Rouge Mare (not to be mistaken for the Lanterne Rouge).

Quaint little hostel last night as well as a tight squeeze in the room the breakfast area was just a cramped, all good though few other touring cyclist around, two English blokes from Bordeaux cycling from Paris to London via Le Havre, nice chaps, but made the dreaded mistake of asking if we had done much cycling touring. Man I was in my element could have had them engrossed for a couple of weeks while I rattled through our escapades, they were in awe, gave them the details for “House Rides” let them catch up in their own time, once I had signed their breakfast ticket, always going to be the superstar!

Well that was breakfast done, still got on the road before 8, think the lads from Bordeaux had gone back to bed, so tired of me yarning on, managed to navigate out of Gourmay-en-Bray with ease, then onto the beautiful French countryside we are getting used to the rural odour now. First village we went through was stunning, little monument think it was for the French resistance “Allo Allo” sure I seen Rene clearing up last nights meal, another little job for the editor to sort out, lovely old building, thatched roof cottages, old school and farm building all with a little trout stream meandering through the centre. Good start to the day, with the weather not sure what it was going to chuck at us, Rylan flipping off his jacket like some sort of contortionist, Bingo and I just deal with it, not able to stay straight never mind take off a b** jacket on the move.

Stopped for a coffee around 10, in the square at Les Andelys, then set off again hugging the river Seine, before we crossed the river, ready for the next two climbs, once again nothing serious just a couple of miles up hill, nothing to worry these old legs, just ride put one foot over the pedal then repeat a few times. All good Bingo went on a scouting trip to find a lunch stop around Evreux, ended up in a Buffalo Bill restaurant, think it may have been Buffalo grill but still had the Texan theme running through its veins, all good though big meal and few beers helps us on are merry way.

Last 20 odd miles through the wonderful winding, undulating roads all done in a matter time, which is only an abstract principle, all meandered into Verneuil d’Avre et d’Iton, just as funfair was setting up right out side the hostel, they will do well to keep me up tonight, just lately struggle to get past nine, but you never know if we give Rylan an extra fiver he may stay on the bumper cars all night. He is currently pestering us for a ride, he has to sort the evening meal out before we go with any of the malarkey.