A strong tide pushed the ferry sideways up the channel last night, it docks later than usual. Through passport control a few minutes after 6am. Cinema ticket booked for 6pm. Two hundred kilometres, twelve hours. Or eleven if I want to wash and lie on a hotel bed for a bit first. Up on the plateau fuzzy red lights blink as turbine blades stir the mist. One hundred kilometres to Beauvais. Half way through the ride that will complete the first half year of Randonneur Round the Year. Maybe ride there non-stop, the scribbled midway stop in Formerie is always disappointing. Only a small bakery and I’ve never seen a café even though surely there’s a PMU bar tucked away on a back street somewhere. No dithering, five hours tops. Then ride breaks into nice chunks, easy multiples of old commutes. Beauvais to Gisors, forty kilometres, two commutes, two hours. Find snacks. Gisors to Lyons-la-Foret, thirty five kilomteres, similar timing. Find coffee. Last bit to Rouen, thirty kilometres, but two big hills. Two hours. Legs will be tired by then plus navigating the urban grot that is the outskirts of Rouen. Time for a shower and a nap before the film. Three minute stroll to cinema.