Issodun, France

Day Twenty -Five 96 miles 2513 ft

When planning the route, one of the keys aspects was to consider the weather conditions. Cold and windy in the Arctic and hot and dry in Spain, the last thing I was worried about was good old France. Well this week has proved me wrong, as the most extreme weather experienced on the trip so far have been the last two days. Yesterday the wind and today some serious rain. 

With a poor forecast an early departure at 8.10 was made with the campsite owner wishing me good fortune for the rest of the ride. 

Fully togged up in fluo yellow rain jacket and flashing lights front and rear the rain started within 5 minutes of leaving, spitting and spotting on and off for the first mini session of 21 miles. The clouds remained very threatening, although the sun peaked through for about 30 seconds

  
Although still windy it was warmer and less strong than yesterday, even though Monica mentioned that gusts up to 100 kph were forecast on the town halls info board!

Confident that the wind was down a bit, a 33 mile stint to lunch through Gien and into the forest of Sologne which should keep the worse of the weather at bay, was agreed. Last time I came through here a few Mays ago with the Hadlow cycling boys, we were sheltering from the heat by riding in the shade. It was somewhat different today. 

The roads are pretty flat and enabled me to scoot along pretty well, although noticing a couple of figures in the road ahead, I slowed a little, only to see it was a huge Red Deer stag,  easily taller than me on my bike standing Landseer like looking my way. Magnificent – as I got to about 25 yards away he shot off – too many lights and flourescent jackets. 

Nigel surpassed himself with steak sandwiches at lunch again. The next segment was through more of the forest and this time a torrential downpour for almost an hour, so that it was difficult to see along the long straight roads.  

 The rain did stop, and this sad picture of the village football pitch, unused for sometime shows how depopulated rural France has become. 

Keen to get on today, a very brief tea stop left a short 18 mile stint to the campsite. 

  
It was then, that thinking I may get away with one dry segment between the storms,  there was a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder about 6 miles away. Pulse racing and keen to get off an exposed road across the fields, I rode hard to run along a river valley, when this storm hit. Hailstones the size of small grapes came cascading out of the sky, crashing against my helmet and stinging my exposed legs. As I cycled through a small farm, whose barn roofs were made of corregated iron, the noise was deafening. As quickly as it came. within 10 minutes it stopped – the sun trying to get through even when the storm was at its fiercest.  

 Several storms rumbled around but were far enough away for me to push hard across the open fields to get to the campsite- which had closed. 

Wild camping again, Nigel(la) (autocorrect keeps changing Nigel’s name to this) rustled up a quality Salmon dinner, washed down with Normandy’s finest cider. 

More rain and hills await tomorrow.

Apologies.  limited photos today as trying keep the iPhone dry! 

  
Good weather for snails