Samer had been different however, as the only vacancy I could find was by referral. Our chambre d'hote was not in THE book! And now we had to find it. The owners had sent me directions, but, of course, these were in the, now, lost map case. I had looked at them some weeks previous however, and remembered vaguely that the road to the B&B was off the main Samer road we used, being a turning opposite a water treatment works, then over a small river, a railway line and after which it was a house on the left.
Finding the water treatment works was easy enough, crossing the river was straightforward also, and just beyond, there was a level crossing - all going according to expectations. After the level crossing there was just one house on the left. It just had to be it. It wasn't!
No one knew of a B&B that existed along this stretch of road. It was all very confusing. I even tried phoning the B&B in the Sawday book that had referred me to the one I booked - but, as I might have predicted, there was no reply (obviously out or away). At this point the often held English view that all French people are unhelpful was soundly trounced. Our last effort to find our stopover resulted in us asking a group of friends who were preparing a barbecue.
Without a moment's hesitation, one of the group ushered me into his MPV and insisted on taking me on a tour of the B&Bs he knew in Samer. However, none of these matched the directions I remembered. Then suddenly my new-found friend had an inspiration. Back we went to the water treatment works. Just into the road opposite, the one we had already tried, there was an easily missed turning to the right (I can say this with only a smidgen of guilt at having missed it before, honestly...), and low and behold it went over a river and then, once past this, crossed a railway line via a bridge. 100 yards further on there it was, a sign: 'French B&B'. Could this be it?
A knock on the door, and there was Monsieur Pochet, our host, who confirmed immediately that he did indeed have a reservation for Paul and myself. And what a lovely B&B it was.
Sadly, I forgot to take any photos (how, I do not know), but the house was full of beautiful antique furniture and pieces of porcelain and glass. Bernard Pochet and his wife, Liliane, had originally lived in the middle of Samer but, now well into retirement, had moved to this more peaceful location ten or so years ago. I can thoroughly recommend their house as a place to stay. They are a very interesting and attentive couple who provide exactly the right mix of friendly help and personal privacy. So, while I have no photos to show you I am very happy to pass on their phone number - 00 33 3 21 33 52 46. I am sure you will enjoy their house and their company should you choose to stop there.
In fact, one night was not really enough for us, but our trip was rapidly drawing to a close. We now had just one day of cycling left, with lunch in one of our more familiar locations, Wierre Effroy.