Day 2: St Omer to Roye

After a very good night's sleep the major part of the trip could begin. I'm only going to Vouziers, which could be done in a day from St Omer on the main roads, but my intention is to ride as many 'green lanes' on the route as I can. I'll be limited by time, lack of detailed maps, and a lack of energy to take too many dead ends.

I had to visit the Decathalon store to buy a new holdall for my waterproofs and chain and was there at opening time. In western Europe it's hard to find wilderness.

The day started dry, with a forecast for rain later so I needed to make a good start. The opportunity to ride a known lane was too much to miss, especially when it is so attractive.

I also visited a long track that I knew but it now has closed notices on the central section. That bit probably isn't the best, but it does spoil the lane as a through route. Perhaps that's the idea? The area covered today is very agricultural but that doesn't stop it from being picturesque.

During the day I saw a rabbit, hare and some small deer. Even though the fields are quite large there are hedgerows and ditches to hide in. Of course, hunting is a popular pastime here and so farmers will encourage the wildlife, if only to shoot it.

By mid afternoon I was tiring and the weather was closing in, so I completed my wandering and headed for the hotel. It didn't rain but there were a myriad flies getting inside my helmet and clothes to be very itchy. As the sky became duller I really needed my glasses to read the map but was too lazy to put them on.