From Cherbourg to Poole and Salisbury.

In which Sid and Doris stay at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in Poole on the way home.

Sid and Doris have been getting nearer to home again since the Aosta Valley and have been careful that ‘back’ has as much entertainment and holiday about it as ‘out’. Some days in either direction just do feel like a delivery ride to the next joyful discovery or damn fool adventure. Sometimes the delightful can happen on what looks to be a dull day. On the last day of the return to Adventure HQ from Istanbul S and D visited Roman St Albans.

Returning from Cherbourg and going to Poole means that the route has not touched, though it was close on the Loire. This is part of the game for Doris,

In Poole Doris has booked us into the RNLI training centre for the Friday night. The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. This is where they build or service their lifeboats and where the volunteer crew get residential training courses. They have one of each of the eight types craft from ribs and the hovercraft to the ocean going Severn class. They have a small yacht to practice their rescues. Even if you are not a sailor this is a great place to stay. Meals are as required by burly coxswains.

S and D were members when sailors and probably should be again.

There is something spirit lifting about waking up by the water, even if spirits are already high.

Sid will not speak of the ride out of Poole along what pass for cycle facilities in England. It is too dull to mention, but just for the record…

Once into Dorset the scenery perks up along the Stour. Do note the rain clouds, we will come back to those. Or is it the other way round?

You may feel you have seen enough signage, but Sid is sure you will appreciate these names. PG Wodehouse didn’t really stretch to invent Market Snodsbury, where the grammar school is the venue for Gussie Fink-Nottle’s drink- enlightened prize giving speech.

We have cute in England.

And an hour later those rain clouds wait until there is tree cover before unleashing a half hour exhibition of sky water.

Coming into Salisbury we find the grand re-opening of the justly famous town museum after years of rebuilding. To attract a crowd there is a barrel organ.

And just like we did with Jackie Stewart’s Matra, here is the back side. This time with the pneumatics, compressor and Miftah Bat’s amusing plaque on view.

The cathedral stands in for Adventure HQ. Sid and Doris are home after 46 days away after 2,800 kilometres of cycling with very few cross words and only one puncture.

Great route making from Doris and not much bike fettling from Sid. Battery power a proven aid to S and D journeys, so may do another. Mostly ridden on small roads, occasional old railway lines, such as the PLM, some voies vertes that were a bit brune, a Route Nationale (when the chosen road was shut by the military for shooting  practice). A few big climbs, like the entire length of the Ardeche and the mountain cols.

Time spent with La Loire, Saone, Rhône, Dora Boltea, Po, Durance, Rhone again, Ardeche, Le Loir. (See Doris’s post When is a river not a river?) Towns we didn’t know and would revisit such as Vichy. Hotels to go back to include Hotel de France at La Chartre sur Le Loir and Lion d’Or at Bayeux.

For Sid and Doris that was an Epic Journey, with only a few days that are better memories than they were experiences. Doris will publish a table of places, cols, climbs and distances.  We hope you enjoyed the ride.

High paw.