From St Malo to Dieppe, France

My wife and I have been cycling for a week in France, beginning in the Brittany town of St Malo and following the Eurovelo 4 route through Normandy to just outside of Dieppe. It's been 550 kilometres of easy riding, with the vast majority being on: 

converted railway lines

or lonely back roads.

While the EV 4 isn't signposted as much as we'd prefer, it's easy enough to plot a route through the numerous French villages, all adorned with flower displays and regalia celebrating the recent 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings. We've seen almost as many USA flags as French ones. 

We managed to cycle through the elegant resort town of Deauville during the American Film Festival without seeing one famous guest, although there were many overly suntanned security guards dressed in tight-fitting suits and wearing serious expressions. 

We spent a few hours getting lost in Le Harve trying to plot a route through the town without climbing a rather imposing hill. In the end, after a lovely lunch in a beachside cafe, we took a deep breath and headed upwards.

Once away from the throng, we could enjoy the chalky cliffs of France, facing across the Channel to their partners on the Dover Coast.

Whenever I cycle in France I'm always impressed by the courtesy of motorists, especially truck drivers, who give us lots of space and wait until it's safe before passing. 

We haven't seen many fellow long-distance cyclists on this route, but are always impressed with the number of old men riding steel-tubed racing bikes. Evidence perhaps of a strong cycling culture. 

We've used the accumulated kilometres as a good excuse to indulge in two-course lunches and three-course dinners. It helps when cycling up hills like this. Oh okay, so we diverted around this one.