This was the classic day of two halves.
The morning was brilliant, largely because I discovered navigating by google maps. It really works! I should have listened to Giles' recent advice and got myself a large secondary battery, as I spent the trip suffering battery anxiety in my phone. Fortunately it survived the 5-6 hours continuous use. I'm now going to be a google maps disciple, as I imagine most people haven't heard of it......
One bizarre finding is that asking google to find a route for a bicycle you really do end up off road. As I'm running down the coast at this point it took me to a point where the tide was above the track and I had to abort. Didn't expect a nautical almanac with tide times was a requirement for a cycle tour but there you go. More weight to carry.
We then come to the second half. It started drizzling. Not a lot to begin with, so didn't get the rain gear out - big mistake.
It just got worse and worse, so by the time I realised I was in trouble, I was so drenched there was no point covering it up.
I stopped for lunch at this amazing cafe for a menu of the day in Granville. Warmed up, dried out and the rain stopped whilst I was indoors. Would you believe it. So when I came to leave I repeated the mistake, as the drizzle started just carried on. In the end drenched again.
Arrived in Avranches to find I couldn't check in to the hotel for a couple of hours. By now so cold I was continuously shivering, body shutting down and hypothermia setting in. Tried a large cafe au lait in the nearby cafe but only provided temporary respite. Once I did check in stayed in the hot shower for about 30 minutes trying to warm up. Room full of wet gear hanging up trying to get it dry.
Finally, just when you think it can't get any worse. Forecast tomorrow is for more rain. So as Avranches has a railway station decided I'd give in and take the train south. Walked down to the station in the evening to buy the ticket for tomorrow. Find ticket office is no longer in use, have to buy online. Go online to find tomorrow is a national strike in France, trains not running. Bloody hell!!!
Passed some amazing views of the coast today. Would love to have taken some photos, but so dependent on Google maps didn't dare messing with the phone just in case I lost the route. Will have to learn how to use it.