Day 08: Media Karma...

Sunday June 21, 2009, 24 km (15 miles) - Total so far: 299 km (186 miles)

• World > Europe > France > Picardie > Albert  - map

• World > Europe > France > Picardie > Thiepval  - map

• World > Europe > France > Picardie > Auchonvillers  - map

Well today turned out interesting... Thanks for all the birthday wishes from everyone... we set off a little later than usual, but that was never going to be a problem as we had so little distance to make today... only 16kms, including a few stop-offs...

... we took a break at the Pozieres memorial again as it wa at the top of the hill, then turned left towards the Thiepval memorial... that was very impressive... and I took some great photos of the memorial and us on the memorial... we then sped down the steep hill to the bottom of the Ancre valley, and up the other side to the newfoundland memorial... to be greeted by signs showing no bicycles... since we had all our bags on the bikes, we were never going to just lock the bikes up across the road as they had all our gear in them... so we wheeled them up to the visitors centre (we didn't ride them, we were pushing them...!)... to be greeted by a grumpy bloke telling us that we couldn't put them here... he was then joined by a canadian girl who said the same.... we explained our predicament, that we didn't want to leave all our bags over the road, and she said that we could leave our bags here, but the bikes would have to be parked over the road... it's difficult to explain, but bear in mind that we had pushed our bikes along a gravel path from the entrance, causing no harm or offence to the site at all, and were wanting to simply lean them against the side of the building where they would get in nobodys way (the path went round the side)... and yet we were told we had to unload the bikes, park them 150 metres away, and then carry the bags back to the bikes afterwards to load them up again... we simply couldn't be bothered with the hassle, so we moved on... the story continues later....

we went on to the hotel we're at today.... Avril WIlliams hotel in auchonvillers... and after checking in, I left Drew and went off on the unloaded bike to the nearby village of Beaumont Hamel, which is quite famous in these parts... I found a sign for a cemetary for the 51st argyle highland regiment and followed it up the hill.. past the barrier that said cycles were permitted... and wheeled my bike up to the cemetary and monuments... and there it was... the monument that we were not allowed to see earlier because the bicycles were not allowed.... I'd inadvertantly found the back entrance to the place....!... so I walked the bike up towards the caribou monument (for that is what it was)... and another canadian guide told me that I'd obviously come in from the back entrance, but that bicycles were not really allowed, but it was OK because I'd come in the other way.... WHATEVER...!!

... You may notice that there are no photos today.... my camera memory card decided to have a brainfart (as I found out at the end of the day!), Drews camera has no batteries, so for Media, today is a washout (sorry...!)... and you should have seen the size of the cake that Drew got me...!!!!... I wish I had a camera for that....!!!

Day 09: The Hills are alive with the sound of tired cyclists....