From Belgium to Spain on a bike - Part 1

Kortrijk - Lillers 80 km 
Spring time, good weather announced! just before the summer holiday rush, time to ride again. Unfortunately the day before departure a thunder storm destroted our 2 roof windows. I postponned my trip for 2 days and jumped on the train to Kortrik (courtrai) on thursday the 12th and rode along the Lei river for the Flemish and the Vallée de la Lys for the French part. First of all Kortrijk is a nice city, quite important for the Flamish identity. The museum of the golden spurs explain all the details of famous battle when the peasant defeated the army of Artois and the French king. Of course history has been changed into a myth but the museum tries to put things in perspective.
The ride along the Lei was nice on a cycle path, but once in France it is a bit less interesting, you can't ride next to the river for too long, I would recommand to stay on the Belgian side as long as possible at list untill you reach Comines.
In the early evening I reached the town of Lillers and the crappiest, dirtiest camping I have ever been too. I totally discouraged you to put your tent here as hygiene is very poor, they only clean once a week (says a poster on the toilet door) and it can't be a thorough cleaning. As a matter of fact I will complain to the French authorities as soon as I am getting back. My brand new tent was cut by glass in the ground. Waste of money and time ! Avoid Lillers municipal Camp site ! Anyway not much going on in Lillers. Paid 4 euros 50 for camping.

Riding along the canal Du lys, Belgium is on the other side.

I picked my first cherries on my way

I cycled through The New World

Lillers - Abbeville 86 km

What a nice ride ! Slightly hilly. Just a nice country ride with no car, a deer crossed in front of me, I followed the side roads the d102 to Auxi Le chateau parallele to the big departemental road. From Auxi going to St Riquier I went back on the D941 almost no car and no truck.

In Abbeville Irene was waiting for me, it's Friday, and we went to the Baie de Somme, beautiful sight. There is a cycle path along the canal de la Somme and around Baie de Somme definitly for a futur ride. This time we went to the nice villages of Le Crotoy, St Valery sur Somme and had fish dinner in front of the waves at Cayeux s/mer.

The Canche river

St Riquier Abbaye

Abbeville - Le Treport - Dieppe 85 km

Abbeville Le Treport was easy and quick, I took the most direct road D925 then the side roads from Friville Escarbotin to Le Treport where I met Irene for lunch? Nice port town with a Funiculaire to go on top of the cliff, I took it with the bike and had a beautiful ride following the European cycle coastal road, following the little signs I reached Dieppe, a spectacular view from the top of the cliff.

We had dinner in one of restaurant in front of the port, Dieppe is a quiet big fishing port with old castles and Vauban buildings.

3 pictures of Le Treport

Dieppe - Etretat 102 km

The most beautiful ride I ever had on this journey so far. Fantastic cycling roads, almost no cars, it's sunday. Plenty of beautiful villages on the sea. Going down and up the cliffs. spring time brings lots of flowers, Veules Les Roses being very flowery. I had lunch with Irene in front of a medieval Church, we walked around and along a river full of trouts, we saw quite a few from the river path. Irene left for Belgium, leaving me for the second part of the day. Passing the famous hills of Petites Dalles and Grandes Dalles and the last hill of Etretat.

Etretat being famous for it's broken cliff and the Pin where the famous (in France) fiction character Arsene Lupin had a hidden place. Etretat is a charming village I hate some fish from the Conserverie Belle-Iloise for dinner. Nice !

Paid 7 euros 50 cts for camping.

Arrival in Dieppe the evening before

fecamp

Etretat

l'aiguille d'Etretat

Etretat - Livarot 120 km

Quite long and difficult ride, I made a mistake going directly to the Tancarville bridge  instead of following the coast untill the Pont De Normandie. Tancarville is a dangerous bridge without cycle path. Trucks pass very close and quite fast, over the 70km limit for sure. I totally discourage any cyclist to go other that bridge.

After Tancarville I took the smallest possible backroads from Beuzeville to Lisieux. Very charming but hilly ride.

From Lisieux to Livarot there is a long hill up with 6 km downhill to Livarot what a finnish !

Livarot has a cheese center of course, very nice you can taste and buy all the non-pasteurized Cheese. I bought a Livarot, a baguette, a bottle of cider for my dinner !

Paid 5 euros for camping.

From Tancarville Bridge

My dinner !

Livarot - Evron 124 km

I didn't expect that many hills on that way. It all started in Livarot going up for 40 minutes than quickly down to Trun and Argentan.  I went through Pré en Paille, cycled up on the Corniche of Paille, beautiful forest on the top of a valley, I reached Villaines sur Juhel thinking that there was a camp site over there but none, so I went to Bais where I knew that there was a camping, unfortunately it was under work and will reopen in 2015. At the city hall they said that I had to cycle to the next city Evron. The most difficult hill of the day and then down to Evron where I found the three star camping with a nice manager offering me a coke and some chocolate sweets while chatting, cost of the camping 4 euros and 50 cts.

Horse breeding in Normandie

And cows...