Brittany

The ferry from Portsmouth takes all night to get to St. Malo. The boat was not very full so I was able to stretch out on the floor next to my seat to catch a few hours of sleep.

After arriving in St. Malo at 8 in the morning, I realized I hadn’t planned out my route, so decided — on a bit of a whim — to head toward Rennes. I somehow missed the commercial center of St. Malo on my way out of town so never really got a sense of the place.

The day was grey and misty, but the cycling was easy and the smaller roads largely clear of traffic. For a period I happened upon the St. Malo-Rennes signed bike route, but then managed to get off it again somehow.

I spent the night in a hotel in Rennes then the next morning sorting out Internet access for my phone. I finally left town too late in the day to make it to Redon as I intended. Riding in the rain all afternoon with no clear prospect of a place to stay left me pretty deflated, but upon asking for a camping spot in St. Just, I was let into the local hostel — as the only guest.

The next morning was beautiful and I took some time to find the nearby megaliths before heading on to Redon. Patrice and Lucie — whom I contacted via warmshowers.org — have gone out of their way to make me feel at home in their flat in the center of town. I’m taking advantage of their hospitality to take a rest day here before heading on towards Nantes.

The Surrey hills

After my first day out of London, I expected to make it to Portsmouth by evening. However, in what seems to be a developing pattern I found the route longer than I expected and myself traveling slower than I expected.

The route through the Surrey hills was beautiful and where possible I followed small side roads with little traffic. Occasionally I took main roads when there were no other good options. The main roads were heavily traveled which made for somewhat hectic riding, but in all the experience was good.

I asked a man in his workshop I was passing where a good location might be to pitch a tent and he graciously showed me into his back lot. Pete (I hope I got your name right) brought me firewood, introduced me to his wife and son, and allowed me the use of a shower. Pete’s son, Zaphod, is building a mud hut and we sat inside it around the fire for a good part of the evening. A great day.

The next morning I was up early and rode on to Portsmouth by mid-day. Then I just had to wait for the evening ferry to St. Malo.

The lazy cyclist

Sometimes it takes me a long time to get started. Okay, I admit it always takes me a long time to get started. This trip is no exception. I flew into London a week ago with my bike packed in two cardboard boxes. The first thing on the agenda, however, was not unpacking, but hanging out with my great friend Osama (we were at school together in Nigeria) and sightseeing.

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