Skim vs. France - Wednesday - Day 5

Thankfully today was a much better day. Though it was still very damp, as was almost all of my belongings, it wasn't raining! It was quite cold though, I wasn't out of long sleeves all day. However it was occasionally broken fluffy clouds filling an immense amount of the horizon I was headed towards that cheered me greatly as I started my days ride in this relatively flat part of the country. Eating into the miles I was glad to see it was a wise decision to set camp early last night as for the next twenty miles or so there were no real contenders for camping. There were some extremely busy roads, a massive power plant with full industrial surrounds but after that blot on the landscape I came to Chinon and wow! Pretty as a full roast on an empty stomach. A wonderful wide river running through the centre of it spanned by a low arched bridge it was truly pleasing after passing through a couple miles of industrial grey. A mid morning break was spent in a farmers field just out of the town propped up against some rolled hay whilst trying to soak up the occasional patch of break through sunlight.

On from Chinon and had a lovely day meandering along tiny back roads. I think my French is improving also as in one of the tiny towns I was struggling find my way out of I met two Irish lads who before I knew they were Irish I fully 'Bonjour'ed and they mistook me for the real thing, either that or they didn't fancy stopping to talk to a lone cyclist who fired a greeting at them as they mumbled a return bonjour and cycled down a road that I knew would bring them right back to where I was now (as I had just done). Intimidating foreigners with confident French talk, I think I'm becoming a local. A nice long stop for lunch to allow my gear to dry off in one of the sunnier spells of the day put my moral back into the green zone. Even getting quite lost towards the end of the day due to a combination of a road being resurfaced (no small undertaking in France), my not being able to see the sun (bring compass next time) and some of the roads I was travelling not being on my map couldn't dampen things. Although my campsite is the most exposed one I've chosen yet, a small scenic triangle of chained off grass not too far from houses, I decide it simply must be, I'm sure it'll be reet. Le grande voyage continues!