Day 1- Poole to Saint Mere Eglise

It’s rather lovely to start a journey setting sail from your home port; for me this is Poole, Dorset. Setting sail from Poole on Brittany Ferries ship Barfleur is particularly significant for me, as it was almost five years ago on a sunny summer’s day that I was setting sail from Poole as I received a telephone call from my neurologist to impart the words I was dreading to hear. “Hi Claire, I’m afraid your DAT scan is abnormal; you have Parkinson’s Disease.” A few weeks previously my sister had driven me to Poole hospital, where the lovely team in Nuclear Medicine, gave me a radioactive isotope and asked me to return a few hours hence for the Radiographic DAT Scan. The news that I have received from my neurologist sank in as the Barfleur Ferry navigated its way through Poole Harbour, past the chain ferry and alongside Shell Bay. Summer holidays were in full swing and I could see families aplenty enjoying the sunshine, sand and sea. I wept. I was 37; single; a GP Partner, almost a Public Health Consultant too. Who would want me now? What was I going to do professionally? So, fast forward five years; Departing on the Barfleur in glorious sunshine, sailing past the chain ferry and Shell Bay. And I am doing OK; five years in whilst my ability to use a computer is quite impacted, my mind works still and I have enjoyed some worthwhile employment since 2017. I have adapted my working practices to accommodate more self-care, of which exercise forms the back bone. And today I am embarking of my Tour Du France!
Having sailed on the Barfleur it seemed only right I should cycle through Barfleur village; a quaint fishing port of the Northeast coast of the peninsular. Fueled with Earl Grey Tea and a Coffee Éclair this Claire was ready to tackle the coast southbound towards St Vaast Le Hogue. Glorious beaches alongside the little road; with rivers meandering along towards the sea; a little like Key Haven on the solent – perfect for bird watching – Oyster Catchers and Egrets!
Signs relating to this historical event abound; advertisements for museums; key battlefields; war memorials; most evocative of all for me are the flags that fly from houses across the region; so many American flags floating in the breeze. The locals still hold so dear the effort and sacrifice that secured their freedom. This aspect rings particularly strongly for me currently as I think about Ukraine; and those who are striving in many different ways to support the Ukrainians. From those hosting refugee families; to those fundraising and supporting charity work; to civil servants and diplomats; and to those supporting people directly in Ukraine; the International Committee of the Red Cross and Medicine Sans Frontiers. Arriving in Saint Mere Eglise, our rest for the night; I spy the model of a parachutist hanging on the church tower; the American Airborne division parachuted into the region to work with the soldiers arriving via the D-Day beaches. Team work was key to the success of the liberation. Team work is key to so much...

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