June 12, 2019
Port Blanc to Saint-Michel-en-Grève
After a lovely breakfast provided by Cathie, I headed off to try and catch up with my original plan. But you don't plan, you say! The thing is, I have a fairly tight schedule if I want to make my flight home! If I stick to it, I have 4 days to get from Vannes to Paris, disassemble and pack my bike, and catch my flight the next morning.
One of the things I wanted to do was walk the Sentier des Douaniers between Perros-Gouarec and Ploumanac'h. So that was my first goal for the day.
I didn't mention it at the time, but the morning I was leaving Roquefort-en-Terre, I thought I should pump up my tires since they seemed a little soft. The problem was when I disconnected my pump from the rear tire. The valve core came out! Twice! And which tool did I not have with me? That's right, my little valve core tool. And I have two of them at home, a proper metal one and a lightweight plastic one which weighs nothing but would have been worth a lot that morning. As it was, I used my little pliers to tighten the damn thing so I wouldn't have to pump the tire for a fourth time. Funny, this is the new tube I installed on Île Noirmoutier and I had no trouble then.
For that reason, I've been watching for a bike shop and googling for one when I'm near a bigger town. So far, the only one I've seen was in Mûr-de-Bretagne and it wasn't open when I went by. But Perros-Gouarec is a sizeable town and it was mid-morning on a Wednesday, so I did a google search. Three results! The second one was a surf shop (why, when you search for "bike shop" or "magasin velos" do you get results that include a surf shop or picture framing place?) Of the other two, one was essentially on my route and the other not far off. Note to self: always check the shop website!
The first one, the one on my route, rents and sells a single brand of electric fat-bikes. The second, which required a 1 km detour, was a motorcycle shop. Oh well. My tire is fine for now.
I locked my bike near the Plage du Trestrou (Perros-Gouarec) end of the Sentier des Douaniers and started off, only to dither about changing my shoes. I finally returned to my bike and swapped my bike shoes for sandals, a good decision. The trail is smooth and well groomed and I wondered if all of GR34 is like that. Somehow I doubt it.
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The most scenic part is near Ploumanac'h and it might have been better to ride there and just hike that end of the trail, given I wanted to make some distance today. Maybe I wouldn't have gotten all twisted around afterward, thinking "Lannion is south--why do both EV4 and my Garmin tell me to go north first?"
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Eventually I made it to Lannion and then escaped as fast as I could, without checking whether there might be a bike shop. The only city I've liked on this trip is La Rochelle, though Dinan looked like it might have been nice.
Once I'd escaped, I searched for a campground. I called Camping les Capucines since it appeared to be the the closest to ensure they took tents. I should have asked about food options because I was just outside a Supermarché when I called and it was already just after 6. Remember, crêperies and the like often close at 7. Restaurants, on the other hand, don't open until 7 at the earliest. Live and learn.
I arrived at the campground about 7:15 only to wait while the woman ahead of me asked questions about every little detail. Someone finally came out from the back office and suggested I go pick a site and come back.
Once signed in, I set up in record time, showered, and got on my bike to head to the only food option within a 5 km radius. I'd asked, and this was the place the campground operator said was closest and open on a Wednesday evening. She gave me a card and said I should use my GPS because the route there was "complicated".
I called to check that they were open and got a message saying, essentially, "call again later." So I risked it, after all, it was only 1.5 km and there was no place else around.
Garmin didn't have this particular establishment in its database (no surprise there) so I used Google Maps on my phone. I didn't really understand the directions so searched for the village name in Garmin. Yes, I really was supposed to go down a road or path directly across the street from the campground entrance. Ok, a little trepidation but I only had half an hour before the posted closing time.
Well, I rode some muddy paths today (you remember it's been raining) but this one wins by a long way. I actually had to jump off my bike because it was that or fall over because the wheels wouldn't turn. Whether that was the mud or the downed branch stuck in the mech or the stick stuck in the brake, I don't know because it all happened at once. I had to walk and push my bike through the mud, with occasional stops to remove more debris from the workings.
We finally popped out on actual pavement and I rode to the village only to find the crêperie closed due to some problem. Drat!
Google told me that there was another place still open 6 km away. I found it on Garmin and started off. What! Another dirt path? This one looked quite rideable as far as I could see down it; in fact, it looked a lot better than the previous one. How wrong that was. Not only did it deteriorate into mud, I had to actually walk in the mud to push my bike. My shoes soaked through for the first time since Saintes.
We finally made it out to the highway (D786) and now my destination is more than 20 km away? How does that happen? Another search for the nearest source of food. A pizza place 10 km down this highway. I was suspicious because it was noted as being open 24/24 which is not something you see in rural France, but it was the only place not all the way back in Lannion. And did I mention the very big hill when I left Lannion? I didn't want to do that again.
My suspicion was correct. It was one of those automated pizza vending machines--and not only that, right next to the now-closed Supermarché where I'd made my phone call. Conveniently for me, someone else was there when I arrived, ordering a pizza. He said they weren't bad, and showed me his when it came out. It looked okay, so I worked my way through the menu (in addition to pizza, there was a burger and-fries option) and ended up ordering a Savoyard. While I waited, I tried to decide if I should eat it on the adjacent bit of lawn or attempt to take it back to my campsite bungied on my rear rack.
It was getting late so I bungied it on, with my lock on top, and rode back to the campground on the highway. I'd taken a longer route on hillier, quiet roads before, but at this time there was very little traffic on the highway.
Back at the campground, I ate my pizza with water from my bottle and decided I had to do a better job of finding dinner tomorrow.
Today's ride: 93 km (58 miles)
Total: 2,522 km (1,566 miles)
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