It took me two and a half days to get home from Brittany. This is mostly due to the necessity of using only local trains as only they carry bicycles, but its also in part due to timing. Sundays are days of reduced service on the railways and the first train I could get didn't leave until noon. But let's not get ahead of the story.

My night in the campground was calm. For once I didn't hear any barking dogs. I was awakened once by a shriek that sounded like the horrible noise a rabbit makes when it is attacked by an owl. But aside from that, all was quiet. I didn't get out of the tent until eight in the morning, and made my usual cups of coffee and ate a nougat bar for breakfast. Maybe not the most nutritious meal; but the sugar and caffeine do help get one going. To get to a railway station I had to ride the thirteen kilometers to Plancoet. There was little traffic on the road except for cyclists, and there were scores of them. Sunday morning group rides are a part of cycling club tradition here in France and nowhere more so than Brittany. I got a lot of "bon jour's" from the fraternity as I rode along. I arrived in Plancoet about an hour before train time, but still not time for lunch. I got a pastry in a bakery and a cup of coffee in a bar to while away the time. The train when it arrived was a small one car job and it didn't travel quickly at all. It took about thirty minutes to go the handful of kilometers to Lamballe where I changed for a train to Rennes. Once in Rennes I discovered that there was a train for Nantes leaving in a few minutes, and I got myself on easily enough. 

Nantes was the end of the line for the first part of the trip, though as there was no further train going my way on this Sunday afternoon. I took a room at a hotel adjacent to the train station and settled in for the night. I tried to work on the journal, but the wifi was very slow. The presence of a busload of Germans embarking on a cycle holiday on the Loire cycle route and all wanting to communicate with home didn't help matters, I'm sure. The only time I could used the internet was when they all went to dinner. I discovered that the line from Paris to Dijon was closed for repairs so my plans to go through the capital were nixed. That left me going back the way I came, more or less, and that would also mean an extra night on the road.

A most pleasant surprise awaited me in the morning. Going to the station to catch the train for Orleans I saw a crowd of loaded cycle tourists. I counted 25 loaded bicycles not including my own. Where would they all go in the train? Not to worry. There are brand-new trains on the route with places for thirty plus bikes and baggage on the line. What an improvement over previous years. Apparently the SNCF has awakened to the popularity of the Loire valley route for touring cyclists and reacted accordingly. Arriving in Orleans, I found a train leaving for Bourges on another track and I got right on. This train was one of the old ones though, and I needed help from the staff getting the bike on board into the baggage compartment. The plan was to change for a Nevers bound train in Bourges, but the SNCF didn't see it that way. We were held up for 45 minutes due to malfunctioning signals, and the connecting train had passed by the time I got to Bourges. I booked myself into a very nice hotel as compensation, but unfortunately their Michelin starred restaurant was fully booked. Looking for somewhere to eat I noticed what seemed to be a very popular place. I took the last table available in the hopes of a good meal. Boy, was I wrong! One of the worst meals I have ever been served was put before me.I am sure that the fish I ordered was frozen, the mashed potatoes were glutinous, and an attempt to camouflage all of it with lettuce and over-cooked vegetables was less then convincing.  What a disappointment, especially as I was really craving a change from galettes and pizzas. All in the balance of Karma, I suppose. What starts out good must have some bad to balance it out.

From Bourges to Dijon there is a direct train that leaves at 8:45. I was on it and in Dijon before noon, riding home in time for lunch. Then to the tasks of unpacking, doing laundry, getting the tent dried out and repacked, and putting everything away for the next trip.

Lessons learned and final thoughts.

1. What went wrong. My chain broke and that could have been a disaster if I didn't have the good fortune to find a bike shop open. I was able to fix it enough to get to the shop by shortening it one full link and re-using a pin, bu that will only go so far. What made it difficult to swallow was the fact that it was a new chain. So much for Shimano. I also needed to replace the chain tool as the one that came with the compact tool set broke fixing the first chain. Also, but less important to the tour, the nose piece on my riding glasses fell off somewhere during the first day of the tour. I could still wear them, but the left side of my nose was not thrilled. I always carry a spare pair of glasses though, so not a tour-threatening event.

2. What went right. Carrying my camping gear turned out to be the right decision. I only used it three times, but those times were necessary as I couldn't always find hotel space or a B-n-B.  My decision not to be too pressed on this tour and limit the number of kilometers per day was also a good one, especially early on when I was not in my best form. At the end of the tour I felt great, and my daily kilometers were going up without my feeling too tired. Once I got home I discovered that the climb at the Mur de Bretagne is over ten percent for two kilometers and while I felt it, it didn't cause me to falter. The extra time that short riding days afforded was also a bonus. There is so much to see besides roads.

3. If you go. Don't go in July or August if you can avoid it. Some places, Quiberon for example, are so crowded as to be almost inaccessible. I went because it was the only place in France cool enough that I could ride and not become too worried about heat stress. If I were to do it again (and I will!) I would go in September or October. Expect rain. It wasn't too bed, but it rained a lot when I was there. Bring good rain gear. My poncho worked great. You can link segments of a tour together by train, but not all trains are equally good at carrying bikes. In some trains you could be refused if there are too many bikes aboard or if you are using a trailer. Along the well trodden cycle routes, EuroVeloX for example, there are a lot of camping places and a lot of fellow cyclists. The Breton trails are patchy in places, but they do provide car-free routes in most parts of the peninsula. Don't expect haute cuisine. This was probably the least gastronomically interesting region of France I have visited. If you like buckwheat crepes, though, Brittany would be heaven. And finally, if you are not fluent in French, don't worry. There are so many British visitors that many places have menus and directions in English and many of the staff at campgrounds, hotels and restaurants speak at least some English.