2 Calais to Guînes
606m climbing
6h 25m elapsed
19th July 2018, 26°C, sunny
56.74km
3h 51m moving
59% off-road
Red line - the route I took, Orange line - “official” Via Francigena, Blue line - Sigeric’s probable route
Danish Gammon for breakfast
Started the day overhearing a Danish couple at breakfast and since Danes are almost universally shocked to hear somebody else greet them in Danish abroad I said "god morgen" to them. As usual for me they quickly replied in English and (also as usual) we quickly got onto the subject of Brexit since being English means you must have a strong opinion on it. Now most Danes I know think it is a pretty dumb move, but this couple were very interested in hearing more as they really wanted Denmark out of the EU as quickly as possible. Yes this was a fairly short conversation.
First puncture of the trip
So 1 minute after taking this picture the bike started wobbling all over the place and most cyclists know what that means. So quickly parked up at the deserted fun fair (it was about 0800) and put my tire changing skills to the test. I'd made sure I packed 2 spare inner tubes and a puncture repair kit so being lazy I used the first of the inner tubes and didn't bother trying to repair the puncture immediately, thinking "I'll fix it later". However this did lead me to think "if this is the number of punctures I'm going to get them I'd best go and find some more spare innner tubes". So I went on a big detour round the West of Calais to find the only open bike shop in town and get a couple more spares and a few hundred grammes more to carry!
Northern France isn't flat
I'm not sure why I thought it would be as easy as cycling around Copenhagen but I did, and today was a bit of a shock to the system and is probably why, for the first few stages of the VF, I’ve tried to keep the distances relatively short.
After cycling along the front at Calais through Sangatte, the Via Francigena veers off from the coast slightly to take in a few hills. They’re great views if a little tough on a bike. There’s even some good hike-a-bike sections down some steep steps just before the beach at Wissant. I was a little apprehensive about cycling on the beach (salt, soft sand etc.) but with the tide out the beach is relatively dry and very hard packed.
Even though this was July, the front at Wissant was somewhat exposed and windy. So I ducked into a sheltered beachsde cafe for lunch.
After Wissant its yet another climb to a great lookout with what will probably be the last view of the sea before Tuscany, yep the Via Francigena walking route seems destined to take in every high point around.
One thing to look out for is the Nazi era Mimoyecques Fortress which is very close to the route today. It was constructed during World War 2 for a long distance gun, termed the V3. I didn’t know it existed until a friend pointed it out when they saw where I’d been… I missed it by 200m.
If you plan your own routes, be prepared
The way I've planned the route this year was to import the GPS (GPX) files from the official walking route of the Via Francigena into my route planning tool, Komoot, and then slightly alter the route in some places. Sometimes I need to get to accommodation that is some way off the route or sometimes I want to see something that isn't on the route. Other times I'm shaving off what looks like an unnecessary hill or taking a short cut.
However this approach does occasionally have consequences. Komoot isn't bad at replanning and finding routes as off road as possible, but sometimes it directs you along ancient overgrown byways that probably haven't been used since the time of Sigeric. Though another good thing about having a light bike is that it is fairly easy to pick up and use as a makeshift scythe to get through overgrown areas.
Overnight: Chateau de la Garenne
Destination for the day was this beautiful place. Amazing bedrooms and a fantastic common meal in the evening for all guests. I'd stay here again any time. If you're in the area you must seek it out.