It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to – Bilbo Baggins from Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.
Last night I had a meal out where the highlight was a serving of mixed vegetables and the lowlight a rather grainy crème brûlée. For a drink I tried an aperitif called picon vin blanc which is broadly similar to a kir and popular in the far north of France.
Today's cunning plan is to revisit Rocroi though via a different route which I have extended to visit this pleasant town which boasts a good bakery that also does coffee. As a change this route starts out along the river, so flat, then climbs, then finishes with a glorious descent back into Fumay; a descent that was yesterday's early morning ascent.
After 50 minutes along the river I stop at a café in Vireax-Wallerand and enjoy a simple coffee and pastry. This is unusual for me but I am trying to slow down before my slightly longer days which start on Monday when I leave Fumay and travel through Wallonia the first three of those are 50-mile days and the first is hilly as well. Going out of my door on Monday will be a dangerous business.
I sit indoors with café seating and this isn't so common in France. In the UK and other European countries getting coffee and cake in one location is standard. In France cakes (Pâtisserie) and pastries are at the bakery and coffee from a bar-tabac. Bakeries often do takeaway coffee and may offer minimal seating outside. I note it is €3.70 (£3.20) for a good coffee and an excellent pastry. Vireax-Wallerand itself has a good feel to it and like Fumay would make an excellent base, so would Givet as I will discover tomorrow.
Lock 55 is included in many of my ride descriptions and I am unsure why it is singled out.
This former tannery had plans agreed in 2022 with target completion 2027 though work on the ground has yet to start.
I have been dawdling so won't make it to Rocroi but this lands me in Nismes for 12noon and there is opportunity to try a friterie which you get in France and Belgium; I am in Belgium now. As usual my choice of establishment is governed by bicycle security as I left my heavy lock at the gîte. First you need an establishment where you can leave your bike somewhere sensible and then you need seating where you can keep half an eye on the bike.
I know I am in Belgium because the cows have changed colour. These cows are Belgium Blues.
The cycle route signage confused me momentarily until I remember that Belgium has adopted the node system where you plan a route based on points or nodes. The website https://www.nodemapp.com/en provides help with planning.
Nismes itself is very attractive.
The ride back from Nismes is fine but I am tired and when I get to the long descent back into Fumay I pause and decide to take it easy; it's dangerous enough just going out of your door. Big descents are fun but you do need some energy, whole body effort to drive the bike round the corners and higher levels of concentration are required. I seldom know my speeds but yesterday riding through a village downhill I was coasting and braking to manage my speed as the road surface was poor and it was a built up area; a digital speed notice recorded 24mph.