(August 2020)
As I’d mentioned in my previous post, we spent the majority of the lockdown with my parents and saw a couple of friends and other family members along the way. The time had now come for us to travel south to Italy, to visit Miki’s family.
We had decided to cycle to Italy, firstly making our way across northern France, and then getting a train across the mountainous part of Switzerland (we felt our bikes were a little too laden to cycle this part) towards Miki’s parents’ house.
We caught the train from Birmingham to Dover, and took a ferry from Dover across to Calais. As the ferry gangplank lowered we squeezed our way in front of delivery trucks to avoid being stuck behind in the fumes, and were then guided out of the harbour grounds by an escort car. From here it was merely minutes until we were onto the cycle way – a route spreading across much of the country, shared by pedestrians and cyclists.
Being back on the bikes was the most delightful feeling. The perception of freedom perhaps even more intense after the lockdown period. We inhaled deeply to take in the fresh smell of woodland that surrounded us, coasting along at a steady pace. As evening began to fall we found a sheltered area among trees to camp for the night.
The next morning started with a quick respite stop at a small cafe/bar in the nearest town. We wanted to refresh our faces, get a coffee, and begin to really enjoy the slow pace of life we foresaw before us for the next two weeks. Then, leaving the small town behind us we made our way along country roads, fields spreading as far as the eye could see in either direction. Sometimes views could only be seen by standing high on our pedals, the bordering hedgerow being too high otherwise. We made a stop at a river on the way out of Recques-sur-Hem (a small town 25km south-west of Calais) to rest, bathe and have a snack.
As midday drew closer it began to get hot, very hot. Our food and water supplies were fast running out and as we were currently meandering through small country towns, there was a long way to go until the next chance of a good-sized shop and the opportunity to find much in the way of vegan options. Miki went into a bar in another small town to ask them to refill our water bottles, while I waited outside with the bikes on the deserted streets. When he returned, he was surrounded by the smell of smoke, the bar having been occupied by several older men relaxing for the afternoon over drinks and cigarettes.
From there we slowly and methodically pushed on our pedals to reach the top of a hill we had just descended, and headed for the main road to make for the next large town. The relaxed pace now gone, it was replaced by an adrenaline push as we raced up and down the seemingly never-ending undulating road, cars passing at speed.
At the end of the day we managed to find space at a campsite on the outskirts of Arques. Though we had covered more ground through the day, winding through the country roads, we were now just over 40km from Calais. We were very grateful that though the site was actually full, the owner had done a cycle tour of his own and so was willing to find some space for our small two-man tent. We hadn’t planned to stay at a campsite so soon, but after our high-speed afternoon it was nice to have a shower and to relax without the additional awareness that is needed when wild camping.
The next morning we made our way out of Arques and onto the path by the canal. This soon turned out to be far from the peaceful, calming day we had imagined. The path was gravel, and as I have a hybrid bike with thin tyres I could feel every bump along the way. Though Miki’s bike was more set up for such a track, it still began to wear on him as the day went on. We also discovered that this canal path had absolutely no shade, our only respite being when we stopped for lunch, resting under a tree a little way from the track. I mentioned the day before was hot, and this day felt even hotter. It turned out we had chosen the time when a heatwave was spreading across Europe, resulting in us cycling in 40 degrees Celsius on this non-shaded route, all breezes apparently having taken vacation while the sun rays pounded down.
After an exhausting day we stopped to regroup in the city of Béthune and searched on our phones to find another place to camp. We located a site in Violaines, a small town another 13km cycle from our current spot, but the only feasible option we could see. We decided that enough was enough, a challenge was all good and rewarding, but we prefer the kind that comes with enjoyment. This was not enjoyable. The heat was too much and our bikes too heavy, having packed not just for the trip but also for our several months’ stay in Italy. We made the decision to head to Lille the following day to rent a car and drive the rest of the way to Switzerland. Though a little disappointed that this trip wasn’t turning out as planned, we decided at least there would be the added bonus of more respite at the other end before my two week holiday ended and I resumed work.
So it was that we were up early the following morning and heading for Lille. The country roads that we had mostly had to ourselves began to be replaced by busier, wider ones as we neared the city. There was a spacious feeling along the streets, likely due to both nice wide roads and that many people were away for the summer months. Trees bordered the footpaths, adding greenery and providing us with shade as we made our way to the centre. We stopped at a corner bakery already busy with morning crowds and enjoyed our food sitting outside at a table, watching others come and go.
As we reached the centre of Lille it opened out into a large square, La Grand Place. A central point in the city, it was bustling with people, though things were not quite as normal as all were wearing masks.
Unfortunately, victory at reaching our destination was soon replaced with distress as it looked as though the car we’d booked for our trip was unavailable. Due to COVID, everyone had decided to hire cars to get wherever they needed to be that summer, rather than taking public transport, and this meant the hire companies were dealing with a countrywide shortage. Some time later, somehow, they decided that there was indeed a car available and we weren’t to be stranded after all.
By the end of the day both of us, our bikes and our luggage piled into the car and we were heading for Geneva. We spent the night camping in a very smelly, noisy truck stop at a service station, only to discover the following morning that there was a different, truck-free area we could have used just around the corner!
Miki drove us the whole way and his marathon drive was met with reward as the road we were on began to ascend, up and into the mountains of Switzerland. We reached the peak and as we made our way over the other side of the mountains we could see Geneva and Switzerland stretching out below.
There was now one final part to our mission. Only one train that day would take us directly to Milan. Any other would take several trains, many more hours, and be much more likely to be difficult due to having to book our bikes onto each train. This meant we had to pull into the car park; open the boot; put our bikes back together and fasten on our panniers and other luggage; then find the correct way to get to Geneva train station. The first entrance we tried was through a building at the edge of the car park, but turned out to be available only to people who had just flown into the country. Quickly manoeuvring back outside, we instead had to go out and round, cycle across the border and then race down to the town below. We managed to buy tickets for the direct train, fingers crossed our bicycles would be allowed on, and made it to our platform with around 15 minutes to go.
It was a first, and incredibly fleeting visit to Switzerland, but I was lucky enough to enjoy the mountains going in, and (after successfully making it on board) a train ride out through The Alps as we snaked along the track towards Milan. We had made it, and my first time visiting Italy was just around the corner!
