Well, I just got back & it turns out you were all wrong!
The correct answer to the preparing for a trip question is : "train as hard as you can until the very last minute because you're going to catch some random French bug & be too ill to do anything even if it were to stop raining at some point. In fact don't go. Just stay ay home & train instead"
There, I've expanded UKBs training knowledge slightly.
Ian