Looking at the map below, I start at Coutance today (the blue dot) and go up to A, tomorrow I cycle from A to B, the day after is probably from B to Coutances and back to B, then it's a long ride up to Cherbourg.
Much of today is on a greenway, the Voie Verte Sottevast á Coutances, so at least I will have shelter of sorts and it is mostly flat. As part of my pre-ride planning this morning I included a stop at a McDonald's restaurant; it will be open and I can hang out relatively guilt-free to dry off and warm up as required. In addition, it will have WiFi which is relevant as I have used up my roaming data allowance because the gîte had no WiFi and loading photos onto the blog consumes a lot of data. Oh yes, and I didn't monitor my data usage.
I often find the tourist maps you find while cycling are the most useful; everything laid out in one big graphic. This gives me an option of using the Easternmost side of this loop of the EuroVelo 4 route when I go from Saint-Lô to Cherbourg.
The landscape is flatter here though the greenway which follows an old railway embankment feels it has more undulations than most. Along the way I met a group of young children with teachers and parents on an outing; they had one large horse drawn caravan, a small carriage, a pony and smiles on their faces.
My navigation tool hasn't 'remembered' the map for the last quarter of today and with no mobile data it can't download it. This leaves me with a blank screen with a red line showing where I've been, a blue dot showing where I am, and a blue line indicating where I should go; just no map information such as lines for roads. This would have been manageable if the route kept to roads but it kept seeking out farm tracks. Luckily I had taken screenshots of the later sections of the route so I managed to track over via lanes to catch the main road into town.
Even though I didn't venture into any muddy fields the bike was in a state from the Voie Verte and had been grinding all day so I tried something I have never done before and went to a car wash. Though the instructions were a challenge at first, I was soon jet washing the bike and though it was low pressure it did a great job of those hard to reach places.
NOTE: HIGH PRESSURE IS BAD AS YOU PUSH WATER INTO BEARINGS AND STRIP OFF DECALS. DETERGENTS ARE BAD AS THEY REMOVE OILS DESIGNED TO RESIST RUST OR AID A SMOOTH DRIVETRAIN.
Despite the clean bike the shiny hotel didn't want a bike inside. When I turned my nose up at the exposed bike racks I was allowed to prop it up beside the hotel and was suddenly grateful I had carried a heavyweight lock.
Valognes has an Abbey but apart from that you could treat Valognes as a quick stopover when going to or from the Cherbourg ferry. However, the town is packed with grocers, butchers, bakeries and varied eateries, and would be a great base if you enjoy something less touristy. I really liked the feel of the place.
Tonight's job is ensuring tomorrow's route avoids mud and that I have some navigational backup such as off-line Google Maps of the area.
