Vaucluse Dreamer

All I can say, is that cycling 740km to Angouleme to watch the first rugby match of the season for Provence, was worth every turn of the pedal.

We had spent a lovely afternoon exploring the town, before I put on my Provence T-Shirt to wear to the match. I have carried it in my panniers, all the way, so I was going to wear it, come hell or high water!

We walked up to the ground, which we had imagined to be at the bottom of the town, but was actually at the top. So we follwed a sinewy route up back-streets and roads to get to the stadium. It was a great walk, taking us away from the town centre and gave us a chance to admire the elegant buildings that we passed, many with ‘Ghost-Signs’ of the businesses that had been there before.

But what caught our eye too were the elaborately designed ‘coal-hole’ guards. I’m not sure if that was actually their original purpose, but almost all the houses we passed had the iron guard-door at the front of the houses, pierced with dates, initials or wonderful designs. I really must find out more about them, as I’ve never seen such a wonderful collection before.

Anyway, enough of the architecture. As we got closer to the stadium, we joined the throng of people following the well-trodden path. Although literally everyone else was wearing Angouleme colours and we appeared to be the only Provence supporters to have made the trip.

It turned out to be a great evening’s rugby, and a wonderful atmosphere, even though the result didn’t go our way, But we had been there, We’d tried to make our voices heard against the 7000 other spectators, all shouting for the other team, and had just had a great evening watching rugby, which is what we had come to do.

We also had a great view of the sunset from where we were standing, so it was pretty much as perfect as it can get!

Once the whistle had blown, and we had chatted to the aunt of one of the Provence players, who had come to watch too, we ambled back to the house and collapsed into bed.

Waking early today, we walked to the nearby boulangerie grabbing something for breakfast (and second breakfast), before loading up the bikes and starting to pedal away from the town.

We had revised the route, based on the weather forecast for storms coming in. Wanting to keep our options open to camp if possible, but to book into places if the storms seem to be rolling in.We had found that the route we had originally planned would take us through areas without many alternative accommodation options. As the weather seems to be shifting  to autumn very quickly, we felt a different route may be a better plan.

We’re a bit sad, as it’s the second time we have had to change our planned route, taking us away from the parts of the Dordogne that we have wanted to ride through (storms stopped us 2 years ago). But, what we have really found is that it doesn’t really matter where we ride. France is an exceptionally beautiful country and is a joy to cycle around, so it really doesn’t matter which route we take.

So we headed out, on our revised route, through the Charente and into the Dordogne for a much-needed day off in Mussidan.

The ride started in the way it continued, heading uphill. In fact, as the gradients hit 12% in places, I mentally twinned Angouleme with Bath for the hilly ways out of the town.

Eventually the gradient lessened and we started to pedal through the countryside, on our way south. Again, I had chosen a route that took us along the roads less-travelled, and we meandered from village to village & hamlet to hamlet, rarely seeing a car.

It was another grey, and at times drizzly day, but that didn’t stop us enjoying the coutryside and watching the subtle changes as we drew closer to the border with the Dordogne.

We pedalled through pretty villages, where the houses had changed from the large-windowed cream-stone ones we had seen in the Charente, to the first sharp-roofed traditional Perigordine style.

We passed huge fortified houses and manors with pigeonniers in the gardens, and then were brought to a stop by the sight of the Chateau La Mercerie. A spectacular Renaissance-style building that seemed to go on forever. In fact, we found out later that it has the longest frontage of a chateau in Europe, at 220m long. It really is incredibly impressive.

We noticed the apple orchards give way to walnut groves, which is so emblematic of the Perigord too.

The roads were smooth, silky and empty, and it almost came as a surprise, when we saw a car, or a person. In fact, at one point, we felt that we had seen more cats and squirrels than people.

We pulled into one village, in search of a coffee, only to find a wonderful ginger cat sitting on a cafe table, under the bunting. We didn’t manage to get a coffee, but we did enjoy a stroke, before we pootled on.

We didnt get very far, as the heavens opened, so we quickly turned off, seeking shelter in a doorway to put our rain-jackets on. It was a well-placed stop, as we found ourselves by a pretty well, which appeared to be known as the ‘fontaine legendaire’ with its waters having many virtues (although, so far, I haven’t been able to find out what these were)

It was though, incredibly clear, and it was possible to see each and every stone in the deep well, magnified slightly by the water.

Of course, almost as soon as we pedalled on, the rain stopped and we stripped our jackets off again. Pehaps it had started just at that moment, so that we could see the fontaine? You never know!

After another coffee-free village, we gave up and stopped in a quiet place, munching our second breakfast, before heading on again.

It was a lovely day and we passed through villages with beautiful, ancient churches and priories. We climbed the hills and whizzed down them, much faster that we should, only to have to start climbing again.

We cycled through open farmland, enjoying the sound of cow-bells at one point, and through large forests too. The damp scent of wet bracken and earth got in our noses, as drops of water fell from the trees after the recent rain. But finally the sun poked through, and as we cycled through the Foret de La Double, on our way to Mussidan, and we found ourselves cycling through a tree-lined tunnel of dappled light. It was utterly stunning.

After nearly 90km, we arrived in Mussidan at just after 3, and have spent the afternoon just chatting about the ride so far, and what we still have to do.

With the weight of the panniers on the bikes, today was leg-sapping and we were happy that we have a day off tomorrow to rest a little and recover a bit too. But, already, we have started to think about new adventures and where the bikes may take us next.

So even a leg-sapping, tiring day hasn’t put us off. In fact it has just made us think about how we can make the experience even better.

so a day off tomorrow, before we head on again, although we have yet to actually decide which route to take. The only known factor is that we have to be in Bordeaux on Thursday evening for a very early train on Friday to take us to Aix, so that we can arrive in time for the first Provence home match of the season.

So still a bit to do!