Boats and Bikes!

So its day three and here is the route. Yesterday I made the 20KM on a slit tyre, so hoping to make it to Bayeux to get a new tyre. Have found a couple of cycle shops.

Here is the route. You will need to scroll the pictures to see the map!

So great to see such great quality cycle tracks. Given that I am on the road with a split tyre, I appreciate the very smooth surface. The tyre manages to survive the 10KM ride to Bayeux,,,,, BUT >>>>>>>>>>

The cycle shop is closed. I am there at 1100 when it’s supposed to be open at 1000!  I cycle a further 3KM and find that the next shop is also shut!  Then it kind of dawned on me that perhaps is a public holiday?  They have loads during May!.

So its back on the road. Another 20 KM to Caen. Tyre still holding out. I am heading to Decathlon which is open. This is not the first time I have been saved by this amazing chain of stores.

And here is my bike with a new tyre, so from here I can quicken the pace.

Now, take a look at the picture I have circled in the background of the bike shot. It is Yarmouth Pier where according to “Facebook then and now”, I was in Yarmouth exactly 1 year ago!.

The remaining distance from Caen to Lisseaux was a good ride but with a rather brutal hill at the end of the 102 KM ride.

Nice new ship to take me to Cherbourg. This is the Galicia on route into Portsmouth from Bilboa on the north coast of Spain. After an expensive ribeye steak at the Bar+Block, its off to the ferry and straight to my cabin. It was too late to eat on board as embarkation is at 2200. But I will spend time in the restaurant on the daytime return leg!

I woke up to quiet!  Could not here the engines running so thought we had arrived. The ship can easily cover Portsmouth to Cherbourg in 5 hours, but as this run is from 2300 – 0700, the ferry just sits a few miles to the north for a few hours before going into dock. So overall an 8 hour crossing which allows for a full nights sleep.

This picture of the breakwater looking north. NE with cloud and sun. No rain. It was chilly so I was wearing 3 layers all day.

Here is the Strava map for the ride today. Over 100km of chilly by dry cycling.

After a few KM, I am presented with this. I am not on a Gravel bike and I need to find a way stop Komoot doing this to me!

France has become a great place for beer drinkers. No longer a land of “Export 33”, “Pelforth” and “1664”, now a huge range of artisan beers. This place I just passed by. I tend not to drink mid ride!

The Normandy coast is very famous for world war 2 battles. So plenty of war graves and museums along the way. As I cycle through this area, I was thinking of the sacrifices made by the hero’s of the 1940s.  Also feeling a huge sense of shame at my generation for allowing the far right to gain such a hold in so many countries and doing evil things.

20 from my destination, I have wheel trouble. I heard a hiss and thought “OK” puncture to fix. Somewhat frustrated to find a split in my rear tyre. Best thing for me to do was to swap the tyres (front to back) as less weight is carried on the front wheel. After replacing the inner tube. I am on my way to Port en Bassin  -20KM hoping for the best.

This is Port en Bassin. Last visited in 1988 briefly on Electron 3 with a fine crew of freinds from HMS Collingwood. Back then we just poked our nose in to find the place was a busy fishing port with no marina. So we sailed along the coast and spent the night in Grandcamp.

Port en Bassin is a very nice spot. lovely hotel and a nice evening meal.

Weather was perfect for leg 1. Here is the map for the first leg.

Overall, the route was 137KM Plenty of hills and mostly calm roads. London was a bit manic, but I am used to that as an ex-London commuter!

Big Ben is the official start point. Had to move around a bit before getting this picture as some irritating folks were just getting into my selfie!

Always interesting features to see on a ride!

Quick pit stop in Long Ditton for some water.

Late afternoon, things start to cool off south of Petersfield as cloud comes rolling in. This is a small church in the middle of nowhere!

Close to the end and taking the Gosport ferry. Sun is back 🙂

And finally its beer O’clock at Le Park!

It has been a while since my last fundraiser (2023), so time to set off again on another adventure. This year I am riding to support ACF also known as Action on Hunger in the UK. 

After working in the aid sector for nearly 26 years, I have travelled widely to many countries in the global south and have seen at first hand the impact of disasters and war on local communities.

People are facing hunger in many countries including Sudan where civil war has been ongoing for more than 2 years. Institutional funding has been reduced by many nations so its more important that we step up and do what we can to alleviate suffering. It would be amazing if you can support me by donating direct to ACF using one of the buttons to the right.

If you are donating in the UK, you will donate via JustGiving.  Remember if you are a UK tax payer, a further 20% will be added to your donation by HMRC.

For those based in Europe, use the EU link. Here you will be taken direct to the ACF website where you can donate. For this based in France, donations can be declared for tax purposes.

Important Note: As with all my rides, all donations go direct to the charity I support. All logistical expenses including the ferry, hotels, train back from Paris, and BEER ! comes out of my own pocket.

If you click on the Route and Tracking button, you will be able to see my full route and live tracking of my progress. Live tracking has been donated by TrakSat  – Thankyou Pierre!

For this ride, I am using my specialized Tarmac as shown in the picture. As you can see, I travel light! Hopefully I will have some good weather for the road trip. Leg 1 will take me from London to Portsmouth and then after the bank holiday weekend, I will make my way towards Paris calling in at IEC Telecom HQ in Cergy towards the end. The IEC Telecom will be starting a series of challenges at the same tome also to raise money for ACF

Training as began and I hope to be in good shape for the challenge. I will be posting regular updates as the challenge comes closer and then each day as I make my way to Paris.

I have two projects planned for 2026. Firstly there will be a charity fundraiser in France during May.

In August, I am back in Spain riding from Santander to Gibraltar. Day 1 of the ride will feature an eclipse of the sun whist I am in northern Spain.

The target was 600 miles this year, but reduced to 463 miles, but the final day did not disappoint. Here is a map of the full route 🙂

The trip to El Chorro is very scenic with plenty to see along the way.

I am not a big fan of cobbles!  Sure they look nice, but they are expensive to set up,  hard to cycle on or walk on, and also very noisy!

Just beyond the cobbles, some old industrial buildings in Puente Genil a a heritage site.

Stopped in Campilos for coffee. Nice covered walkway.

The lake area to the north of El Chorro is one of my most favorite places on Earth.

A well known walk way in the El Chorro gorge. Needs to be booked in advance.

Sunset view from my hotel!  Observered over a beer!

So its a wrap. shame to cut things short but this tour has been a great blast. Starting to think about the 2026 tour which will focus on an area I have not get explored.

This part of the tour I have done before two years ago. The ride was very good with some very nice sights along the way, but news from the UK about my house kind of ruined my day. Part of my roof party all fell, thankfully nobody was hurt.

So, now a plan B, I will not progress to Gibraltar. Instead, I will end the tour at El Chorro, have a few days chilling and go back to the UK early !

Bikers at the petrol station where I filled up with water. This picture does not really show it, but when the biker was sat on the seat, the load at the back was slightly taller. I guess he has everything including the kitchen sink!

Looking back over Cordoba

This is just a bit further up the road. Nice long easy ride to La Rambla and finally Puente Genil.

Hotel Carmen is a nice spot where I have stayed before. Great value for money. Nice rooms and a good restaurant.

A hard day of climbing! Destination is Cordoba to a 4 star hotel at a good price. Tough ride to start with on country lanes with steep bills. Eventfully I am on the N road for the last 20 miles. Oddly three drivers beeped me with some attitude, like I should not be on the road. Most odd for Spain as I was legally allowed on this N road!

Interestingly on the country roads leading to the N road, two drivers stopped to check that I was OK. A few days back a lorry driver stopped to check all was well. Generally people in Spain are polite on the highway!

Day starts of on flat country roads but this will not last !

And here is a shot across the valley I have just crossed – that house in the tree is halfway up this side and where a driver offered to give me a lift!

Hot day calls for cool fluid. This first pint did not last long!

Hotel gave me the VIP treatment! Free fizz in a bucket. Nice touch, but after riding its beer and water I need, not fizz! So this was gifted to the hotel team 🙂

Starting to push directly south now and picking up a following wind. Next stop Pozoblanco a small town.  Really nice hotel at the end of the ride!

The ride started off fine along some road I have traveled before. After about 15 miles, a quick coffee stop and a water top up. The next 30 miles was full of undulating hills and not place to refill with water. I managed to make the water last all the way and topped up a a petrol station for the rest of the trip.

The route planning app Komoot is great and takes cyclist clear of major routes, but attention is needed to accessibility of water. As a rule of thumb, if carrying two 75CL water bottles, a 25KM maximum distance should be set before the next water filling point. Maybe less for big climbs.

Puertollano – a nod to the mining history on the Glorietta.

Just before the coffee stop at Brazatortas, a picture of fire damage taken from a road bridge. Over the past few days I have seen a few areas where there has been fires. This one the largest.

And here is the highest point of the ride. Big downhill followed by a west direction ride into a head wind.

Not as misty as the past few days. Two days at the Parador was very relaxing. Its a government owned chain which started nearly 100 years ago. Whilst I did not know at the time, the Parador I cycled past in the Gredos Hills was the first one to be opened. Normally 4 star standard, not cheap, but always interesting buildings.

A flat start

Interesting “Glorietta” showcasing mile stones and construction plant.

So, there I was cycling along the road. Spotted a flock of animals. Then spotted a field of Melons (Have not seen melons being grown in Spain before). Then the flock started to march across the crops. In some countries, livestock damaging crops lead to serious  wars between tribes!

In the mist you can see big hills in the background. My destination is behind those hills.

I really hate big climbs at the end of a ride This was in fact an unnecessary hill as I plugged in a duff location as a waypoint, so ended up about 3KM from my hotel. Duh! Anyhow this is looking down over Puertollano and ex mining city.