A route of two halves.

Ouistreham - Flers 100kms.

Puncture fixed, thanks in some part to nurse Paula’s encouragement, we set off down the ferry ramp to passport control. We passed all the other folk in their steel boxes by the expediency of diverting into the HGV lane and joining the queue for customs at the front. All those jolly folk sent us on our jolly way by waving at us enthusiastically through their windows, although sadly, it was clear that many amongst them had fallen foul of the same accident or disease and had had all but their middle fingers removed.

Along the canal we went, passed Pegasus Bridge and into Caen. There we had breakfast and I can heartily recommend the boulangerie L S Vivien on Rue de la Gare for pastries and coffee. Our goal for the day was Flers, some one hundred kilometres south. The route turned out to be one of two halves. They first fifty kilometres were lovely. Following the river Orne it was flat, flat, flat. It was a cool

morning and we soon reached the little town of Clécy which the guide told us not to miss. So we made sure we didn’t and we were very glad that we didn’t. The boulangerie in Clécy sells huge sandwiches and for just four euros they will give you a egg, ham, salad and mayonnaise baguette made fresh to order. Paula had a savoyarde quiche that was bigger than her face and only three euros! After lunch we refound the Francette and headed for Pont d’Ouilly where we stopped again for a beverage before the second half of the route.

Now, we had been travelling through an area of France known as the Suisse Normande but had so far been fortunate in not experiencing exactly why it is called by this name. It is called by this name because there are hills. Once the route left the Orne at Pont d’Ouilly we found them. They are not massive, but they are long. They are not that steep but they seem never ending, especially in the heat of the afternoon and having already completed sixty seven kilometres. If you check out the Vélo Francette website, they grade the sections of the route in the same way ski resorts grade ski runs, green for beginners and families, blue for ‘I’m used to it’ and red for ‘I surpass myself” (I kid you not. Check out the website for yourself!) Anyway, despite not having the family along, we had enjoyed sixty seven kilometres of green joy, when all of a sudden after Point d’Ouilly we were, without warning having to surpass ourselves, and surpass ourselves we did! We rolled into Flers and the Ibis Budget thoroughly surpassed and found the Buffalo grill across the road for dinner. It was fine. Really cold lager, really cold rose. I had half a chicken and chips.  Paula had Caesar salad and we spoke Welsh to the waitress. The rose and all that surpassing had probably made us slightly delirious.

It may be worth noting here that this section, Caen to Flers, is quite long but it is possible to break it up into shorter sections. There is plenty of accommodation along the route including camp sites, airbnbs, gites and so on. It is also worth noting that Suisse Normande is no misnomer and the second half of this route was a completely different beast to the first half.