I'm now is Normandy, so called because Norsemen ventured ashore here and made themselves at home. To them the place felt just like their native Scandinavia, namely cold and windy and subject to copious sleet and rain, so they ended up staying. Their chief was a King Rolla, to whom a messenger returned from a mission across the sea to a land due north. The good news was it is an island with a long indented coast providing lots of natural harbours, which would be handy for further maritime adventures further afield. But best of all, the climate was favourable; "it rained everyday I was ashore master", said the messenger, so Rolla decided, he would have to invade and conquer that land as well. But that's another story that I don't have time to tell just now....

This morning I'm left looking at the map, trying to work out a route. I'm heading to Cherbourg, but the main N road is motorway and I'm looking for a minor route. There's the D7 on the map, but there are lots of other small roads not on my map, making it a little confusing. And as well as it being cooler, the landscape today isn't quite the pleasant rolling mix of cornfields of yesterday. Cycling here is a constant drudge, crawling up short steep inclines, battling against blustery crosswind.

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The main town I pass through in the morning is Avranches. I see its grand church on a hilltop a good three kilometres away. Then immediately, the road plunges steeply down and I don't see the church again for a while, as there follows three kilometres of tiresome steep climbing. Nearing the town-centre at the top of the hill, I'm glad of the distraction when I spot a Lidl. I'm thirsty so I want sparkling water, but they've sold out; so, settle for beer, that and a snickers bar and a croissant; a strange combination. Then when I'm anxious to pay and get back out, the little old lady at the front of the check-out queue, begins querying the price of Lidl oranges, and holds up those behind her waiting patiently.

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So the day was slow. My plan to reach Cherbourg in one day was never going to work out, not with the hilly meandering nature of the road. But tomorrow's another day. This evening as I write, I cannot understand what has gotten into my tent. The pole in the middle has gone, well how can I say it, its not quite a semi-circle loop, its gone a little flat; so, the headroom inside is extremely low. It was fine this morning, so I'm puzzled to what has happen.