8 June 2025 (cloudy, cool, windy) 35km

Woke at 6am to clear skies and a cool eleven degrees.

The visit into town last night was cancelled due to a heavy downpour which meant getting soaked whilst heading to the Cathedral.

Now, being deeply religious, I knew the "Big Fella" upstairs wouldn't have wanted us to experience any form of discomfort or suffering. After all that's why he died for us.

So, we didn't go.

And what do you know, the skies are brighter today and that's because last night I prayed that they would be...(well pray might be a bit strong....I actually said "I hope that bloody weather improves tomorrow, so we can see that monstrosity on the hill") Bingo !!! 

We hope to see Chartres this morning and then have a relaxing ride of approx 30kms to our next campsite, which is a municipal one. 

Over at the house we had a cuppa, put our power bank on to charge, then our phones. In these times, having power for your devices, is our biggest issue.Using the Mapy app. yesterday was excellent, after Julia realized it was set for road bikes instead of cycle touring and made the necessary  adjustments. The days of packing a bike, grabbing a map and just going are gone. 

Seddik, the young man who runs the house for the owners whilst they are in China, is also an intern like Doris, his chosen field is computer science. Like Doris, he works remotely. He was making coffee and asked if we would like a cup, so began a 45 minute chat. He is Algerian and like Doris, a very nice person. One of three brothers, he was the first to venture to France to study, although his other brothers are now in France. 

We began cooking scrambled eggs for breakfast which were delicious. Then we walked into Chartres for a look around. Although fine, the wind was cold, especially in the shade.

The Cathedral is beautiful and dates back to the 14th century. We spent a good 30 - 45 minutes wandering through it. They had a 100 metre carved wall around the main seated area.

The level of detail on this stone carving is amazing. This wall was 100 m long and 7 meters high and enclosed the choir and congregation.

Mass was on whilst we were there and they had choir boys singing. The acoustics were amazing and it was very special, quite haunting in a beautiful way.

 

A stroll through the town gave us more photo opportunities.

Back at the site, we packed our kit and we were once again on our way. A flying visit to the supermarket, which closes early on Sundays at 12.30pm. The security guard told Julia, she had two minutes, so she flew around. 

Taking smaller roads or trails out of a city can be a challenge, but it beats competing with the traffic. Enjoyed a leisurely ride out into the country. 

Not very inspiring today and we were riding through miles of barley, hemp and corn fields.

Found a nice little lunch spot.

Scattered throughout were wind turbines and we weren't surprised as we had a strong wind blowing at us all afternoon. So we're glad they were making use of it because for us it was a right pain in the arse and we were glad we had only a short day planned.

Cycled into the small hamlet of Meslay le Grenet. An old church took centre stage in a pristine looking village.

We wandered inside to find murals that had been painted on the walls in the 15th century. I was tempted to add some stick figure drawings on the wall, but I didn't want to put anyone to shame. 

It was back to monotonous riding.I wouldn't say it was boring, but I could practically see the barley growing. At least the trail we were on was keeping us well away from traffic.

Around 4pm we entered the old village of Illiers-Combray, the birth place of Marcel Proust, the writer. It was here while buying a soft drink that we came across two guys and a girl who were out on their first camping bike adventure. They were enjoying themselves, riding along to the Beatles blasting out "Here Comes the Sun" from their speaker.

One of the guys was a writer, so he was amazed to find a statue of Proust in the town.

Stepped into the church, which was also from the 15th century. The roof and ceiling were amazing.

After a short while we arrived at our destination for the night, Le bois fleuri camping.  From the moment we stepped in the gate, the lady made you feel so at ease. They told us that burgers and pizza, along with the obligatory wine and beer were being served from 6pm.

As we were almost finished setting up, a young man two sites along approached us. His name was Eliot and he too is cycling from France to Greece, except he's only 21yrs old.

Shot over for showers then up to the outside eatery for burgers, chips, beer, wine and ice cream. It was delicious. Elliot came in to order and we invited him to join us. So began a great couple of hours of chat and exchange of numbers. Another nice young man. 

By 9pm the temperature had really begun to drop and we were ready to hit the hay and by 9.45pm, we were tucked up tight.