Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. Albert Einstein
In busy Charleville-Mézière I encountered a sign and had to look up it's full meaning. Yes, you can run through a red light in the directions given but it's still your responsibility to give way to cars and pedestrians who have the green light. Users of the Cycle Superhighways in London use this approach though without the licence to do so. The French sign and associated rules came about around 2012 as a measure to facilitate the free flow of cycles and also as a safety measure to clear cycles out if the way of large vehicles.
I've cycled in France quite alot so didn't think I needed to remind myself of the rules of the road. Cycling through a village which was one straight main road with side roads, a classic ribbon development, there were intermittent stop signs by each side road indicating that drivers can pull out of side roads with priority and its the driver on the main road that needs to give way. It isn't always this way and this variable rule is the second most important rule to be aware of. The first rule, drive on the right-hand side of the road, is a constant.
The German professional cyclist Jens Voigt had a positive spin on cycling when he said Riding a bike is like an endless Sunday afternoon. It's a Monday but today is definitely a Jens Voigt Sunday afternoon style ride down the river Meuse which runs northwards from Langres to Rotterdam.
I am following the Trans-Ardennes route which is a segment of the longer EuroVelo 19 or Meuse Cycle Route. Further north in Belgium it gets branded as one of their national cycle routes.
I stop at Monthermé for a coffe and it has a very resort feel to it.
There is 224m of dark tunnel where you have to plunge yourself into darkness before a segment of lightning comes on, then again plunge into the unknown to trigger the lights for the next stretch.
I fancied inflating tyres with a pump that had a pressure gauge but never found it.
Though I did find an old house.
The Meuse is controlled with locks and wiers to make it navigable.
My accommodation for the week is called le haut clocher, the high bell tower. It is on Church Square directly opposite the church.
Fumay itself is neither resort nor run down and will be a good base.
I have time to explore the village and I do find a proper pump with pressure gauge. These storage facilities are locked at night and have charge points for e-bikes.
Another view of Fumay.