I like a train and know TERs should be easy by bike. I took myself to the correct station (along Edinburgh Street amusingly) and spent a merry half hour trying to find the ticket office. Once located I parked up my bike within sight and went to join the queue. Throughout my time in France there has been a noticeable nervousness. The guard checked I wasn’t going far but made everyone else take their big bags into the queue. Tickets purchased I set off to find the platform.
The first TER had room for 4 bikes hanging up. It was partially blocked by giant suitcases which the teenagers seemed unlikely to move so I just propped my bike along side partially blocking the corridor. I hate having to unpack everything and can’t really lift the bike over my head to hang it anyway. It’s not light. Then if you manage to lift it that high you have to try to hook the wheel that obviously keeps turning on the hook. That takes 10 minutes then you gave to do it all in reverse blocking the corridor completely whilst you reassemble yourself to be able to move half an hour later. That’s why I just propped it up.
The connection to Dieppe was easy as the lifts in the station are suitably large. Getting on the train I propped my bike in the space where that is all you are meant to do. The Dutch couple behind me weren’t so lucky as there was no more room. The grumpy guard just told them they had to move and refused to clarify if there was bike space elsewhere on the train. There was incidentally. He just didn’t want to tell them that.
At Dieppe I decided to give the uphill camping Vitamin a try. I hadn’t loved the site I stayed at on the way out. Camping Vitamin was complet with no wiggle room so I came instead to one I have visited before. Campaing La Source. This site is nicer and more tranquil anyway.
Since then I’ve just relaxed, listened to pod casts, it’s cool enough to knit (when I say it’s too hot to knit I mean the wool won’t pass through my sweaty hands) so I’ve almost finished my shawl. Yesterday I made an emergency dash to a wool/fabric shop as I didn’t want to be without travel knitting potential but they didn’t have any of the needles I needed. I instead bought wool for making squares to donate to charity. That should keep my hands busy until Brighton.
As I rode my bike up hill to the shops I thought how there must be a tail wind. Turns out there is just a reasonable temperature and a bike without baggage. Back at the site I visited the pool and read my book.
Today I’m off to the seaside and then going to a hotel to make catching the ferry tomorrow as simple as can be.
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