We have arrived safe and sound in Bergen in The Netherlands and are staying for two weeks in one of Nanette’s apartments.  First impressions are really good – it’s a neat little ground floor apartment, extremely well equipped with a nice patio overlooking the garden.  It’s run by two trendy young sisters who inherited the business from an aunt (presumably Nanette) and it’s all very modern IKEA with some lovely thoughtful touches.  The garden is really pretty and we were told to help ourselves to herbs and lettuces!  The surroundings and nearby town (5 mins walk) are very leafy with loads of cafés and people riding bikes everywhere – looks promising.

We’ll explore a bit tomorrow by bike once we’ve finished unpacking.  We’ve had a fairly easy journey here from Guernsey – the ferry crossing was quiet and smooth and we overnighted at Ibis in Honfleur.  It proved a really good choice – excellent parking for the car and a 10 minute stroll into the town which on a warm Friday evening looked magical and was absolutely buzzing.    

We did a six hour drive today, taking two breaks at rest areas.  The early part through France was quiet and picturesque but driving through Belgium and Southern Holland was trafficky and a bit dull.  We’ve been in four different countries in 24 hours though of course the European borders are non-existent.  

Anyway, the Volvo is parked and we’re hoping to walk, cycle and use the train into Amsterdam for the next few days.  We’ve eaten pasta and salad, had a mini Magnum and Derek has opened his third beer – two very weary travellers!

The four of us took the 12.15 ferry to the nearby island of Herm today and spent the afternoon walking along the coastal paths and stopping for lunch at Shell Beach. Herm has a population of about 50 and no real roads or cars – a really peaceful island with a beautiful coastline and beaches and lots of wild flowers, birds and butterflies.

By contrast, back on Guernsey, we stopped at a huge Waitrose to buy ingredients for tomorrow night’s bouillabaisse – haven’t been in a UK supermarket for months!

Sadly, tomorrow is our last full day in Guernsey. Derek hopes to power up a few hills in his new Ornot cycle shirt while I’m getting a haircut and doing some shopping in St Peter Port – we’ll probably meet up for lunch in town.

We have had a lovely week here, catching up with John and Rachel and exploring the island but on Friday we have a lunchtime ferry back to St Malo and then a couple of hours’ driving to Honfleur where we stay overnight. Saturday is a big driving day – into Holland for a two week stay at Bergen, just north of Amsterdam.

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I’d planned a bike ride first thing today but was thwarted by early rain so did a bit of work instead, read the Sunday and Monday papers, drank tea, ate toast and chatted more to John & Rachel. At 12.30 decided to head into town to check out the hill climb and to explore St Peter Port.

With Rachel as our tour guide we followed the lanes to the foot of the Val des Terres and found ourselves in the pit lane of the competitors. Basically, the Val des Terres is a very steep winding road that runs from the port to the top of Fort George – about half a mile. Motorbikes, gokarts and cars of all kinds drive up it as fast as they can. They do this 12 times.

We watched this for a bit and then walked into town and sat outside for lunch at ‘Dix Neuf’. Well actually I had an ‘all day breakfast’. Afterwards we wandered around checking out all the shops – the delights of M&S and Waitrose as well as Rachel’s local recommendations.

Back up the Val des Terres the racing was still going on so we climbed the footpath to the top and took a quick look at the big houses in Fort George. We also found the military cemetery which was interesting.

Back at the house we quickly packed up things for the evening. Off to Cobo Beach to see a Madness tribute band, have fish and chips on the beach and watch the sunset. Not a bad way to end a birthday.

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It was raining when we left La Grange at 7am, sunny by the time we checked in for the midday ferry from St Malo but raining again when we arrived at John and Rachel’s house in Guernsey. The journey was fine – the French rest areas providing fresh bread, pains aux raisins to go with our flask of coffee and woodland and birdsong as a backdrop!

The ferry was really quiet – while I sat quietly, head still, fending off seasickness, Derek got really excited and dashed about exploring, buying coffee, eyeing up the food on offer, checking for wifi, reading all the magazines etc until settling down with his iPad.

We couldn’t find ‘Plaisance’ and drove up and down Les Merriennes several times until John came out with an umbrella to guide our unreasonably large car onto their drive. We had a lovely lunch, lots of catch-up chat, watched the rugby, had a lovely supper, more catch-up chat and watched the football.

After a good night’s sleep, we were up early and into cycling gear for the Rock to Rocque round the island ride. Ali kindly took us to the start and we had a fantastic morning in the sunshine – a major achievement for me at 23 miles (and my first medal!) and a lovely way to see the island. We stopped a few times to admire the views and have coffee and toasted teacakes and met Rachel at the finish.

After lunch in their lovely garden we went for a walk from Jerbourg along the cliff path – fantastic views and loads of history from The Civil War to the German occupation. We rounded off the day with our first barbecue of the year – burgers and chicken followed by Guernsey strawberries and cream. We also managed to chat to Bob & Gay via iMessage, Jan & Rowly via FaceTime and Mum, John & Chris on Skype. A really good catch-up and a fantastic Bank Holiday Sunday!

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Danny and Britt headed off in the dark to catch the ferry very early last Friday leaving us waving a bleary eyed farewell before going back to bed for a snooze.  They got back safely and the sun shone all weekend on both sides of The Channel.  Derek headed off to Nantes airport on Sunday evening and on Monday morning, Charlie and Lola arrived to keep me company during my ‘retreat’ until Derek’s return on Wednesday afternoon.

They are brother and sister lurcher crosses and were great company.  Penny and Tim were, by coincidence, also in the UK for a few days so I suggested the dogs stay here rather than going into kennels.  The best thing about having dogs around is that they make you laugh – leaping through the wheat fields like dolphins, joining me when I tried to do my exercises outside and cuddling up whenever the opportunity arose.  We had a few wet walks though – dogs and rain – not a great combo!

So, it’s our last day in France today and we are sad to leave.  Tomorrow we’re off to St Malo to catch the ferry to Guernsey.  

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We’ve had a lovely week with Danny and Britt who drove down to St Valerien last Friday having taken the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo.  The weather has been a bit mixed but they’ve done lots of bike rides (120 mile total) including a 30 miler and a 42 miler as well as visits to Mervent, Fontenay, Vouvant, La Rochelle and Ile de Re.
We’ve eaten far too much French food with everyone busy in the kitchen – Danny cooked Chinese, Britt worked wonders with desserts (brioche bread and butter pudding and apricot tarts) and Derek pitched in with his ever reliable Jamie Oliver sausage recipe.  Like our other visitors, they brought supplies of teabags, muesli and murray mints so we are now well stocked up for the coming months. In the evenings, we’ve strolled around the village, played cards and watched TV highlights of the Giro d’Italia and Tour of California.  Danny and Derek talk bikes and bike gear incessantly and Danny is in love with Penny’s dog Lola.

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Wednesday was John and Ann’s last day but their flight wasn’t until 5pm so we packed in a bit more sightseeing and eating.  The day began with the bike ride to L’Hermenault to pick up some bread for breakfast and in-flight sandwiches.  We had time for a little tour of La Rochelle and its lovely market before lunch (sadly – slow service, wrong order, cold spaghetti) and some very nice ice creams by way of dessert.  So here are the last four photos sent by Ann via email from the UK – a great week!  Can you spot Monsieur Baguette?

The weather has improved dramatically with blue skies and temperatures in the 20s.  We’ve had three lovely days of gadding about.

On Sunday we had a nice drive through the countryside and across the bridge to Ile de Re where Derek and John cycled while Ann and I strolled around the chic shops surrounding the basin and had coffee in the sunshine.  We met up for a late lunch at about 3pm and then walked back along the shore before a rather slow drive home on a busy (for France) traffic day!

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On Monday we had a morning at home catching up with cooking, websites and other online stuff and then got the sun loungers out.  The three cyclists went for a casual ride near L’Hermenault and then after lunch we drove to Coulon for more strolling – this time along the canal gazing at the chocolate box houses, having drinks in the cafe and stopping off at Intermarche at Benet.  We had supper outside on the patio – Ann’s guacamole and Spanish chicken – delicious.  The smell of lovely food meant several visits from cats and dogs.

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Spring is anything up to four weeks in advance of what we left behind in England. The wild flowers we found in full bloom during our trek around the Mervant woods included Herb Robert, the field Geranium, glorious fields of buttercups and the little Bladder Campion, much prettier  than its name suggests. Bird life is also varied, with warblers heard but not seen around Mervant where we also heard our first Cuckoo of the year. There was a variety of waders, including Avocets, on the oyster beds on Ile de Re, swifts in abundance over the fields and frequent sightings of the local St Valerien Hen Harriers, a striking bird of prey which is rare in the UK due to the actions of gamekeepers. Here they seem to thrive, no doubt at the expense of some of those swifts!

John Fox

John and I set off on a long bike ride. It’s been over a week since I’ve been on the bike and I’m wondering if the legs will rebel. Although the Vendee is supposed to be flat, we seemed to do an awful lot of steady climbing. Fifteen miles into the ride we reach the cafe stop. Slight problem – no cafe! We push on through several villages – still no cafe. Eventually we detour to Vouvant and find a suitable stop – cafe creme but no cake – not even a pain au raisin was to be had. Undeterred we head for home – surely it must all be downhill, but no – how can we do 45 miles all uphill? Back at La Grange, Barb and Ann have been busy and we get back to fish and chips with salad.

After lunch and a bit of a rest, we head to HyperU for more food – we only have one meal a day – but it lasts all day. Two trolley loads later we check out – the cashier was English – and we arrive back just in time for drinks, nibbles and yet more food. Several courses including blue cheese salad starter, pork chops with ratatouille, and apple lattice tart with ice cream (not to mention the sparkling wine and the local red).

John, Ann & Barb take a stroll around the village to walk it off while I catch up with a bit of work and a chat to Danny.

Saturday morning – off to the local market in Fonteney. We buy more food, an expensive cooked chicken for lunch and a bandana! Coffee in the corner cafe where Barb meets Oliver and decides that a flat-coat retriever is the dog for her and then back to base for lunch.

The sun is shining and it’s beginning to warm up – a bit of R&R and then off for a walk based around Vouvant where we take lots more photos.   John and I finish the day with another ride  – a 12 mile circuit – we need to in order to work off some of these calories and to build up a thirst for the evening.  Ann cooks a lovely supper with smoked salmon starter, sausages Jamie Oliver style and a trio of pastries.

A really nice way to spend a Saturday!

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