La Haye, Normandy, France

This morning we decided to leave the  farm. We'd given up trying to work out what the two sad looking donkeys were thinking. John was still not good, feeling sick, blaming the powder sachets the pharmacist had sold Angela. We made slow progress, cycling slowly along a pretty green route, of which there are many cross crossing France. They are the disused railway lines. Suddenly a loud noise emitted from John's rear wheel. One of his spokes had broken. Great! Our bad luck was never ending. A short while later it happened again. We weret a low point. Fortunately we were near to La Haye which had two bike shops, one of which was just closing, the other run by a very helpful man who ordered the spokes in ready to repair John's bike the next morning. A short cycle down the road to us to a tiny campsite run by an English couple. They were full, but found a spot for our small tent.

Bricquebec - en - Contentin (day 2)

Angela couldn't sleep during the night. Her body and head ached, she shivered, her throat was sore. Great! By this morning she also felt sick. Now we were both ill. The only thing to do was stay put and rest up in the hope we would both feel a little better tomorrow. What a trip this was turning out to be. Yesterday had been out 24th wedding anniversary, we would certainly remember it for all the wrong reasons. Paying another 13.5 euros for another nights stay, we lay in our tent willing recovery. The nearby fowl squawked and scrapped, the tiny bantams flapped their wing scurrying and jumping in a bid to be noticed. Angela has previous with bantams. When she was six years old she let some out of a cage in her mothers friends garden! There was also an incident with a tricycle and a pond in the same garden. Today feels like a wasted day, but we could not have cycled. Mid afternoon Angela went down to the nearby supermarket for bread, cheese and the all important breakfast pain chocolates. John has no taste, but despite this likes them with his morning coffee. Fingers crossed we both have a more comfortable night and can move on a little further tomorrow.

Bricquebec - en - Contentin (day 1)

John was really not well this morning, and despite Angela thinking we should stay another night at the Cherbourg campsite we set off following the signs for Euro velo 4 which did not tie up with our map. Consequently we found ourselves on busy roads, pushing our laden bikes up gradients. 'Go cycling in France, we, said. 'It'll be great',we, said. And so it will be hopefully. We were both tired by late afternoon and stopping at Bricquebec Angela decided to speak to visit the pharmacy and ask advice on how best to help John. She was concerned he had difficulty breathing. The very helpful pharmacist suggested she buy some granules to add to water that would thin down hi mucus. She also advised the number to call for an ambulance if he worsened. A nightmare situation we were keen to avoid. Despite along queue the pharmacist googled a farm just under a mile up the road that offered camping. The kindness of strangers once again. So here we are amongst cows, horses, goats and very noisy turkeys, bantams and cockerels. Despite the chaos it is a pleasant location with all the facilities we need, including a kitchen area. Other cyclists arrived including a French couple, their bicycles fully laden with panniers front and rear, handlebar bags and a large bag each on their rear racks. They were cycling a route known as Le Manche and we're heading to Cherbourg to catch the ferry to Poole. We wrote down the details of the campsite just west of Poole and another just before Weymouth. We did not envy their onward cycle through hilly west Dorset to Plymouth.

Cherbourg, Normandy, France

Our trip has not started well. Although we were roused by a 5.45 am alarm, we were, late setting off for the car ferry. A new Ortlieb rack bag that Angela bought wouldn't  fit on her bike with her very full panniers. After many expletives from John it was decided he would fit the bag to his rear rack and Angela would have the tent on hers. Thankfully at the ferry terminal our bags weren't checked.

 On top of all this John didn't feel well. It now seems he may have developed a chest infection! And now we're in France! What'll we do? This evening we cooked pasta on our new gas cooker, whilst wondering where the other cyclists we met on the ferry were.

Two large field mushrooms are growing near to us, they'd be lovely stuffed. What will tomorrow bring? Well a visit to the local bike shop for sure, and maybe a visit to the pharmacy for advice on how to treat John. We certainly can't cycle far until he feels a little better.

Poole, Dorset

 We set off in the morning for the ferry to France, bags are being feverishly packed and repacked as there just doesn't seem enough room for everything we will need on our six week jaunt! 

Our route is planned, a loop around France starting and ending at Cherbourg. We should have been setting off for Budapest, and all points east, but due to planning taking much longer than expected for a building project we are engaged in that trip will have to wait until next year.

Poole, Dorset

This travelling is exhausting Marge. We'd not long been in bed last night when a third van arrived. Four times the side sliding door was opened and shut within a few minutes of its arrival. Oh no, not again! Vans like ours are not called 'slam and bangs' for nothing. But please, owners, don't overdo it. 

This morning a fair breeze blew down the canal. The revellers from the narrow boats, in bed by ten with not a note of loud music played, sat in their chairs, mugs in hand, dark glasses shielding their eyes. A pair of swans beat their wings noisily on the water as they clumsily took off, just what you need if you're hung over. 

Sometime today we must return home. We have a funeral to attend tomorrow, a French door being fitted Thursday and visitors for the weekend. No time for galivanting this week Marge.

But before leaving Devizes we walked into town to buy lunch which we we ate sat by the canal, watching the visitors and the world go by. Nearby a young man was fitting a window in his van conversion. When he'd finished, where would he travel we wondered.

Late afternoon soon came around and we took one last look at the little blue tit as it poked its head out of the cigarette waste box it had commandeered as its chosen nesting place.

Back at Poole, the Magic of Thailand Festival was over and the hasty packing up of stalls begun. We walked down to the quay hoping that all the rubbish left by the weekend revellers would be cleared away by the council workers in the morning. Open mic night was underway outside one of the bars and we stopped a while to listen. We have had an enjoyable time away in Marge this last week and realise how lucky we are to have the opportunity to go off in her when ever we choose. We hardly dare say it, but she's been on top form recently. 

Fox cubs spotted on our way home looking out from their den under someone's decking on our estate.

Devizes

By eight-thirty this morning half of the other vans had left, including our neighbour who had a fixation with opening and shutting his van doors even during the night. Thank god he's gone Marge. Some of the remaining van owners set up chairs and basked in the early morning sun, already warm. And why not? The imposing ruins of the abbey cast a shadow over us. It knew our secret, that we'd all been there overnight. 

Needing to move closer to home we decided to take the M4 motorway, a fast, wide road with no 'tricky bits' for Marge to negotiate. The historic market town of Devizes in Wiltshire our destination.

We have stayed overnight here by the canal a few times before, so we knew the set up, and the people. Some of the boat owners were in full merriment when we arrived at lunchtime. Barbecues lit, and a flagon of cider doing the rounds.

We parked Marge discreetly, lunched and walked along the towpath to the Caen Lock cafe for ice creams.

Upon our return to Marge, all was quiet until the hum of aeroplane engines approached. A formation of ten tiger moths passed over. Quite a sight.

Early evening the rich sweet languid smell of the barbecues filled our nostrils once again. No doubt there will be more cider doing the rounds and a little loud music to finish the evening. As long as there's no slamming of vehicle doors, we'll tolerate it!

Tintern

See Marge, the local people are pleased to see you. We were greeted with a hello or good morning from everyone who walked past us as we breakfasted. And guess what.

After we watched the canoe hire companies unload the boats from their trailers we walked into town and spent more money, at Aldi and the book shop. 

Right Marge, we need to visit Symonds Yat. Please make sure you don't take us down any narrow, steep roads where we might meet lots of oncoming vehicles. You guessed it. She did! After angry looks, sounding horns, and Angela almost giving up on Marge we arrived at the car park at Symonds Yat Rock, home of an old iron age fort built around 2,500 years ago.

We walked to the viewpoint where we were rewarded with stunning views down to and along the river wye. We talked a while with a lady from Abergavenny who owned a micro camper. She was desperate to retire, but had fourteen years to wait yet. We sympathised with her and hoped her lottery ticket for tonight in which she held high hopes worked out for her.

We had come to the area to view the rapids, so took the path downhill to the river, well aware that the climb back up would be difficult.

The water raced through the rocks. The rapids are classed as grade 2. John was excited at the prospect of pack rafting through them later this year. Angela was not! 

After pacing ourselves on the return walk, we refreshed ourselves with ice lollies. Then began the onward journey to Tintern Abbey where, despite No overnight parking signs, we were told by the staff in the adjacent pub, The Anchor Inn, that it was O.K. to stay over. So we have. Along with at least eighteen other vans. Rules, what rules?

Ross-on-Wye

Two nights back at home, garden tidied, planning permission for our new balcony granted, but when it will be installed, who knows? So, Marge, if you're up for it let's go away. Last year we visited some of the areas around the river Wye, and as John is keen for us to packraft the river sometime this year, we thought we'd go back and take another look around.

It was nearly mid afternoon when we left Poole so we decided to break our journey at Chepstow where we stopped twice last year in the parking area by the castle. Apparently we won't be staying here anymore. Sign now states 'no overnight dwelling'. We didn't want to live there, just stay a night. Oh, and spend money in the town. Sorry Chepstow that your council is so narrow minded.

So it was Ross-on-Wye's lucky day. We knew here we were welcome to stay overnight by the river. We bought a take-away from the nearby Chinese, (we know our second this week), and tomorrow before we leave we will walk back into town and probably spend some more money!

A walk along the river before retiring helped settled our excess calories. Diet starts tomorrow.