Sunday 13 May 2012

12th May: Roscoff to Porspoder


12th May sixth stage:  Roscoff to Porspoder  77 kms.

Even though the ferry was three hours late leaving Rosslare we arrived in Roscoff on time at 11am on a very bright but very windy Saturday morning. Although Roscoff town, with its quaint, narrow streets  hugging the port was a pretty start, I was in no mood to linger, and after saying goodbye to a fellow cyclist I’d met on the boat on his way to Amsterdam I raced off in what I thought was the right direction and then paid the price and found myself unreasonably irritated about losing the way on the open, windswept D10 passed by fast moving traffic seemingly as eager as I was to leave the ferry port.  I was in Plougoulm before I realized my mistake. Perhaps, though, it was for the best as I made excellent progress to Plouescat   and the frenetic tourist traffic had virtually disappeared on the way to Goulven and Lesneven.  Signposting in Lesneven leaves something to be desired but there were locals aplenty to set me right and the road through Kernilis and into the valley of L’Aber Vrach and on to Lannilis was delightful, the friendly north east wind pushing me almost effortlessly up and down the undulating countryside .  I was in a bit of a hurry to get to our friends in Porspoder, practically the point the furthest west on the continent, and had no time to explore the attractions of the countryside, except to record the presence of innumerable ancient crosses and standing stones. Head down I shot through Ploudalmezeau  and Flourin, turned right at the crossroads and seriously buffeted now by the strong crosswinds completed the final stretch into Porspoder with some flourish. An invigorating walk along the spectacular coastline in the early evening sunshine was the best way to wind down .

So, after an unpromising latish start the tailwind more than made up for any irritations as I rode very quickly, across north west Brittany in bright sunshine on mostly empty roads.

77 kms
Total 374 kms

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