Day 175
26/12/16

Left hotel at 11 by the time I’d loaded it all up, then south again following the coast. Today was mainly on cycle routes with some hills before Collioure but downhill to Collioure where I stayed in a hotel on the bay, then walked around the old medieval town with Pippa.
Today 28km

Day 176
27/12/16
Cycled to port vendres and on the way up the hill out of town and almost at the Spanish border I decided to go home, cycled back to town and went to the tourist office where I found a hotel that would allow dogs and had a large garage I could leave the bike in. With campsites being closed during the winter, and having to wild camp or stay in a hotel and the loneliness of travelling alone with no one to talk to I decided it was time to have a change of plans and rethink of what I am going to do with my life.
Today 15km
Day 177
28/12/16
Today I took a walk up to the train station and found that there was no ticket office or ticket machine, so I popped into the tourist office again and asked them where I could get a ticket to Perpignan, they told me I could get one on the train so back to the hotel and I packed up my things to leave and things to take with me, I left the bike and trailer in the hotel garage.
On way to Perpignan from Porte Vendres got stung by ticket inspector €50 for a €2 fare, no ticket office or ticket machine at station, tourist office told me to buy ticket on train, inspector had a young French mum in tears and she spoke fluent French to argue with him so what chance did I have.
When I arrived in Perpignan I bought a ticket to Dieppe for the next morning, then I booked into a hotel by the station for the night.

Day 178
29/12/16
Left perpignan at 0540hrs and arrived at Paris gare lyon at 1045hrs, a station I thought I’d seen the last of, I took the metro Underground €1.90 and a nice smooth ride as the trains have tyres
Made my way to paris st lazare where I got a train at 1450 hrs arriving at Rouen rive droite 1600hrs with an eleven minute changeover to make it to the dieppe train and arriving in dieppe at 1657hrs. It was freezing cold at night and I found a hotel for us.

Day 179
30/12/16
Today I took Pippa to the vet to get her a worming pill and get her passport signed then I booked a ferry back to England.
Day 180
31/12/16
A freezing cold morning with freezing fog, I left the hotel at about 3.30 to walk to the Ferry port and check in an hour early for my 0500 hrs ferry.
When I arrived back in England my cousin picked us up from the Newhaven.