Day 2 - Fougères

Over breakfast, gazing out of the window, I decide that before leaving town I ought to capture a photograph of François-René de Chateaubriand — Combourg’s most famous son. As it happens, the search proves easier than expected: I’m already staring at his statue from my table. When I go to greet him he seems to frown at me, as if disapproving of my new-fangled smartphone and my faltering command of the English language.

There is a direct route to Fougères from Combourg but in my preparations I pulled the route out to a village or two which meant I am mostly on single track roads. Stopping at one of those villages provides the opportunity to enjoy a coffee with some locally made caramels. 

The landscape here is dominated by cattle and fields of sweetcorn, now being harvested as fodder for winter—also a common practice in Northern Spain. More unusual is a nearby field carrying two crops at once: sunflowers and linseed (also known as flaxseed). Since sunflower seeds remain on the plant until harvested, they can be left standing while the linseed matures, making it easier to collect both crops in sequence.

Fougères is a large town and I first get my bearings by cycling around. I have been here before so I altered my route to enter via a long tunnel on the greenway that passes through the town.

Index

Day 3