Bolbec to Vassonville

Sunday October 17, 2010

My campsite for the night in Bolbec, northern France.

So after a late night, I figured a sleep-in was in order. Sunday is the best day for sleeping in after all, right? On this occasion however, that turned out to be a bad idea. I woke up in the late morning, packed up, then tried to find a supermarket for milk, since I didn't have any with me. I couldn't find an open supermarket or even any open shops selling milk in the whole town. Eventually I got to the Intermache right over the other side, where there was a supermarket, and I thought "ah, finally". I got in there and they were just closing, they wouldn't let me in. It was 12:25 pm and they closed at 12:30 pm, I couldn't believe it! I couldn't even say "please, I just need a litre of milk" like I would have said if I was in Australia. I've done it plenty of times at our local supermarket in Melbourne, the South Preston Safeway, when we go there just before it closes at midnight. They recognize me too, and know that I always come in just before they're closing.
So anyway, I had to leave empty handed, and by this stage I was getting very hungry. But I figured I just had to ride on to the next town and I could grab some milk there.
I rode for another 20 kilometres or so, through several small towns, and I was lucky if they had a shop, let alone an open shop. I could see that finding a litre of milk on this Sunday afternoon was going to be futile. So I sat down and had a light breakfast with the last of my milk powder, cereal and a banana. It would have to do.
It was slow day on the bike, with a lack of energy and also a headwind.
For much of the early part of the day, the roads looked just like this one:

Riding through the countryside on the D17, Route de la Flamme Olympique, in northern France.

Once I got to the coast though, the scenery looked more like this:

Looking down into the hamlet of Les Petites Dalles from the Rue des Petites Dalles, northern France.

Riding through the countryside past some wind turbines on the Route de Fecamp, northern France.

I stopped at a nice touristy coastal town for lunch where I cooked up some cous cous.

My lunch stop in the commune of Veulettes-sur-Mer in northern France.

I later topped up the energy supplies with a few slices of some kind of slice from a bakery.
It got dark earlier than I would have liked, but it made for some pleasant views:

Riding through the countryside as the sun sets, on the D75 heading towards the commune of Quiberville, northern France.

Riding through the countryside as the sun sets, on the D75 heading towards the commune of Quiberville, northern France.

Riding through the countryside as the sun sets, on the D75 heading towards the commune of Quiberville, northern France.

On the beach in front of the Rue du Front de Mer, Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer, as the sun sets.  

On the beach in front of the Rue du Front de Mer, Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer, as the sun sets.  

On the beach in front of the Rue du Front de Mer, Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer, as the sun sets.  

On the beach in front of the Rue du Front de Mer, Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer, as the sun sets.  

On the beach in front of the Rue du Front de Mer, Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer, as the sun sets.  

On the beach in front of the Rue du Front de Mer, Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer, as the sun sets. 

In  Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer, looking back towards the coast that I'd just come from.

I figured I would camp in a large town called Dieppe, so I kept riding until I got there. However, the place didn't have a good vibe, and I couldn't see any obvious camping spots.
I spotted a pizzeria and bought a pizza for tea. Tell you what, it was the best pizza I've had in a long time, just delicious! But it would want to be too, for €16. It's probably the most expensive pizza I've ever bought too.
Still no camp site would present itself. I was tempted to pitch the tent below some limestone cliffs, and also in the middle of a busy roundabout, just for something different, but I didn't. I decided I'd just keep riding along my route until I found a spot along the way. I felt really strange, light headed and with no energy, I felt like I was going to faint. Luckily I didn't.
I decided to leave the main road and go via some of the small coastal villages, where I figured I'd be more likely to find a good spot to camp. Eventually I found a suitable spot in a little town called Vassonville, behind some hedges right near the beach. I set up there and got to sleep after 1 am.

My route for the day, Bolbec to Vassonville, northern France.

An overivew of my route so far in France, from Cherbourg.

Ride stats:
Distance: 109.58 km
Average: 17.6 km/h
Maximum: 49.8 km/h
Time: 6:13:05
Total ascent: 828
Total descent: 887