Arrival to France
When I check the map of Europe searching for places I haven’t yet cycled to, I see the whole of the British Isles in front of me. They say there are some beautiful places there, but they also say cyclists can get quite soaked by rain there. I set out to check it out. And to avoid packing my bike on for a plain, I decided to approach it discreetly through France. First by train to Offenburg in Germany, a short bike ride over the border to Strasbourg, by TGV to Paris and by another train to Le Havre. From there, it’s along the coast until I catch some ship across the Channel.
Normandie and Bretagne
When I got off the train in Le Havre, I was welcomed by a bit sleepy evening in a city that in France looks uncharacteristically post-war functionalist, and by a fresh breeze and smell of the sea. A clear contrast to the medieval half-timbered city centre in Strasbourg and its hot summer temperature. I crossed the estuary of Seine and continued along the coast westwards.
Along this whole cost is the traditional French historical countryside look dotted by remainders of the more recent history of Allied landings.
I also passed along the majestic abbey of Mont Saint Michel, rising on a rock high above the surrounding flat lands and sea level. A newly build approach ramp and a barrier on a nearby river will reportedly help prevent turning it from an island in a see into an island in a sand, as predicted by Belmondo trying to fraudulently sell the abbey in the movie L’Incorrigible.
I arrived to Saint-Malo, a beautiful city still surrounded by medieval fortification, as well as both old and recent forts standing all around, on the coast as well as at the sea. And from there I also took a ferry to the island of Guernsey.
Guernsey
On the way from France to England I stopped on the island of Guernsey. The island is under British crown, but at the same time not part of United Kingdom, and plays with its partial independence as they see fit (e.g. regarding taxation). Considering that the island is about 5 km wide and 15 km long, I was suprised by the number of cars, heavy car traffic, as well as substantial air traffic. The island is all around full of fortifications, some from the wars between England and France, others are German from world war two.
From Guernsey I sailed to England, to the port of Poole, and from there went around Britain: