Bikepacking from Spain to the UK | Part2 | Freewheeling the French Atlantic Coast

We set ourselves a challenge 11 years ago to cycle from Spain to to the UK. Sadly, we failed due to our bikepacking inexperience that caused chromic saddle sores.
However, this second attempt follows on the heels of a guided cycling holiday from Lands End to John O' Groats which taught the disciplines and the pace required for long ultra type bikepacking challenges.

This is the second part of the ride from the Spanish boarder town of Irun to Cherbourg returning to our home port in the UK, Poole. It was from this point that the realisation that the ride became a challenge because of pre-planned ferry bookings.

The route hugs the French Atlantic Coast until it's time to head into Normandy and Cherbourg Peninsula. Crossing the Loire revived memories of our earlier tour of the valley, discovering many of the regional wines produced there.

Weather conditions were extremely hot and we were seeing temperatures of 42 degrees centigrade. There were thundershowers during the night but we only donned our capes for a few hours.

We completed this self induced challenge within the abridged timeline even though it was 11 years in the making. Although, future adventures will be planned for the enjoyment of the ride.

Our bikes:
Specialized Diverge Base Carbon, Styer All Road Carbon wheels
Orro Terra, Campagnolo EKA groupset

Bike bags:
Apidura 7 Litre Race Saddle Bag (selected to constrain the pack weight)
Tailfin 1 Litre Toptube Bag
Tailfin Frame Bag

Navigation:
Wahoo Element Roam
Wahoo Element Bolt