Biville to St-Valery

There is another St Valery, and I'm there now. This one is St-Valery de Creux. The other one was St Valery du Somme. By the way I'm just guessing the little word after St Valery in both names.

The last camp site was a dump. I went to have a shower and needed a money token, whatever that is. I couldn't even have a cold shower without one. The reception was shut and nobody was around so I ended up going to the disabled shower and using the sink to wash.

This morning I chatted to some kids who have the serious misfortune of living there. They didn't speak English and I don't speak French but we jabbered away at each other regardless. They were stoked that my bike is a Peugeot. I translated 'do a skid' into French but I don't think their brakes were up to it.

I rode down the hill into Dieppe. The main rode was a bit ropey so I turned off and came in on a quieter rode. It was much nicer. I went past a church that sits on the hill across the port from the main drag and snapped a few pics.

Dieppe was very nice. Probably not somewhere you'd go out of your way to visit but nice nonetheless. The main strip runs down along the marina, which was chock-a-block with little yachts. A couple of hundred I'd say. I was expecting it to busy but the whole place was pretty quiet.

I set about finding somewhere to get my seafood. A lot of the restaurants looked a bit classy so I settled for one that was very yellow and therefore not classy. I got the fruit de mer, which means seafood platter. I had been wandering around getting really annoyed that all these places were flogging fruit when they're right next to a fishing port.

It came, I ate, I drank. They brought out half a litre of wine to go with it - also yellow. It was really good and after muesli bars, nuts and dried fruit it hit the spot nicely. When I left I needed to move something from my bag to the kitchen area of my bike (front basket) so I quickly did that and wandered down the street.

I must have been left a bit befuddled by the wine because after 50 metres I realised my bag was missing. I couldn't understand where it was. I checked my bike and it wasn't strapped on, I checked my back and it wasn't strapped on. I was so confused I thought I'd been pick-bagged. I even reached around with my hand to check my back to make certain the bag wasn't there.

Everything I need is in my bag. It hasn't left me since I set off. If the bike goes missing with everything else on it I'll still be able to carry on with just that bag. So I was in a bit of a panic but realised I must have left it when I got something out. I sprinted back but it wasn't there. I started hunting around looking for sinister characters making off with it but it ended up being in a hair dressers. They'd spotted it and rather then call the bomb squad to come blow it up like they would in London they brought it inside.

After that little sojourn into town I begrudgingly got back in the bike. Up and down hills again. The wind had died off a bit and I think I hate wind the most. There is an upside to hills, which is the down side. There seems to be a windy couple of kilometres downhill into each town and it is fun!

There were some other cyclists going my way. A German couple zooming along with brutal efficiency. They had an electric bike with a trailer and a pretty fancy normal bike riding an inch behind. They reminded me of the East German bobsled team from Cool Runnings. They had matching everything.

There was also a tiny old lady with her behemoth son. They annoyed me because I felt like I couldn't walk up the hills and get overtaken by this little old lady. Her legs were like a hummingbird's wings on those hills! She would have been almost 70. So I rode up the hills wishing they would bugger off.

I ended up arriving at St Valery number 2 and quickly rode through town. It looks nice. On first appearances I think this St Valery is the better one. I've found a really nice, really cheap camp site. It is 3 stars! Would be 5 except it's on a hill. So I'm staying 2 nights. There's a pool and a slide, hot showers and games. It's 6.50 a night which is the cheapest of the proper camp sites I've stayed in. Will probably go for my first French swim tomorrow (at the beach, not the pool).

The pictures go in chronological order. Mostly Dieppe. Last one is St Valery. Second last one is some town in between.