Monday, April 15, 2024
End: Conteville
Kilometers: 19.9
Total: 99.8
When we woke up, we were on a mission: get into the city of Saint-Valery-en-Caux as soon as possible and avoid any incoming rain. We packed up our stuff and left our site, walking in the wind along the tractor paths between the farm fields.
The theme of the day was wind. We walked along some roads into a small village called Manneville-es-Plains, took a short break, then went back out onto the windy farms.
Walking among big wind turbines, we saw a van parked at one which was broken down, not turning. Pretty soon we had to turn West directly into the wind, and it took some effort to keep moving.
With Alex and I each holding a child’s hand, we eventually made it down into the city, and resupplied at the Carrefour City convenience store near the beach.
I had hoped the town might have a McDonald’s, but no. I found a kebab store and we got in just as it opened up at 11 AM. We ordered a sandwich for Alex to eat, sat awhile, then ordered another, all the while charging our phones and the childrens’ cameras, and checking the weather.
The forecast had cleared up considerably, though it was still windy. We ended our long break after 1PM and left the city, climbing out on the West side.
As soon as we got to the edge of the first farm, a rain started. We ducked into a fortuitously-placed forest path to wait it out. Soon I explored the woods a bit more, and as the rain wasn’t stopping, opted to pitch our tent deeper in the woods where jt was dry, just for a break.
As we were getting the rain fly on, a downpour started and the children dove into the tent just in the nick of time. Alex got in as well and I finished setting it up, wet but happy the rest of us made it in quite dry.
We took a nap in our sleeping bags, and when we woke up, the rain had stopped. I decided we should go for it, so we packed up and headed back out into the wind.
This time, the wind was serious. My weather app declared a severe wind advisory. It was like climbing up a wall just walking on the road across the fields, with the wind in our faces.
With our children being led by the hand into the windy wall, we slogged through until we were finally able to turn North, making the going much easier.
We went through a couple of small villages and took some short breaks out of the wind. Nothing too long, because sitting around was a cold affair.
My original plan was to camp at the Mémoire d’Albâtre, the exhibition of German World War 2 bunkers. However, as we approached, it seemed like it would be very windy to be down by the coast.
When we past a public building in Conteville, we found a spot out of the way and set up our tent. A woman who presumably worked there walked by and we explained the situation, and she graciously agreed to let us stay.
It was a dangerously windy night, and our tent shook and strained all night with the gale-force winds, but it was staked down first, and never broke. The children were warm in their sleeping bags.
