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09:39 Sitting up half-dressed. It’s cool and mostly overcast. I first checked my watch at 08:10. Had a really terrific sleep. Looking forward to covering some distance today. I have a slight dilemma in that I need to stock up again on food for lunch and dinner for today. I think I’ll backtrack towards Lisieux - I passed an Aldi on the way out.
09:04 Teeth brushed and deodorant applied. I’d decided to skip having a shower as the ambient temperature outside and in the shower blocks is 9°C. I’m packing my sleeping bag away and it’s started to rain. I had spotted dark clouds in the West but didn’t expect them to land on me so soon. It’s fine under the basha and I’ll be cooking and eating breakfast for the next half an hour anyway. A damp basha isn’t a big deal, I’ve discovered. Must remember my socks are out to dry on the bush nearby.
10:13 Ready to move on in light rain.
10:56 In the checkout queue at Aldi.
11:12 Almost back on the road out of town.
11:34 Steep climb out of town. Lisieux town limit.
12:00 I arrived at Roques crossroads at the moment the church bell began to chime.
12:03:26 
12:04:43
12:12 Blue sky peeping through the overcast to the south.
12:20:19
12:45 Hermival-les-Vaux.
12:48:17
13:07 Pausing. Considering stopping for lunch but I’m just on a damp patch of grass at the side of the road. Fantasising about walnuts embedded in buttered bread with cheese, and apples for dessert.
13:18 Found a grassy field gate set in off the road. The sun is just starting to peek through the clouds. The ground is damp but I’ll sit on my map.
14:10 Lunch was delicious. I just munched a handful of walnuts rather than putting them in my cheese sandwich because the cheese was firm. The sandwich was enhanced by enormous hunks of fresh butter and a little gem sliced from pole to pole twice.
The sky has closed over again, but it is warmer now and the road is dry. Onwards!
14:25:17 
14:26:21 
14:32:00 
14:35:26 
14:36:42 
14:37:22 
14:38:54 
14:39:20
14:59 I took a wrong turn at Ouilly du Houley, turning south instead of continuing eastwards. I can turn back onto the right track at a village called Firfol. I am not Firfol.
15:57:01
16:05 Back on track for a while. That was a 5.5km detour that should only have been 1.5km. It cost me an hour basically. Now at the Paquine River bridge, crossing north. I’m taking my trouser legs off in anticipation of the climb out of the river valley.
16:12:26 
16:17:29
16:53 Back in open cropland again. More options for discreet camping. The fields aren’t fenced off. The sun is shining out of a mostly blue sky, finally.
17:01 I’ve just crossed into Basse-Normandie - or else I’ve just left there. My map doesn’t say and my GPS is ambiguous. 1
17:15 Stopped to drink a litre of water. I have about a litre left. This is the first time during the trip that I’ve emptied a bottle, I think.
17:18:19 
17:44:29 
17:47:34 
18:02:19 
18:24:36
18:58 I’m between Fontaine-la-Louvet and St-Aubon-de-Scellon. I’m up on a wooded valley hillside, high above the road. I’m about to check out if the ground is flat enough. It looks promising. All I hear is birdsong. The wind is still.
19:01:00
19:04 Just spotted that my left big toenail has sliced a hole in my purple sock. I’ll have to darn it and get a new pair in Rouen.
19:18:59 
19:19:09
19:16 I’m a little bit concerned about the half-metre wide circular patches where the leaf litter has been scuffled away. Each of these is located under tilted tree trunks or branches - suspiciously resembling badger scratching posts, if my mind wasn’t running away with me. Oops, here comes some rain. Better get a move on. Found a flattish spot to set up. Hope the badgers and foxes keep away from me.
19:51 Basha set up. Still need to put the bag in the bivvy and eat my dinner. I’m surprised at how nervous I am about the forest mammals, even though I’m the biggest one. I’m also going to smear myself with DEET. Right, dinnertime. Oh and I only have half a litre of water left. I’ll be knocking on doors tomorrow looking for a refill.
19:54:52
20:37 Dusk is falling; I’ve texted my position to Aisling. All that remains to be done is lay out the bivvy and bag. It’s a mild evening. I hope I sleep well.
I’ve since discovered that I’d just crossed from Basse-Normandie to Haute-Normandie.↩
