Day 12 Le Mont St Michel
Today was my third day and as such should be a day of rest, according to my schedule, but the lure of Mt st Michel proved to be unavoidable.
As I set out it was just spotting with rain, but not much. I felt it could go either way and foolishly left it a little too late to get out my wet weather protection. Mi Czecki Mapi predicted a journey of 30 km which I guessed would take me 2-3 hours. I avoided the town of Avranches which is perched on quite a steep hill, but on the outskirts I noticed a Decathlon store so I popped in to get some gas for the stove and a waterproof cover for my phone which was under increasing threat from the worsening weather. I got the rain proof cover but their was no gas. I picked up some bread and pate for lunch at a local store, but I didn't make it to the mount until about 3pm. By this time I'd had quite a soaking although most of the stuff in my bags was quite ok as they are pretty impenetrable. I would say there were literally thousands of tourists at the mount, walking in a long line (a kilometre maybe) in both directions to and from the imposing citadel. It was quite an impressive sight, particularly as it was still raining. I was able to ride the bike along the causeway to the main gate, lock it up outside and took my valuables in with me for a look around.
It is a gob smackingly interesting place. And despite all the cafes and gift shops it is still fundamentally medieval. I don't think I've been anywhere quite like it before. Because of its isolated position, virtually on a tiny island of granite, it has never been the victim of a military assault and consequently is uniquely preserved. Tiny winding streets, with the most immense granite and timber buildings overhanging them. All paths lead upwards towards the abbey. Incredibly there are gardens and even graveyards hidden away amongst the densely packed buildings. When you finally arrive at the higher levels it costs 11 euros to get in to the abbey, but I never for a moment regretted contributing to the upkeep of this fantastic monument. If you ever get the chance to visit, don't miss it.
The weather is being totally unpredictable and as I left I had no idea where my next stop would be, partly because some of my gear was already wet and I didn't want to endure any more rainfall, and partly because it was already 6pm and I had no idea how many km I would make before nightfall. On the southern horizon there was a huge black cloud, but the sun was shining, so I determined to keep cycling until it started raining, as it surely would, and then just find the nearest available shelter.
I have no idea where that black cloud went to, but within an hour or so it completely disappeared. I made good progress and spent several kms in the company of another French cyclist from Lyon. The further we traveled from Le Mont the fewer and fewer hotels and campsites were evident. My companion left to go in another direction and I pulled over to investigate an abandoned garage as a possible resting place. In the process I managed to snap the kick stand on my bike and drop my phone, cracking the screen. Suddenly I felt incredibly vulnerable. It wouldn't take much to scupper the whole trip. Mercifully the phone appeared to be still working, possibly as a result of the expensive screen protector I had bought before leaving England. I took these setbacks as a bad omen and set off at once to continue my journey to the next town and, damn it all, I was going to stay in a hotel or B&B because it was just too late and too wet to camp out in the tent.
In every small town the story was the same; hotels and restaurants all closed down, surely as a result of the Corona virus. Finally around 9:00pm I arrived in a place called St James, a sizeable market town where there would surely be some accommodation. In fact there is a warm showers host in this town but I didn't want to bother them at this late hour with all my wet gear. It turns out there is only one hotel still operating and it was full. But just as I was leaving I was called back in to be told there had been a cancellation. My spirits which were dwindling took an instant revival and I practically kissed the receptionist as she arranged secure accommodation for the bike and arranged with her husband the chef, to provide me with an omelette and chips, despite the restaurant having just closed for the night. They were so welcoming it was almost overwhelming. My budget of course took a hefty knock, but I had to acknowledge that this was no time to be mean spirited and that I should avail myself with gladness for the opportunities to express human kindness that were arising.
Postscript
Not a very good picture, but it is noticeable that cows are happier with their horns, and it is very sad to see by contrast, herds of intensively bred Friesian cattle many of whom seem to have difficulty walking.
