Cycling the Avenue Verte
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Despite the vagaries of the English and French weather, 4 members of the cyclists within Rotary successfully completed the Avenue Verte, London to Paris cycle ride.
Starting at the London Eye and with heavy rain for most of the day we reached our B & B in East Grinstead, to be told to stand in the front porch and take off all our clothes (sorry wet clothes) before being allowed over the threshold.
However the landlady was very kind and dried all of it ready for the next days rain!
Leaving East Grinstead, going South, East and West, we reached Newhaven for the ferry in another torrential downpour and stripped off again before going on board. The support vehicle with Jo and Carole joined us at this stage.
In Dieppe, the hotel very kindly took all of that wet gear and dried it overnight, despite arriving at 11.30 in the evening.
Bright and sunny start in France and we took off on a beautiful cycle path clearly marked and then onto small country roads before being forced to shelter from a thunderstorm with hailstones.
Undaunted we continued and we dried as we cycled to the small Normandy town of Gournay en Bray.
The weather improved for the final two days and we cruised through the hilly French countryside, the canals and River Seine in Paris and reached Notre Dame mid afternoon on the fifth day, 240 miles cycling from London.
A celebratory meal in Nanterre that evening, then a quick dash to Dieppe for the mid-morning ferry to Newhaven. We did it for fun.
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