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| Yes, it's another cheap tent from Decathlon. |
Distance this section : 464km
Distance completed : 464km
Is it time for another little adventure? Why yes, I think so - really quite a little one this time, a cycle ride of just a bit over 2,000 kilometers. What, that is totally little! Anyway, the plan is to start from Lacanau-Océan on France's Atlantic coast, where I've been enjoying a convivial family holiday, ride north to hit the English Channel in Normandy, and from there west as far as Belgium and Holland before taking a ferry to England. Should be fun and hopefully largely flat.
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| Giving the bike a bit of a test out on a forest track. |
I begin with a lovely ride to Bordeaux, along a beautiful, flat and well-surfaced cycle route through pine forest, and make good time - seems I have not completely lost my ability to do this. A small hitch does arrive in Bordeaux, my planned route over a very large bridge is impassible as the cycle path is shut, necessitating a detour on what is already a long day. Still, the detour, involving another big bridge, does at least let me ride past the fascinating, and massive, World War II submarine base, sadly I forget to photograph it though. I have as far to ride again after Bordeaux, and the way is hilly now, this is hard going. I cross another bridge, the impressive Pont Eiffel, stop for lunch (cheese of course), and find I am running low on water - I try to use my GPS device to find a shop but then its batteries die, oops, I really need a shop now. I try to navigate by the sun, this does not work too well, and remember all too late that French villages don't really have shops, barring of course the boulangeries that a) only open in the morning and b) only sell bread. I at least manage to find water from some random roadside taps, then remember that I can navigate using my phone, this gets me to La Roche-Chalais where there is an actual supermarché, I make camp, cook some pasta and drink wine, all good.
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| Fortifications in Château-Larcher. |
There's a big thunderstorm during the night, my new tent holds up well - yes, another Decathlon £20 job - even though I only bothered to use three tent pegs. Today I'm riding through familiar country from two years ago, there are many rivers, I bomb down to cross them but it is hard work getting up the other side, often there is pushing involved. I also do a bit of off road, the bike (also new from Decathlon, believe it or not) just about copes. I make good time, today to the familiar campsite at Mansle, getting there for 5pm. Plenty of time to find a restaurant, one I'd wanted to visit last time but it was of course shut. I am not disappointed by the monstrous burger washed down with much wine. From Mansle, I follow my route from 2016, but in the opposite direction of course. There are chateaux, vineyards and fields of sunflowers ready to harvest, it is all very pleasant... a slight shame I've left my cycle helmet in Mansle, never mind, honestly I don't go fast enough to really need it. A little bit more off road action, and more annoyance with rural France as there are no shops for me to buy lunch from. Eventually I eat a late one in Poitiers, there are mini pizza crackers and even some beer, worth the wait. Then only a little further to Bissay, a nice place with, of course, an impressive chateau, not to mention an actual bar.
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| Amboise. |
One more long day will get me to Amboise - I've been forcing the pace a little, the plan being to meet my brother and family for dinner tonight, they had an extra few days in Lacanau-Océan and are now driving north, moving rather more quickly than me. But in fact, I make pretty good time, much of the route being along the river Vienne, making for largely flat, and also very scenic riding. Then a little up and down, and I'm in Amboise before 5pm - actually beating Dan which is nice. A pleasant little campsite too, located on the Ile d'Or in the middle of the Loire, there is a good view of the chateau from here. And if communication issues at the restaurant result in rather more charcuterie turning up than expected, well, not the end of the world...
Photos to go with this post can be found here
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