We really enjoyed our day off in Mussidan yesterday, and after another good night’s sleep, we were ready to go on again this morning. I had planned various routes to Duras, which we had decided would be our next stop, on the revised route towards Bordeaux. We had the ‘If it’s bucketing with rain’ route; … More Day 13 … Hiding from the cloudburst
The joy of cycling and also the frustration of cycling is having to deal with the weather. Two years ago, we were having to fill our water-bottles from taps in cemeteries, as it was over 35 degrees on some days. This year, we’ve hit the storms at the end of a long summer canicule (heatwave), … More Day 12 … Dramatic history & some re-planning
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 … More Day 11 … Into the Dordogne
We’re so pleased that we had been carefully watching the weather forecasts over the last few days. Big storms had been predicted and we had been re-planning the ride to try to avoid the worst of them. We have been keenly watching the changing forecasts on Meteo France and what we like to call Inaccuweather, … More Day 10… Well, that was wet!
Andy’s idea of changing our route to have a day off in Rochefort didn’t really appeal to begin with. It was always a place that we had passed on the motorway, whilst on our way to the Ile D’Oleron, and I just had memories of a big bridge and unattractive outskirts, which didn’t put it … More Day 8 Looks like rain
After yesterday’s ride into a brutal headwind, we were absolutely exhausted and were snuggled into the tent, ready for bed by 9. It was quiet on the site, and we thought most of the vans and tents were ‘garage morts’, with their owners just not there for the night. We were wrong, but were so … More Day 7 – What no coffee?
Last night’s camp site was rather lovely, until the moment we snuggled onto the airbeds, ready for bed, at the ungodly hour of 9.30pm. it was at that moment that the unmistakeable strains of Boney M’s classic Ra Ra Rasputin started from somewhere nearby. It became slightly more bizarre, when a dear friend (I’m mentioning … More Day 6. Who ordered the headwind?
Last night’s camp site was rather lovely, until the moment we snuggled onto the airbeds, ready for bed, at the ungodly hour of 9.30pm. it was at that moment that the unmistakeable strains of Boney M’s classic Ra Ra Rasputin started from somewhere nearby. It became slightly more bizarre, when a dear friend (I’m mentioning … More Day 6. Who ordered the headwind?
We had the most superb day off yesterday with our friends in the Marais Breton. They took us across the ancient tidal Causeway onto the Ile de Noirmoutier, which we hadn’t visited before. The Causeway is an incredible road that is only accessible for a couple of hours, either side of low tide, and is … More Day 5 From one Marais to another
Today started very early, with us being woken by the prehistoric screech of herons flying in to fish in the canal behind us. But we put our earplugs in, turned over and managed to doze a little longer, managing a lie-in until 6.30! We stretched ourselves out, after our first night under canvas, clambering out … More Day 4 We’ve crossed the Loire.. Blain to Bouin
Postcards from Provence and beyond 