Day 16 to Carentan
The Mercure in St-Lo was one of the few places on the trip with the means to make hot drinks in the room. We took advantage first thing in the morning, before retrieving our bikes from the basement garage. We quickly found the EV4 route but there were Route Barree signs, which we ignored, of course! The Voie Verte track was newly laid and very smooth but after 5kms or so we were stopped by two engineers. Language was a bit of an issue but I am pretty sure they asked what we thought we were doing because there were ample signs. Quite pathetically, we pleaded that there were others using the path and there was no diversion sign and we did not know the area, so had no idea where else to go. They said there was machinery up ahead and the edges of the path had not been secured. In the end they let us pass, on the understanding that we might have to walk round the machines and we had to keep away from the edges.
We carried on for another few kms then saw the machinery and started walking around it. We were stopped again. This time there was a no nonsense “turn round go up the track and join the road.” We argued but gave way. The track was muddy and steep but we found the road and headed towards Pont Herbert with the assistance of Google maps. We had a coffee stop there and were able to join the track once again. We left it and the River Vire around St. Fromond and took small roads until we reached the Marais du Cotentin, where we joined a track beside a canal. On the way, we spotted what must be one of the tiniest Mairee (town hall) in France.
Around lunch time we stopped for a break by a disused lock with just the sound of birdsong around us. Suddenly, just beyond the old lock, a glass-sided tour boat emerged and the equally startled tourists started waving at us.
We passed several fishermen each with many rods on the final section into Carentan
where we had a look around the harbour before we went to our hotel (le Vauban). Our bikes were stored in a lock up garage about 200m from the hotel. Our room was very basic; we were told it was the biggest, so others must have been tiny. We ate at a bar on the harbour, also quite basic, and just made it before they closed. We then found a Carrefour for some drinks and nibbles to be consumed in our “big” room.
Day 17 to Briquebec
We left about 09.00 after a reasonable breakfast at the hotel. We soon joined the Voie Verte and headed East for about 15 miles until we reached La Haye-du-Puits. After a stop there for refreshments, we started heading North.
We rode along another track and soon reached St-Sauveur-le-Vicomte with its attractive Chateau.
We were staying that night at La Garenne in Briquebec en Cotentin, and we spent quite a time locating it, although we did ride past once before we found it. It was a delightful, comfortable Chambres d’Hotes very convenient for the town centre with the very impressive Chateau and donjon tower.
The town was a pleasant surprise, with more to see than we anticipated. We dined in a restaurant just off the town square. The manager had a small dog standing guard at the doorway, closely watching out for other dogs passing by as we drank our beers enjoying the evening sun.
Day 18 to Brix
Breakfast was a real feast and set us up well for a fairly short day on the bikes. It was noticeably cooler than previous days. Most of the time we were riding on tree lined Voie Vertes in bright sun with some early leaf fallers and crunchy acorns scattered on the path. We knew our overnight would not be serving food, as it was deep in the countryside, so we decided to have our main meal at lunchtime and found just the place in Sottevast. Sottevast was a small town with a nice church.
The town is dominated by an enormous milk factory. It is a cooperative and produces around 250 truck loads of produce per week. It was only another 5 km or so to Brix and our overnight stop at Chateau le Val. We planned this as a bit of luxury for our last night in France. And so it turned out. The Chateau was down a long private drive, deep in the countryside. It was old, owned by a couple of delightful Germans who had been there two years and still had a good deal of renovation to do. But our bit of the chateau was very comfortable with our own kitchen, if we wanted it, and a four poster bed. Our bikes were stored in a dovecote with carpet on the floor! We sat in their sunny garden for the remainder of the afternoon.
The hosts gave us a welcome bottle of wine, which we drank that evening with some food we’d bought at a supermarket on our way there.
Day 19 to Poole
Good breakfast and a special wave goodbye from the hosts for our last day in France. We wandered a bit before we found the EV4 again, but then it was a short ride to Cherbourg, where the trail disappeared once more.
On the outskirts of Cherbourg we found the Park and Chateau les Ravalet.
We had to stop when we had our first view of the sea again.
We rode into the city which was quite quiet, it being Sunday, but we found a cafe open right by the Opera house. We stopped there for a while then rode out to the Cite de la Mer to spend some time before our ferry loaded.
Admission to the Cite was quite expensive, but the entrance had a bar and several exhibits on display. We also rode around the outside of the Cite, which was the old cruise terminal building, on the harbourside and saw the Nuclear submarine Redoubtable, one of the main museum exhibits.
At the ferry, while waiting to board, we chatted with a motor cyclist from South Wales and watched in amazement while a couple in a nearby car managed to lock themselves out of their car, with all the keys inside. This caused some consternation with lots of people eager to help or at least offer advice. The car was still there when we embarked. But I saw it disembark at Poole with plastic covering its smashed front window.
It was a pleasant crossing and we had a good meal. We had reserved seats that gave us a lovely sunset view.
In Poole we used Google maps again to find our Premier Inn, where the staff were very friendly and we were easily able to take our bikes to our room.
Next day we had breakfast and rode home to Weymouth. We rode around Poole harbour and across the chain ferry and were soon on very familiar roads and the NCN2.
seclectic 