Page 19 - Walking Back Through Time

Day 7 Marseille-en-Beauvaisis to Les Andelys - 60km
Light rain fell during the night though it felt a few degrees warmer so I slept unperturbed. Leaving at dawn in windy wet conditions, along an eternally rural landscape I see little of consequence as the road for once is totally mine.
After completing 10km I go off course to visit a tourist office and later a craft shop. Here I enthuse about my experience of walking Europe and that my present expedition has been interesting to date.
The rain pours on and I stop again for provisions at Gournay-en-Bray, an historical place which lies on the confluence of the Epte and Morette. Eating a cheese cob, I relax for a while amid an array of heritage build- ings that characterise this region. The majority of places have cenotaphs commemorating the fallen from both conflicts and I pause occasionally to note the war dead and take photographs of the sites.
On the busier roads I encounter farm machinery and speeding lorries which seem to gather momentum in inclement weather. The conditions do not ameliorate as I continue my journey towards Les Andelys which is a further 18km. By dusk I am still at the mercy of speeding traffic un- til finally at 9pm I find a lodge at the town of Les Andelys. The hotel room is 60 euros and soon after I walk a mile back up the hill to buy a meal at the town's Chinese Restaurant. The town which is dominated by the eminent Chateau-Gaillard Castle, is very substantially formed from two communities, Petit-Andely and Grand-Andely. It is large by my standards and I have done well to get a room here, as camping is simply not an option. After a buffet supper I wash some clothes and drift off into a deep sleep incurred through sheer exhaustion from the day's ef- fort.
Day 8 Les Andelys to Saint Sebastien - 40km
The novelty of a hotel stay meant I was able to enjoy both an evening meal and now breakfast too! Setting off in clean dry kit also puts a spring in my step as I build good pace throughout the first 10km to Gaillon. After a glimpse of its 16th century Renaissance Castle I man- age another 15km to Evreux. The town is made up of imposing architec-