Vaucluse Dreamer

Today felt very strange, as it felt as if we had really started the ride home and if we’re honest, we aren’t really ready for this little adventure to end.

Of course, it can’t go on forever and the house-sitters leave on Sunday, so we can’t simply keep cycling, however tempting that may be!

We had spent such a lovely Day off in Collioure and have certainly fallen under its spell, so we’re already planning a return trip (by train, rather than bike), but perhaps to a quieter apartment.

As normal, we were awake early, perhaps slightly earlier than normal thanks to the chap shouting at his dog to ‘shut up’ at 5.30am. There are some downsides of sleeping with the windows open to  listen to the sea!

We packed up and walked the bikes along the quay, as the clock struck 8 and the sky turned pink and gold with the sunrise. It was a beautiful sight and a lovely goodbye from this enchanting little place.

Neither of us were really looking forward to the first hit of the ride, which would take us out along the coast, through the built up resorts that aren’t exactly picturesque. But we had planned a route to cut inland as soon as possible and to make our way to tonight’s stop at Peyriac de Mer, through the Corbières hills & vineyards.

We put our heads down to ride along the coast road, just wanting to get it done, but soon found our heads lifting to admire the spectacular sky. The cotton-wool clouds catching the colours of the sunrise were really rather beautiful.

The area of the road, normally reserved for car parking was empty, so we used it as a cycle lane, keeping well away from the cars and lorries on the road.

We wingled our way through Saint Cyprien and then at Can’t en Roussillon started to make our way inland, stopping for coffee in colourful Salses-le-Chateau

Before continuing on and starting to climb into the hills.

We didn’t really know what to expect from this area. We had planned the ride there simply to avoid the coast, but as we cycled up, we found ourselves in an increasingly beautiful landscape.

We soon lost the traffic and found ourselves on a quiet road, gradually climbing away from the sea. After the sometimes brutal climbing in Spain, this all felt very gentle and the kilometres slipped easily below our wheels

As the road climbed, the views opened up and we caught a final glimpse of the Pyrenees and the hills above Collioure, where we had crossed from Spain. It was hard to believe that 2 weeks ago today, we were simply finding our feet in Madrid and hadn’t even turned the first pedal of this ride.

Then the view was gone, replaced by a glimpse back towards the sea…

And beautiful hills ahead.

It was so much prettier than we had imagined it would be, with bleached rock summits and herb covered hillsides…

Before we started running through extensive vineyards linked to Rivesaltes and Fitou amongst others. We were deep in the Corbières wine producing area and it was incredibly beautiful.

It was made even better by the autumn colours showing in the vines. A stark reality that we are well into autumn now, despite the weather suggesting it’s still mid September.

We rode through pretty villages, stopping in one for a rest and a bite to eat on a bench by the church.

Then went on again, finally sweeping out of the hills, down a quiet main road, passing through a tunnel and heading the last few kilometres to Peyriac.

It has to be said that we had to take our lives in our hands for a short distance along a main road that was busy with lorries, avoiding the motorway tolls.  We felt invisible with cars and lorries passing our shoulders,  a stark reality that we weren’t in Spain any more, where we hadn’t really felt at risk, in all the time that we were cycling there.

But much to our relief, we soon found a side road that ran us straight into the heart of Peyriac de Mer, and right to the door of the cottage we’ve rented for tonight.

We quickly unpacked and wandered into the village to see what it was like. We haven’t visited here before, and didn’t have high hopes as our experience of coastal towns hasn’t been great, so we were very pleasantly surprised.

It’s a very beautiful little village, with a pretty square filled with bars & restaurants…

With the old salt beds, now flooded home to flamingos and other bird-life too.

We may have cycled 100km today, but the thought of getting up close and personal with the quirky, vibrant and delightful flamingos was too much of a draw. So we decided to wait for a beer and to take a walk out across the water on the well-built network of boardwalks.

I’m so pleased we did. I love flamingos and just the chance to see them so close in such a beautiful environment is always a joy.

So an hour later, we finally sat down for a well-earned drink, to chat about the day and take a look at the route for tomorrow. You can take a look at a video of Today’s ride here

It’s hard to believe that this time tomorrow, we’ll be in Sète, and that will be the last night away, as on Sunday morning, we catch the train back to Avignon to cycle home from there.

This evening though, we’ll enjoy another walk out into the village (after we’ve watched the Provence Rugby match on TV) and hopefully have a restful night before  we head in again, in the morning.

It really has been an amazing couple of weeks on two wheels, and such fun too.

We like to use these rides as an opportunity to raise funds for our local Restos Du Coeur in Apt and have set up a fundraising account Here . If you have enjoyed following our adventure over the last 2 weeks, then please consider making a donation to help this valuable support agency in our town in Provence. All money donated will be passed on to them.

At the moment, I think this little dog at the bar is my spirit animal … I could do with something to rest my head in too!