Postcards from Provence and beyond

It has to be said that after the Orange Storm Warnings for the area, last night, we had a very comfortable, dry and cosy night in the hotel, in La Roche-Sur-Yon.

The storm hit at just after 9pm, and although it wasn’t as dramatic there, as it was in other parts of the area, there was a good thunderstorm, and plenty of rain, so we were happy we had changed the route.

This morning was one of those ‘calm after the storm’ moments, with no wind, blue skies and warm sunshine, as we packed our bikes up, and took a last walk around the heart of the town, to find a suermarket and buy some bits for breakfast, and lunch on the go.

The public open spaces in the centre of the town are really well thought out, and this morning, this great tree-sculpture caught our eye.

We had a long ride ahead of us today, as we have to be in Cognac by Saturday afternoon, and we wanted to try to get back towards the original route I had planned, which would take us through areas we visited, nearly 40 years ago.

I had replanned the route across, and we decided that we would aim for the little Municipal Camp Site in Coulon, a pretty little village in the beautiful Marais Poitevin, but it would be over 90km of pedalling, so we needed to get going.

We headed out of the town, following quiet roads, and sii left the bustle and busyness of morning rush-hour behind. It was a beautiful start to the day, with the early-morning sun dragging mist from the fields that had been soaked by the storm.

We soon settled into the rhythm of pedalling, enjoying the empty roads, with a simple soundtrack of birdsong to keep us company. The rain had changed the scents too, and we picked up earthy, autumnal smells from the hedgerows, as we passed.

The roads took us through gently rolling, rural landscapes, with us just passing through occasional hamlets, rather than villages, with pretty buildings that stopped us in our tracks.

About an hour after starting, our stomachs were starting to rumble, and we stopped in the first village, to make coffee and enjoy some cereal.

It was a pretty little place, with some wonderful murals, including this one, on the side of the school.

By now, the sun had evaporated the mist, and we were enjoying pedalling on, in warm sunshine, with our jackets packed away in our bags.

We wingled our way through pretty places, noticing the architecture change and the low level, red-roofed houses be replaced by large, stone-built homes, with elegant gardens and gateways. It’s the little things like this that I enjoy experiencing, whenever we do one of our rides.

We may have been riding under blue-skies, but ahead was a huge ‘cloud of death’ that was black against the landscape, with the blurred edges that suggest rain was coming towards us.

Slowly, but surely the heavy grey replaced the blue, and the first drops of rain started to fall. It was easy to understand why the swallows were filling the power-lines, there was a real sense that summer was coming to an end.

You can See the swallows in today’s video of the ride here

The rain, once it started, soon became sheets of water falling from the sky, washing the roads with water, and making the fields of sunflowers that have recently gone over, look even more despondent, and bedraggled.

We started to look for a bus-shelter, where we would be able to sit in the dry, and have some lunch, but none appeared, so we opted for the next best thing, a bench under some large plane trees, at the side of a village square.

We had been expecting to have lunch on the run, so had bought some post of noodles, so we could just add boiling water and enjoy something warm. I know it’s probably not you idea of what we should be eating, whilst in France, but we had them regularly, when we were in Japan, and really rather enjoy them. Perfect cycling grub for a wet day.

We were seriously soggy, our waterproof jackets were dripping and my shoes were filled with water, but we were still enjoying the ride, although we were hoping that it would stop, and dry a little before we had to put the tent up.

We still had abot 40km to pedal, so couldn’t just sit it out, so brushed the worst of the rain from our jackets, hopped on our bikes and carried on,into the Marais Poitevin.

As we arrived in Maillezais, with its ruined Abbey and beautiful church, the rain finally eased, and as we pedalled out, the skies started to brighten again.

The further we pedalled, the brighter it became, and we stopped to pack our jackets away, cycling on in just our jerseys. By the time we started to pedal alongside the canals and rivers of the reclaimed marshes, it was hard to believe that it had ever rained.

It’s a beautiful ride through to Coulon, on roads that run alonside the waterways. It was a gentle, peaceful and beautiful end to the day, as we indulged in a little bit of house-envy too. When we first visited the area, all those years ago, we had dreamed of owning a little place here, as we loved the area, and the cycling. But then we discovered Provence, although I still love the houses here, and daydream about having a little boat, at the end of the garden.

Arriving in Coulon, our wish was granted, and we set up the tent in the sunshine, managing to get everything packed away, before a big storm sent us scurrying inside, where we ate supper, listening to the rattling of the thunder and the drumming of rain on the roof. It was really rather cosy.

All being well, the storms will clear overnight, and I’ve replanned tomorrow’s route to get us back on track, to our planned stay in Dampierre sur Boutonne, tomorrow night.

After cycling  nearly 100km today, I have a feeling that we’ll sleep well.