Trip Report: Six stormy days from Dieppe

Day 0: London to Dieppe (5th September 2008)

Not the Friday evening send off we had hoped for – torrential rain is forecast and we are absolutely soaked before we left London. I spent the train ride down to Newhaven stuffing newspaper stuffing in my only pair of trainers for the trip. With a decently strong storm hitting England and Northern France we considered buying better wet weather gear, or possibly even catching the first train out of Dieppe in the morning to warmer climes, but we were already on our way. Changing at Lewes we were directed to the bike carriage of the train through to Newhaven. We rushed our bikes on board to find four other cyclist crushed in the entrance way with us. “Heading for the ferry?” they asked us – and what else would you be doing with two panniers on the back of your bike on a late and stormy Friday night. “Couldn't resist the weather forecast?”

Despite waiting in the bracing wind for half an hour riding bikes onto a cross channel ferry is pretty good fun – you are climbing into the cavernous mouth of a metal whale of sorts. We'd opted out of the comfort / expense of a private cabin for the five hour journey so were pretty stoked to find an almost empty and quiet cabin where we could recline in chairs get a few precious hours sleep and dry the rest of our stuff.

Day 1: Dieppe to Fecamp (6th September)
kms 83
Ave 13.8
Max 40.5
Hours on bike: 6

Its still pitch black when we jump off the ferry and not much before 5 am. We grab an early coffee at the first open Tabac in town, guessing its the only place open when we spot the weekend cyclists pulling chairs up at the other side of the cafe. There's something alluring (or irrational) about having all the hours of daylight stretched out in front of you so we decide that Plan A of heading down the coast (as we have maps, and campsites plotted out) will be achievable despite storm forecasts and lack of sleep. What Plan B, anyway?
The first couple of hours of riding are glorious. We climbed out of the port town (and apparently there's no way out of Dieppe that doesn't involve climbing) and found ourselves on a high farming plain, with the cliff edge to the sea in the far distance. Dawn rose slowly through an overtired veil of surrealism – it feels like I'm viewing the world through 3D glasses, with a giant hay bales rolling into the distance and the edge of the world within eyesight. Just as I was yelling something to this effect to Justin a flock of pheasants were disturbed on the side of the road and all flew off, except one poor confused bird which kept running just ahead of his tires for a few more metres before finally taking flight.

We spend the day climbing in and out of the coast line, sometimes following bits of the North Sea Cycle route and sometimes staying on higher ground. Most of the seaside resorts we pass are tiny summer-only grounds and with less than fantastic weather the beaches don't look worthy of even a fleeting visit. Ghost-towns, some with a field of caravans parked up but not a lot else.

It rains a bit, but worse, the wind picked up during the day. About 10 km out of Fecamp, I had slowed to a crawl and suggested we take a side road that looked like it would come off the high plain and duck in the backroads past some wind turbines we could see in the distance. Suffice to say, a good place to put wind turbines, not such a great place to cycle with gale force strength headwinds.

We were aiming for Etratat but exhausted, stopped for lunch at Fecamp at about 3pm (6 hours of riding on a handful of pastries) and decided to call it a day. We'd done 80km, 20 more than we'd estimated and there was another 20 km of cycling into a headwind before we would hit our original goal of Etratat.

A dry but windy afternoon and a wet and stormy night. Our tent was pitched on a terrace lawn overlooking the sea so we got a good view of the Jet Ski Grand Prix which was taking place. There were fireworks in the evening but it was too wet for us to open the tent and watch. Not too much of a problem as both exhausted!

Day 2: Fecamp to Etretat (7th September)
kms 27.5
Hrs on bike: 2.15 hrs

Windy and wet day so stayed in the tent at Fecamp to see if it would clear. Tried leaving Fecamp by the coastal route but so windy that I couldn't physically push my bike up the hill. At least I found some humour in that, but not much fun in the wind and rain!

The ride was nice, and short, although a bit hilly. It would have been fantastic if the weather wasn't so bad. Stopped to feed a donkey in a small hamlet and the sun came out and wind dropped.

We were in Etretat by 1pm and as it was still wet, cold and blustery we stopped for crepes and cider before deciding if we would attempt to camp again.

The campsite was an easy km out of town. After the tent was up we cycled back into town to explore the waterfront and the eroding white sandstone cliffs (quite like the needles over the water in the Isle of Wight). Gorgeous views and nice afternoon walk in the wind before more cider, then a restaurant for dinner where we were definitely under dressed and not quite French enough for the nouveau cuisine offered on slabs of slate. The motorcyclists sitting at the next table to us were taking pictures of their food, an old couple at the window were dining with their golden Labrador. It was that kind of place – and we were in polypropylene tops with windswept hair.

Day 3: Etretat to Villieurs / Caudeux en Caux (8th September)
Kms 65
Hours on bike: 3.5 hrs

My bike computer clocked 4000 in the morning. A nice and warm day, with easy country roads with village church spires popping up every few miles. We chance upon a wickedly long downhill just before our lunch stop in a tiny village just of the seine. The tarmac is so smooth and the road just keeps curving down that we're both distracted by the ride and miss the turn off to the local château, where we had planned to stop for a quick look.
Lunch was fantastic (nice apple tart too) and at least had a good view the château. After lunch a few miles of hard slog on the edge of some busy roads near the Seine, but we were cheered on by a group of picnicking French people.
The evening's campsite was just the other side of the road from the Seine, and it is so hot that we're convinced we want to be swimming. Justin's found a cartoon styled map of the area showing a swimming pool up at Caudeux en Caux so our expectations are high and we head into the town with a bag of towels and swimwear only to find at the tourist information bureau that the swimming pool is shut because its no longer summer (hey, its 25 degrees – how is that not summer?). We stock up on food before heading back past the campsite to Villiequers (which had something to do with Victor Hugo with the obligatory Victor Hugo museum). We sit on the side of the Seine and watch the ships going by for a while before realising that directly behind us is a nice bar that seems to be setting up some outdoor tables. They serve a very nice cider but when we see people being led into the garden in their finest dinner gear we decide we're probably out of place and return to the campsite for a camp stove dinner with the Seine in site and the sun going down.

Day 4: Caudeux en Caux to Jumieges (9th September)
Kms: 27 to destination plus 30 more unloaded
Hours on bike: 2 to destination, 2.10 unloaded bike ride

Warm started to the day and we detour to an abbey above Caudeux as it looks like a short day ahead. The ride to Jumieges is really quick so we grabbed sandwiches for lunch down by a car ferry across the Seine before making our way the Campsite of the Forest. Dark clouds roll in and the tent is putting up a fight so we go for an unloaded bike ride around the region for the afternoon. Apple orchards as far as the eye can see and it must be apple picking season as there is a basket at the end of each row of apples and industrious pickers among the trees. We attempt a shortcut back to the campsite on a road which is on the map but somehow end up deep in a forest just as a downpour starts. Maybe shouldn't have ignored the 'trespassing' signs and just as we're backtracking out of it there is almost an incident with some big scary black dogs on the edge of the forest.
Bit drizzly and miserable at the campsite and we are again the only ones not spending the night in camper vans. Not sure what the regulars think of us!

Day 5: Jumieges to Rouen (10th September)
Kms:40.5
Hr: 2.20 to Rouen then 3 hour walk through city.

As had completed a good ride around Jumieges valley yesterday, today we jumped across the river on a little (and free) ferry down off the Route des Fruits at Le Mesnil then ducked south through the steep uphill and awesome downhills of Foret de Mauny before hitting another cure of the Seine. The only other cyclists we saw were struggling up the side we were drifting down and there were barely any cars in sight. Our original plan was to reach Rouen from the South but the road from our late breakfast stop Grand Gouronne was pretty industrial with more than a fair share of trucks and lorries so we river hopped again (small but free ferry again) and tackled the slightly quieter northern route into the city. We followed our noses to the central tourist information bureau, who ensured we had a hotel (cheap, central and with bike storage) within the blink of an eye. Spent the afternoon wandering around the cathedrals and an awesome evening meal in a little Bistro not far from Joan of Arc square.

Day 6: Rouen – Forges Les Eaux (11th September)
Kms: 63.9 (plus 30 mins unloaded around town)
Hours: 4

We found it hard finding our way out of Rouen - we had a few false starts and motorway entrances before, as a compromise we took a hill towards the airport, a bit South West of where we are headed and possibly adding another 12 – 13 kms to the trip. We pretty much lost the early start from our hotel by this point but a breakfast at about 10 was well deserved. Second half of the day is on quiet roads and its nice riding.
The hot pools are not open at Forges Les Eaux and the small town seems pretty dead, dominated by a large casino / hotel complex. The campsite is nice enough despite some persistent rain and this is pretty empty as well. Cheapest campsite to date at only 7 Euros probably due to the lack of nearby attractions or maybe we've hit the off season. I participate in some French based conversations which I don't understand.

Day 7: Forges Les Eaux – Dieppe (12th September 2008)
Kms: 55 (Approx – bike computer was playing up)
Hours on bike 3:45 approx

A slow and easy day following the Avenue Verte back to Dieppe. Translated as 'Green Road' the Avenue Verte is a car free trail running a pretty smooth line down an old railway track with possibly the best tarmac to date and good signposting but not a lot of excitement along the way. Scenery wasn't as spectacular as views from hard earned hill tops anyway. It was easy to pick up at Forges Les Eaux though a bit of a gray and drizzly day for the ride as there is not much to see on the route and it was a bit cold and damp to leave it for long. The biggest surprise of the day was that the cycleway spat us out about 8km from Dieppe and basically onto a busy byway.

The kite festival was on in Dieppe so we easily entertained ourselves for the afternoon watching people play on the fields by the sea, then had a late pizza dinner. Our ferry was scheduled to depart at 6am so we sat on the wharf playing cards and watching people walk their dogs into the early hours. At 4am we cycled the last km to the ferry terminal to check in only to find sleeping bodies lying in the corners of the open ferry terminal which we had decided would probably be shut but hadn't of course checked. The sleeping bags were just stirring when we found out that our ferry would be delayed a few hours. Finally on the boat at about 7am we slept very soundly indeed!.