After nearly 30 years of dreaming we've finally bought our own bit of Provence and spend as much time there as possible. A lover of everything about the area especially the markets, the Brocante hunting & cycling the quiet lanes. Blogging about my favourite things in the area from places to visit, shopping and cycle trips
Day 7 of our Devon to Provence cycle tour takes a very wet turn as we pedal from Coulon through Poitou-Charentes to Dampierre sur Boutonne. Battling heavy rain, strong winds and increasingly soggy clothes, we discover that sometimes the best cycling adventures are the ones that don’t quite go to plan! … More Devon to Provence, Day 7: Soaked to the Skin and a Bike Race
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 … More Devon to Provence by Bike: Day 6 – Seriously Soggy into the Marais Poitevin
Day 5 of our Devon to Provence cycling adventure takes us from Bouin to La Roche-sur-Yon, with an orange storm warning forcing a last-minute route change. A day of dramatic skies, changing plans and discovering more of France by bike. … More Devon to Provence Day 5: Orange Storm Warning. Our Route Had to Change
After a seriously soggy arrival at our friends’ home, our wet disc-brakes sounding like an angry flock of geese, as we pulled up, we quickly showered and settled into catching up. We first met Peter and Jo, when we first rode from Devon to Provence, in 2023. Jo had contacted me over social media, kindly … More Devon to Provence by bike: Days 3 & 4 relaxing in the Marais Breton
After the last couple of trips being made far too stressful with cancelled trains and having to reorganise routes and even completely change our plans at the last minute – you’d have thought we had learned our lesson- but no! Yesterday’s trip between Exeter and Plymouth was stressful enough … but today has taken it … More Devon to Provence by Bike: Day 2 -Never again are we taking trains!
Join us on Day 1 of our latest cycling adventure that will see us cross France from Roscoff to Provence. Today started simply with a gentle ride to Exeter, taking the bikes by train to Plymouth, before catching the ferry to France … More Devon to Provence by Bike – Day 1: The Journey Home Begins
The bikes are almost ready and the final preparations are underway for our cycle ride home through France. Everything seemed planned… until we discovered last night, that one of our much-anticipated cake stops was closed! So, with a little last-minute route reshuffling, we’re off to find another way home — and hopefully another slice of cake along the way. … More Route planned, getting ready to go ….. Then we find out the cake shop is closed!
Three weeks today we’ll be setting off from Devon on a cycle ride home to Provence. In this post I share how we’re planning the route, and the decisions behind choosing quiet roads, and the best places to stop along the way. Whether you’re planning your own long-distance cycling adventure or just following the journey, this is where the ride begins. … More Three Weeks Today: Planning the Route from Devon to Provence, by Bike
Not even 2 weeks have passed since we landed in Plymouth, after cycling back from Provence. And today, we’ve started getting excited about our return trip. Last year, our cycle back from the UK was planned around the Provence Rugby fixtures, at the start of the new season. We spent weeks waiting to plan the … More Time to plan the cycle ride home (Rugby included!)
Reflections on 2 weeks of cycling, on a bicycle journey across France from Provence to Roscoff, discovering that the greatest rewards of slow travel aren’t measured in kilometres but in conversations, quiet roads, and having the time to truly notice the place that we are in … More Cycling Provence to Roscoff : A journey measured in moments, not miles,
Postcards from Provence and beyond 