A rest day at the beach

July 25, 2016

We have loved being by the ocean and have recognized that La Somme a la Baie is a truly special region, so we will stay for an extra night at the campground here in Brighton. Today will be a much needed laundry day, a rest from touring on our loaded bike and a chance to explore the neighbouring area and see more of the seashore and hopefully more birdlife.

We rode to the neighbouring village of Cayeux sur Mer and found it to be a small, low key resort town with an expansive beach. As it is a weekday, the town is very quiet and only a few people are at the beach. This is indeed paradise. As we look south, we can see the topography change with the start of the high cliffs along the beach. We remember this landscape from our previous trip, and are grateful that this section of the coast is flat!

We made a picnic at the beach and then slowly made our way back to camp.

After leaving here, our plan had originally been to head down the coast to Dieppe and then head inland to connect with St. Jacob's Cycle route (which takes us south to Tours on the Loire River). However, while staying here, we discovered that the local region has been developing the infrastructure of the Somme Canal route which also can connect us to where we want to go, so we will try that instead. This will be new territory for us as we have already explored Dieppe on a previous trip.

The campground has been a good place for us to stay - we are steps from the dunes and the beach. We get free electric and showers with our stay.

The tide is out at St Valery sur Mer - just a few people and the birds.

In the distance you can just make out the cliffs that are beginning and will define the coastline for quite a distance.

The route from Le Tourpel to our campground is only for hikers and cyclists and it closely borders the dunes and the beach. It is magical.

Some people were swimming, but the conditions were challenging as the current is strong here and the tide was coming in.

The familiar beach huts along the edge of the beach. They are used to store their beach furniture, provide shelter from the wind and are handy for changing your clothes.

The welcoming figures at the beach at Valery sur Mer. The couple are dressed in the traditional clothing of this region.

Today's ride: 12 km (7 miles)
Total: 1,487 km (923 miles)

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