Today was one of those days that is best split into 3 parts Before coffee … Glorious Before lunch … Hideous After lunch … Longer and steeper than planned. Let’s start with before coffee. We left the hotel as it opened, just after 8, wheeling our bikes out of the wonderfully secure room they have … More Saddlebag of Memories Madrid to Sète Day 11 . Igualada to Vic
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, today was a truly spectacular day on the bike. As usual, we set off at 8 and quickly cycled out of Lleida, enjoying the quiet roads of an early Saturday morning. Having spent the last 2 days cycling on some busy roads, I’d managed to find … More Saddlebag of Memories Madrid to Sète Day 10 . Lleida to Igualada
We had a lovely day exploring Madrid yesterday, but by the evening we were just itching to get on the bikes and start cycling. We needed the day just to sort a few things out, but once we’d done that, we just wanted to get on the bikes and escape the city. We really aren’t … More Saddlebag of Memories Madrid to Sète. Day 3… Madrid to Pastrana
This morning, every bone in our body wanted to get on the bikes and start pedalling. But for once, we had been sensible. Having had to dismantle the bikes to transport them, we had been a little nervous that we may have to deal with a few problems, once they had been rebuilt. We also … More Saddlebag of Memories Madrid to Sète.. day 2. Exploring Madrid
We always get back from a bike ride saying we’d had a lovely day, it’s hard not to…. But today, all we could say was ‘wow, just wow’ After yesterday’s long ride around Beziers, we thought we’d take a shorter route today, especially as we start to cycle home tomorrow, so will have another long … More Bikes and Brocante Day 5… A perfect day
It’s hard to believe that we only finished the ride a few days ago, as life has been a bit full-tilt since we pedalled back up the hill to the house, and finally unstrapped the bags from the bikes. The grins are still there though, as they come from deep inside, pushed up on a … More Saddlebag of Memories… A few days on… What we learned
It’s quite hard to believe that today is the last day of our ride down through France, to our home in The Luberon. In many ways it feels as if it is months, since we left Devon, yet at the same time, it feels as if we left just a couple of days ago. I … More Saddlebag of Memories… Day 17… Tarascon to Home
After yesterday’s (at times frustrating) ride, we spent a perfect evening, having a slow supper, with a very lovely bottle of wine….. and ambling around the beautiful streets of Aigues-Mortes, listening to the swifts screaming down the streets, as the sun started to set We slept well, which has been a recurring theme of this … More Saddlebag of Memories… Day 16… Aigues-Mortes to Tarascon
We woke up early this morning, feeling refreshed and well rested after our day off in Pézenas. In fact we woke up so early, that we were pushing the fully laden bikes out of the apartment at 7.30am, getting a few funny looks from people, just coming out to walk their dogs. We had decided … More Saddlebag of Memories… Day 15… Pézenas to Aigues-Mortes
It seems really strange to say this, but today is our last day off the bikes, before the start of the last few days of cycling, back to The Luberon After arriving yesterday, we dropped everything off in the apartment and went out to explore the town, which is certainly one of our favourite little … More Saddlebag of Memories… Day 14… Day off in Pézenas
Postcards from Provence and beyond 