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.