Bonne Nuit Bordeaux

Wednesday 30th April - Break in Bordeaux

Breakfast in bed and, a bed you could actually fall out of!

Had a great day on foot around the heart of Bordeaux and its World Heritage architecture. The normal (self-imposed) daily euro limit was waived (and just as well ;-)). Beautiful boulevards and bars seemed the only obvious way to while away time as the dampness of the washing waned back in the studio.

Many more photos of the day in Bordeaux have been uploaded to the Flickr Photostream so, back to the bieres . . . 

 . . . while we contemplate the return of les culs to les selles in the morn!

Tuesday 29th April - Saint Laurent Medoc to Bordeaux - Pissing in the Vins

(Yes, we know it doesn't work like the other one)

When you need to go, you need to go so, why not make them more accessible!

Today would turn out to be the wettest yet! It rained non-stop and at times very heavily through the Medoc. Famous Chateaux, like Margaux barely got a glance as it was a day for pedal to the metal.

Disappointingly, it turned out that we'd brought the wrong sized bottle carrier!

Bowled into Bordeaux (Georges shooting the Feu Rouge in Myrtle's wake) fairly soaked to the skin but feeling strangely satisfied that we'd persevered through the worst weather we'd encountered so far (and were still smiling).

We'd booked into a city studio for two nights so all should be well with the dry-out and clean-up :-)

Monday 28th April - Hourtin Port to Saint Laurent Medoc - Roue the Day!

Woke to more pissing in the pins and headed off in search of a bike repair shop to deal with Georges' roue - it took three outlets and c.20km to find one capable and willing but, thank you Mondo Velo. The lad in the workshop seemed to pull it back into near perfect alignment for all of 17E.

The route to fixing the wheel sent us almost against our planned route to link with the Garonne and so, we revised things a little and chartered a more direct course via Bordeaux. This should mean the opportunity for a day in the World Heritage heart of the city and perhaps some washing etc.

Flickr Update
Quite a few more photos now uploaded to the Flickr Photostream link from the Blog; a little jumbled chronologically but a fair impression of the passage of events so far :-)

Sunday 27th April - Royan to Hourtin Port - Pissing in the Pins

Georges' rider's notes for the day read, wind, wind, sand and rain!!!

Ferry crossing of the Gironde was fine, if a little choppy. On the face of it, a great voie verte south but not so enjoyable today . . . sand blasted faces every time we nearer a beach and fairly constant rain through the pine forests for most of the day.

Mid morning, Myrtle noticed a potential buckle in Georges rear but little change was visible for the following 50km so, one to watch at potentially repair.

Day closes with knickers hanging in the tent

Saturday 26th April - Marennes Plage to Royan - Start the day with Boogy Juice! :-)

Another sizeable bridge at the beginning of the day, over La Suedra before downing the day's Boogy Juice.

Great length of forest cycle trail for most of the way to Royan, with some occasional but superb coastline stretches.

Lunch came by a windy beach where we watched kite-surfers and land-yachts. Some beautiful houses on the coastal route into Royan. Pitched up at our most expensive campsite so far (but we're all captive customers for the obvious ferry south).

Georges had his first flat en route into town for an evening beer (which didn't quite happen).
Back at camp while fixing earlier punctured tubes, France's Bicycle Repair Homme lept from the campsite bushes to insist on personally repairing one for Georges.

Map Update
Just a quick visual map update for the journey up to the end of Tuesday 22nd April in Les Sables d'Olonne.

Friday 25th April - La Rochelle to Marennes Plage - Who’d av fort it?!

The sun shone again for the start of the day and so it was pastries on the port before hitting the road proper. The Velodyssey took us on a coast hugging exit to the city along which we bumped into our recumbant friends once more.

Great riding through to Rochefort where we were slightly taken by surprise by the scale of yet another bridge to cross - the Charente River. Not in the same league as the Loire and perversely helped by vehicle accident on the ascent which slowed all traffic down and cleared a lane for us for some distance.

We had a rough spell up to a late lunch, riding into a punishing head wind but, there’s little that a baguette and cheese can’t resolve (even if it isn’t cheddar). Warm windy air then carried us through the marais where, seemingly in the middle of nowhere was Fort Brouage.

For once it was somewhere unknown to Jane despite all her Eurocamp working travels. It is a superb 17th Century walled fort in which a bustling artisan village has subsequently developed. Knowing we weren’t too far from the day’s natural end, this was too good a ‘beer in the sunshine’ moment to pass up!

Today we clocked over 1000km since home.

Thursday 24th April - Aiguillon to La Rochelle

Woke to a mist over the marsh.

Managed to commune with some fellow travellers today when we met a young recumbant couple en route. He was from Brittany and she was Turkish; having walked out of their jobs seeing no pensionable future in France’s Social Model, they invested in their bikes and were heading to Turkey - a six month trip and no plans to return within four years (we have just revised ours . . . )

Lunch was at a fantastic fortified church in the marshes in the sleepy town of Espanes. It was so good that clearly, 1000 years ago, the civic committee convened after its completion to discuss future plans but decided, you know what, I think that's job done for this town!

Showers loomed as we headed into La Rochelle for a bar of chocolate in a bus shelter ;-) Just having sorted out which campsite to head for, Myrtle had her fifth rear flat a mile form that night’s humble home.

Myrtle back on the go, we pitched camp in the rain before the skies began to clear.
An aperitif on the quay was calling!

Wednesday 23 April - Les Sables d’Olonne to Aiguillon sur Mer - And what a mere!

Within half an hour we found a Vendee Velo, unfordable ford (no diversion); no worries, we can find another way, 0.5km later, Route Barree on the coast road (no diversion). Still no worries (we think), but it’d have to be bigger roads with heavier traffic to get us back on track. Next we were hit by a first flat front for Myrtle.

So all sorted and then back into the paysages; Ming Li (the smartphone has had a name for a few days now) was doing us proud, if taking us on some culturally revolutionary tracks which might have adorned Chairman Mao’s hinterland. And then, the unbridged bridge; we were already in the middle of nowhere thanks to Ming Li, but now we had no road! However, having got us into it, Ming Li also got us out of it; earth tracks through farm fields all seemed to be there in his database and so, over the Donkey’s Backside Bridge we headed to Jard sur Mer.

We’d lost a fair bit of time on only a few kilometres and so revised our plans for the day and finished the day with one of Jane’s fantastic saffron risottos.

Pretty certain that we’re now just over a third of the route from home and a quarter of the way through France.

N.B. Still a little behind the timings of the recent blog posts but, we've added a few more photos to the Flickr link accessible from the bottom of the blog page :-)

Mardi, 22 Avril - Olivier, Tell Me More, Lecon 3

Aujourd’hui le blog sera en Anglais pour nos chers amis, Delphine, Olivier, Charlotte et Francois......

Une journee de repos....heureusement. Apres un petit dejeuner de pain chocolats, nous sommes alles aux Sables d’Olonne ou nous nous sommes promenes a la plage et dejeune a un petit restaurant. Charlotte et Francois - est ce que vous pouvez aider votre papa avec ses verbes irreguliers? Il a besoin de votre aide! 

Et maintenant, la salle de bain huh!!!

Monday 21st April - La Barre de Monts to Les Sables d’Olonne

Headed south on some more Vendee Velo to St Jean de Monts and picked up the day’s provisions. Then a fast ride to St Gilles Croix de Vie where we once again hit the ocean proper. Only for the second time did we manage to pace lunch to be overlooking the ocean.

Took a forest route towards Les Sables d’Olonne which lead us to the mysterious town of Olonne sur Mer; try as we might to maintain a direct course we found ourselves passing signs for entering and leaving the town time after time - it was like a moving metropolis, forever one step ahead of us.

Into Les Sables and Jane headed straight for the fountain. Then it was along the front and a short detour inland to Camping Les Fosses Rouges.

Sunday 20th April - St Brevin to La Barre de Monts - Salty Flat

The Velocean to Pornic with some of our most fluid riding of the trip (seems we’re starting to get the hang of this thing!). Pornic was bathed in sunshine, just perfect for the promenading French in their Easter Sunday best.

In late morning, we reached the end of the Velocean and joined the Velodyssey in the working salt marshes of the Vendee. Lunch was in Bouin by the church; spectacular stained glass and though its Easter, we were drawn to the symbolism of Moses (Moise) and our shared journeys to ‘the promised land’.

More salty flats took us all the way to La Barre de Monts and another excellent transitory abode.

Saturday 19th April - Guerande to St Brevin - The Devil’s Windmill and a Devil of a Bridge

Entered Guerande after passing the Devil’s Windmill (built by himself through a night when he took someone’s soul). Guerande turned out to be a real discovery; market day in a complete Medieval Walled City (like a mini Carcassonne of the north).

We took a long littoral route to St Marc sur Mer and had lunch with Monsieur Hulot (we’ve yet to emulate his ballet with a bicycle but a few of our dismounts have come mighty close). This would undoubtedly have been a stop to share with Jane’s dad, from which tears of laughter would have flowed!

Then came the durge of St Nazaire and the bridge over the Loire (another mini milestone on the route to the south). Alimost in the same league as our favoured Pont du Normandie at 3.5km (but somewhat less cycle friendly).

Good Friday 18th April - Port Navalo to Guerande - Will this wind be so mighty . . .

Contre le vent: Coming away from the peninsula, this was one of the sections where the prevailing wind might have ordinarily helped us - but oh no! So it was a head down morning which almost collapsed when we hit a massive Route Baree sign, huge hole across the road and no signs of diversion other than a dual carriageway for 10 miles.

The previously cursed smartphone pulled through though and in the end gave us our best roadside lunch stop so far in a land of perfect houses. The day ended with another warm campsite welcome in brilliant sunshine.

Thursday 17th April - A Bike Ride on our day off ;-) - Carnac Standing Stones

For the first time in France, we had a little lie in before taking Scooby to the beach (a future Flickr update). Then pedalled down to the Port and had a late morning biere in the sun while waiting for our little ferry boat across to Locmariaquer.

The ride was then only about 15km to Carnac on a route that took in many of the megolith fields (some off-piste fence hopping was risked for a photo or two - but you just can't keep a good dog down!).

Then headed on to Carnac and Carnac Plage - wonderful beach where Jane went for one of her obligatory paddles and declared it fit for swimming (though neither of us did on this occasion).

Once we'd found a suitable bar terrasse in Carnac village, we prepared some of the blog content that had been missing since the wheel re-build back in Steep (Wifi had so far been more limited than we'd hoped and then, this same evening we found some for the previous upload batch).

Kirs and beers rounded off the evening with gallettes on the front in Port Navalo.

Wednesday 16th April - Le Roc St Andre to Port Navalo - We reach the Atlantic

Got back onto the same Voie Verte for about 25km at the start of the day; it seemed like a gentle but never ending incline (though doubtless preferable to the undulating hills that surrounded us).
Myrtle blew a hole in her back end for the fourth time!

Found a lovely picnic spot by an Indo-Chinese Memorial (to be Googled at some time).
Forever thinking that just around the next bend we'd catch our first glimpse of the Atlantic (and another mini milestone) but seemingly thwarted at each turn.

After tackling a stretch of busy highway, we found a small Tourist Office at St Colombier; very helpful woman sent us further on our way with a great cycling map of the peninsula and info on camping at Port Navalo. Finally caught sight of the ocean, 75km into a 78km ride.

Camping Port Sable in Port Navalo turned out to be possibly the best municipal site that either of us had ever visited - new facilities, quiet and spacious and with a view of the sea from the tent ;-)

Tuesday 15th April - Guitte to Le Roc St Andre - Dust and Crosses (or is it Ashes to Ashes)

Today was an even more rural day; our suspicion is that only a handful of Brittany’s population live anywhere but the coast. Religious crosses dotted the landscape and agricultural dust filled the air at times.

The as yet unnamed smartphone’s navigation system seemed to add a few unnecessary miles to the day and at least one unnecessary ‘there and back’ hill - we may fall out if this carries on.

There seemed to be quite a thing with bicycles being locked at remote bus stops (presumably linked to the ‘school run’); so taken by these, we made one another of our ‘blanket on the ground’ lunch stops.

In the end we clocked up 75km today, the final third being back on Voie Verte No.3. the friendliest campsite welcome so far was provided by Miriam at Camping Domaine du Roc (all furniture provided). Gorged ourselves on what appeared to be a 51 cal/portion soup (but at least we had double helpings so, only c.95% down on basic intake - must have a word with the ‘snack monitor’).