Bike oil, Stihl, toothbrush

* Pasta and wine, salad brought up by daughter

* Route planning (notebook photo)

Tillac 35470 Pléchâtel

http://www.chambresatillac.com

## Day 4: Pléchâtel to La Turballe

* breakfast, wrapped up cake

* Hot, marshland (Fégréac photo)

* Baguettes and pizza in Saint-Dolay

* Separated for ride to Herbignac, sun struck, 40 degrees

* Weird acoustic

* Arrival in La Turballe, old woman to back door, photo of our building

* Clothes drying setup

* Nudist beach joke

* Beer, lobster

* Hot room, plastic sheet

Manoir des Quatre Saisons

744 Boulevard de Lauvergnac, 44420 La Turballe

http://www.le-manoir-des-quatre-saisons.com

## Day 5: La Turballe to Notre-Dame-de-Monts

* farewell, mock tears, photo

* misty morning

* bridge (photo)

* puncture (photo)

* faded les pins town

* 6 coffees, grumpy woman

* lunch in saint-pere-en-retz

* policemen

* st michel chef chef signs

* deer coming out of saint-pere-en-retz

* fishing nets in Les moutiers-en-Retz (photo), conversation with parisien men with sophisticated glasses

* windy ride across marshland, sprints into towns

* water tower (photo), ben's nervousness, views

* arrival, suspicious then friendly

* pizza in town

85690 Notre-Dame-de-Monts

http://www.notre-dame-de-monts.fr/chambres-d-hotes-mr-et-mme-giraudet.html

## Day 6: Notre-Dame-de-Monts to Velluire

* massive storm

* fleur-du-sel (sp?)

* came after with bidons

* tom grumpy busy road, muck from storm

* split at resort?

* met in town with market?

* race to angles, strava top 10. lunch in angles (photo)

* hill climb to velluire, tree photo

* drinks and supper by the river

Auberge de la Rivière

2 rue du Port de la Fouarne, 85770 Velluire

http://www.hotel-riviere-vendee.com/

## Day 7: Velluire to Orignac

* beautiful ride by the river (photo), lots of miles before breakfast

* breakfast in town

* banana photo (benon)

* hot ride, tired in st-crepin

* beautiful town port-d'envaux, lunch, awful english

* stuck in saintes, wheels stuck in melting tarmac, french asking for directions, direction argument

* tough finish to champagnolles

* fat man from nice, midi accent

* velodrome, race tomorrow, world champions (photo?)

* kate arrival

* lost on final approach

* amazingly beautiful chateau (swallow video?)

* supper under the trees, swim, cognac tour

Auberge de la Rivière

2 rue du Port de la Fouarne, 85770 Velluire

http://www.hotel-riviere-vendee.com/

## 6. Orignac to Bordeaux

* breakfast photo?

* ivo sad to leave

* riding with victor

* blast to blaye, lunch in citadel

* ferry (photo with victor on bike)

* tom and ivo 40kmh ride through hot vinyards

* orangina never came

* arrival in bordeaux (photo)

* walk on quay, supper

arrival

## 7. Bordeaux to Delly End

* Another storm

* Ride to station, Ben and Ivo in green shorts and white shirt (photo)

* Pack up bikes in CTC bags, unpack before arrival

* Paul sandwiches

* Chess (photo)

* Cross Paris in the rain

* Nuisance at Gare du Nord

* Quick across London

* Tired in Paddington. Read Come On Down, first use of Kindle

* Beautiful ride home from Long Hanborough. England not so bad.