Edenbridge Twinning 2026
We were invited to join the Edenbridge Twinning Association’s annual trip to Mt. Saint-Aignan in France. The French town is a suburb of Rouen. The plan was for us to cycle there and have an opportunity to meet some of the local cyclists.
Pete, Frank and Richard left Edenbridge at 6 am on Thursday morning, meeting Austen, Rob and Stuart to catch the 10:30 ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe. We were rewarded with a beautiful slightly misty morning and a wonderful ride to the port.
The ride to Newhaven took us throug the wonderful Sussex countryside.
We spent the first night in Dieppe eating in a great restaurant recommended by Pete.
We left Dieppe Friday morning in glorious sunshine travelling first along the coast and then inland to join The Avenue Vert. We then headed west and had a couple of nice climbs to meet our hosts at a restaurant near Les-Grandes-Vents.
The route gave us a spectacular view along the coast.
Some gentle climbs kept the ride interesting.
Three of the local cyclists rode out to meet us and treated us to a lunch in a restaurant. This was proper France, not just coffee and cake, we had a great two course meal. We then set off for the ride to Mt Saint-Aignan.
We stopped off for a guided tour around a V1 launch site which was very interesting.
On arrival in Mt Saint-Aignan we were introduced to our hosts and taken back to their houses to allow us to freshen up before a reception at the town hall.
Saturday we were introduced to some culture. We were driven to the lovely seaside town of Fecamp where we visited a fishing museum and the home of the Benedictine liqueur distillery.
Fecamp has a large harbour and was, in it’s heyday, a major hub for the fish industry
The Benedictine brewery is housed in a magnificent building.
We were able to try 4 types of the liqueur. Apparently the 27 herbs and spices used in the brewing process make it very good for you.
On Sunday morning we joined a few of the local riders.
The 6 of us stayed with hosts in the small village of Quincampoix which is just to the north of Rouen.
After another great lunch we went into Rouen which is very interesting city and well worth a visit.
Rouen has a spectacular cathedral
After saying goodbye to our hosts on Monday morning we set off on a two day ride to Calais. The weather was perfect, 23 degrees by mid-day and not a breath of wind, it was more like July than August.
The route took us along quiet rural roads.
Not a car in sight!
Some gentle climbs led to spectacular views.
Many shops and cafes are closed on a Monday but we were able to find a bakery doing great fresh baguettes.
We had an overnight stay in Marconelle and then headed off for the final leg to catch the 15:30 ferry from Calais.
We left in fog which was a bit of a shame as we couldn’t enjoy the countryside, but it was still fairly warm and obviously no wind.
Austen was at the front of the peleton getting off the ferry at Dover.
We had a fabulous 6 days and met some wonderful people. The French made us incredibly welcome and we made great memories.
Thanks to Stuart for the fabulous photos.