Introduction
In June 2021 I had embarked on a 630 mile cycle and camping tour from London to North Yorkshire and back on an old bike with a bike trailer attached. That adventure had been a trial run to see if I might enjoy cycling again and from it I learnt that I loved travelling the minor roads and bridleways gaining a new insight into the English countryside. So, as Europe appeared to be slowly emerging out of the restrictions imposed by a pandemic, my dream bike ride was to cycle down to the Mediterranean, hooking back to Spain and back to Portsmouth on the ferry from Bilbao. I should make clear at this point that this plan was born out of very limited research and zero realism. As I started to plan I noticed the ever changing rules for travel in Europe during a pandemic so I decided to change to a France-only trip; a convenient get-out from my earlier ambitions. But what route? What goal? I cover some of that in my grandly titled "Do Your Research" page which, truth be known, was my way of trying to remember my research and pinning down how I would put the research into a workable plan and itinerary. Having put aside - for now - the tour down to Montpelier or Nice, I struggled for inspiration until I stumbled upon "Cook's Traveller's Handbook - Normandy and Brittany" in a garage charity sale. When I walked the Camino Francés my guide book and inspiration was published in 1957 and I rather outdid myself as the Cook's guide (yes, that is the Thomas Cook travel company, now known as TUI) was published in 1910.
