After a howling, windy night in Seaford, we happily set off for Newhaven to take the ferry to France. Arose early, cycled away at 7:30 and got to the ferry by 8:30 as we were not prebooked - which is okay if you are a foot passenger/cyclist. Met some other cyclists from Britain who were off for a French holiday. We are envious of Brits who can so easily tour the continent. The Newhaven/Dieppe ferry is an easy, faster and less expensive option than the Portsmouth route. It also meant that we would cycle less in Britain (which was a good thing, we discovered). The ferry was a pleasant and not too rough a passage - a French crew with a bar, cafeteria (duck entree, chicken tikka or fish and chips), comfortable. Cost was 45 pounds for two plus a bike. As Canadians, we felt very welcomed by Dieppe. They are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Dieppe invasion in 1942 and Cdn. flags and floral replicas of our flag, etc were everywhere. We felt immediately a big difference between France and England - outdoor cafes, bike lanes clearly marked, people smiling and flagging us down to talk to us and drivers giving us a wide berth and showing much patience for us on our bike. After touring the waterfront, we headed off to follow the coastal velo route which will take us completely along the Normandy coast with a well thought out and clearly signed cycling route. As far as Le Havre, the route is called the Cote d’Albatre (Alabaster Coast Cycle Route). We clmbed a steep hill with hair pin turns out of Dieppe, marvelling at the beautiful and centuries old architecture. This hill is a foreshadowing of what is to come, based on what we have seen on the velo map. Ironically, we had been riding all winter, regardless of the weather, and working out with our personal trainer Leslie Wiens weekly, in anticipation of our trip. But, life had gotten in the way - Barry had crashed his bike and broken some ribs, we botg got sick and we got really busy preparing to retire, so the past few months, we had not been riding. We felt that we were not in our best shape and I guess, the hills of Normandy will make it happen. Tour de France, here we come! Our destination was Pourville - we were blessed with blue skies and a stunning vista from a lookout high on the alabaster cliffs looking down the coast. And yes...we got to scream down an incredible hill into Pourville. The campground looked daunting - an oversized inflated giraffe and children’s pool area greeted us - but after asking for a quiet site, we were given a private spt on the lake with a view of the hills and the resident donkey, ponies, goats and ducks...a bucolic scene. Camping Le Marqueval, cost 21 euros, complete with disco, large groups of hormonal kids, yet an enjoyable stay.
The Buckle Holiday Park was right on the English Channel. The wind was unrelenting.
