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Day 6
Day 6
I got up at 0500 CET and packed my gear and loaded it onto the bike. Just before 0600 I knocked on Alan's door and gave him the news, the maps, the route plan and asked him to pay my bill. At 0615 I was on the road. Under other circumstances I would have enjoyed the fresh, cool morning air and the glorious sunrise as I rode along the banks of the Loire. Straight through Angers and
sped onto the N162 to Laval - ruler straight for 12 miles. Laval to Fougeres via the D30 and D798 where I met mist thick enough to wet my visor. Onto the A84 at Saint James and then the D7 just past Avranche. By this time my legs were beginning to get a bit cramped and I spent 10 minutes walking around in a parking bay. Remounted and onto the D2 after Coutances. I arrived in Cherbourg just before midday and found the Brittany
Ferries terminal and changed my ticket for the next day to one on the evening ferry.
I then rode back to the main dockside frontage and, parking the bike where I could see it (previous bad experience with a local thief and mountain bikes), I sat and ordered the regulation Normandy seafood and a litre of
'eau sans gaz'. As I was just finishing this about 1430 I received a call from Alan who was 10 miles
away having left early and decided to make for Cherbourg rather than our planned stop around Coutances. He had made good time. He decided to stay the night and return on the high-speed Cat the next morning so he could have his seafood ration that evening.
Hotel found for Alan we parted company and I went and re-arranged my luggage and queued for the ferry. Only four bikes on this one and we were placed on the lorry deck strapped against the bulkhead. Not quite as secure as on the outward journey but again it was like a millpond.
Up to the main deck to cool off and then back inside for a wash. The showers were locked! So a quick wash and change of shirt in the heads (toilets) and into the restaurant. How to get served quickly in the Brittany Ferries restaurant - pitch up wearing motorcycle boots and trousers and carrying helmet, bag and jacket. I was served three courses and out of there before most people had had their
entrée!
We docked at 2215 BST and I was clear by 2230. Then I saw my first speed trap in 1200 miles, in Christchurch. Two of them side by side with laser pistols - it looked like they were expecting the gunfight at OK Corral! A quick check of the GPS revealed I was doing less than the published limit + 10% and they didn't pull me. Lucky, as I was obviously in the frame of mind to push it a bit. A while later I was with friends near Romsey, where Susie was staying, with a large
Scotch in my hand.
Alan had a good evening in Cherbourg, he had been able to park his bike that night almost inside the hotel foyer under the watchful eye of the concierge and returned on the Cat where he was the only motorcyclist.
Sadly, Susie's mother did not regain consciousness and passed away the next day - a sad end to an otherwise excellent trip. We now have yet another dog as part of her legacy.
Distance ridden 248 miles France
45 miles UK
Index | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | References