I have to start by saying that I really dislike January. I know it’s a a quiet time of year after the excesses of Christmas and a time for looking forward to the year ahead, also my birthday happens to fall within it too, but I still find it the most depressing of months. Despite…
Category: general rides
pottering around on bikes, croissant chasing & enjoying the ride
An afternoon at The Thermal Spa in Montbrun Les Bains
Sometimes it takes me a while to get round to doing something and this week I finally decided I would go and try out the Spa at Montbrun Les Bains. I say finally as our lovely neighbour had mentioned it to me 3 years ago, just after we bought the house, saying it was a…
Chasing the dawn on Mont Ventoux
A few years ago, if Andy had suggested watching the sunrise from the summit of Mont Ventoux, I would have worked out how long it would take us to drive there, set an alarm and enjoyed the drive across and up the mountain. But that was a few years ago and things change. So a…
The Pleasure and Pain of cycling to a Brocante Market
As you have probably gathered by now we tend to enjoy spending our time in France cycling, visiting brocante market & vide greniers and drinking coffee, with the days passing by in a blur and us inevitably falling into bed each evening tired and satisfied after the day’s activities. There are certainly worse ways of…
Cycling, Coffee & Croissants!
Over the last 3 weeks Andy & I have covered nearly 2000 kilometres & climbed nearly 26 kilometres between us on our bikes. That’s not through us setting out to do anything particularly and it certainly hasn’t been as a result of us setting ourselves a target, but simply because we like to go out…
‘Chapeau’ to The Tour de France
Last year when The Tour De France visited Provence I was down here on my own and still waiting for the boys to arrive from their rather epic cycle ride from Dartmoor to Sète. I grabbed the chance to watch The Tour finish on the iconic Mont Ventoux, only for the summit finish to be…
A cycle to awaken the senses
Having arrived late on Monday night after a particularly stressful trip down I woke early yesterday & simply sat on the terrace like a lizard, being warmed by the sun, at the start of what was destined to be another stunning day. Yes there were things that needed to be done in the house, but…
Watching the Tour de France on Mont Ventoux – What a day!
For 3 weeks each year everything in our house slows down, the TV is on all afternoon as we all get our annual hit of two of our favourite things – France & cycling. For us the Tour de France is just compulsive viewing, not only is it fantastic to watch, but it’s an incredibly…
Two Weeks in Provence – Day 13 – A short cycle taking the whole day
Well another day has passed in a bit of a blur. Somehow a cycle ride of just under 20 miles managed to take up most of the day, so rather than a wordy blog tonight I thought I would do a picture-book version ………………… The day started with the relatively short, quiet cycle to L’Isle…
Two Weeks in Provence – Day 8 – A family picnic & an unexpectedly hilly cycle
Overnight I have gone from being on my own to having my hubby & 2 boys with me, which is lovely and as expected has added a new, very nice dimension to the holiday . So after feeding the chickens & having a leisurely breakfast we set off on bikes ‘en famille’ to head towards Apt…
