Day 57: Maureillas-las-Illas to Viladamat (75 km)

Friday 3rd November 2023
Our last day in France.

75 km – not bad for a nearly 70 year old who has badly bruised himself, with a bike and load (45 kg) falling on top of him in a one metre ditch 2 days ago. It was a big ride. Peter still feeling a little sore and  sorry for himself. So we wanted to take it a little easy so we bypassed the rough tracks which meant we had 3 turn arounds to nicer roads – more kms!!!

The ride out of Maureillas through the Pyrenees  was the highlight of the day. Even though we were climbing it wasn’t  difficult and the scenery was stunning. 

Then we crossed the border, into Spain and the first town we came across was just so different to France. It was alive, people everywhere, shops open, restaurants and bars full. We felt it was a little chaotic compared to France. 

We went through two lovely villages Capmany, located in the foothills of the Albera mountain range and well known for its vineyards and wineries, which Prue just loved and Peralada. 

• Prue took this photo as she thought it was promoting the wine district around Capmany but when we translated it it was to do with blood donations!

We wanted to pick up some stores to take to our Warmshowers host so we dropped into the supermarket. The first supermarket was closed. They open from 10 am – 2 pm  and reopen 4.30 pm to 8pm. Different siesta hours to France. Thankfully, we found a large supermarket that ignores siesta hours, that was open.  

It is now getting use to the different products in Spain and where everything is in the supermarket – it all takes time.

We arrived at Macia’s, our Warmshower’s host. We were the last to arrive. He had an Italian, Danielle and two Germans, Paula and Yul staying with him as well. We all had our own room in his beautiful family home. Macia said that the maximum cyclists he has had to stay at one time was 9!!!!

We settled into our room, showered and then went down to join the others for dinner. It was a lovely night.

Day 56: Maureillas-las-Illas

Thursday 2nd November 2023

We survived the night but woke to a full on storm (6.30 am) so we packed up quickly and booked accommodation in the village. Check-In was at 4pm but our very kind host allowed us to to check-in at 10.30am

It rained all day, Peter rested all day, with more drugs, Prue did the washing and tomorrow is another day………hopefully without ditches!!

Day 55: Canet-en-Roussillon – Maureillas-las-Illas (45 km)

Wednesday 1st November 2023

We have had a bad day!!

It all started well leaving our Hotel after a lovely French breakfast of more bread and pastries.

Then it all fell apart. Firstly we got a nasty fright from a quote for a leaking shower in Peter’s house. Peter said, “You could redo the whole bathroom for the amount they quoted!!!”

Then Peter dropped his phone- yes again ……..cracked screen -number 6!! F**#%&! Prue thinks it was due to the shock of the quote we received!! After regrouping we headed along the coast to Saint Cyprien. The promenade was extremely busy and we both commented on how busy it must be in peak season.

We then headed inland towards the Pyrenees and stopped at this lovely village – Argeles-sur-Mer where the local market was on. The village markets overtake the streets surrounding the centre of the town. You can buy anything and everything from the stalls set up through the streets.

After walking through the market, Peter was still in shock with the news of the quote and cross with breaking his phone screen again, so we were in no mood for stopping, so we carried on!!!!

Then the ”de piste de resistance’ was Prue found Peter in a ditch, couldn’t move with the bike and all the load on top of him.

Prue heard the screams for help but had no idea where he was until he said was down in the ditch

Peter stopped, waiting for Prue who was up the road taking a photo. He pulled over to side of the road, with two wheels on firm ground, in the long grass, but unknowingly, he was on the edge of a wide gutter which was about one meter deep. Peter put his foot down but there was no ground under his foot, and before he knew what happened, he landed upside down and pinned with his fully laden bike on top of him.

With help from Nina a passing cyclist we got the fully laden bike off Peter and thankfully Peter could ‘worm’ his way out from under the bike and climb out of the ditch. Peter was badly shaken, battered and bruised from head to toe but thankfully nothing broken. Peter was a lucky boy!

After another regroup, we got Peter back on the bike and we cycled into the next town where thankfully there was a campsite and it was open.

We met Annecher and Eric from the Netherlands and had dinner together consoling Peter and comforting him with travel stories and red wine!! Prue gave him panedeine-forte and Peter slept soundly all night through the worst storm the town had had all year. Annecher and Eric even packed up camp in the early hours of the morning as they were frightened that a tree would land on top of them.

Day 54: Port-la-Nouvelle – Canet-en-Roussillon (63 km)

Tuesday 31st October 2023

We had one of our earliest starts – 915 am! We left Port-la-Nouvelle and headed along EuroVelo 8 route……the route took us alongside the railway line on a very rocky track which turned into a sandy swampy river track – totally impassable so we had to abort the route and turn back.

We found the bitumen and loved it!! We also had some fellow cyclists so we felt much more comfortable.

We cycled through the lovely village of Leucate. Very popular tourist place due to its location to the Mediterranean Sea, the wineries, the shellfish and popular with the windsurfers. Just outside of Leucate, known as Grau de Locate, we came across the shell fish farmers and their restaurants. Their specialty is oysters. They are grown on ropes hung from the oyster beds. Such a shame we both don’t like oysters as we would have been down there in a flash joining them all!!

We went through Pointe de la Correge which was such a culture shock as so different to what we have been cycling through. We really felt like we had reached the Mediterranean and another country!

We arrived at Canet and went to the Toursim Bureau to help us find a campground open. The only campground was for motorhomes – nothing for tents so he recommended a Hotel overlooking the Mediterranean – and we said, “why not!”

Day 53: Narbonne – Port-la-Nouvelle (30 km)

Monday 30th October 2023pirit

We wanted to explore Narbonne before we rode to Port la Nouvelle. We went to the market and then to the Arch Bishop’s residence then to the Cathedral. We loved the cathedral – we both commented it was the best one we have seen.

The Cathedral – Cathedral Saint Just et Saint Pasteur.

After spending a morning in Narbonne we headed out towards Port-la-Nouvelle along Canal de Sante Marie. We had a head wind all the way. We planned to have lunch at Port la Nouvelle but we didn’t realise how late it was so we arrived when all the restaurants were closing! We ended up going to the supermarket and picking up a sandwich.

We booked accommodation and ended up in apartment-ville. The whole area was apartments – we could imagine how busy it would be in the Summer season. We had a pleasant night in with a strong wind blowing outside. Again we were lucky we were not our camping tonight!

Day 52: Carcassonne – Narbonne (70 km)

Sunday 29th October 2023

We had a restless night due to our wild camp site – we both thought wecould have done better with our wild camp site location! We were in a paddock and close to the cycling track.  Thank goodness it didn’t rain as the earth was clay and it stuck to everything!

The Canal du Midi from Carcassonne had a different look. It wasn’t tree lined on both sides of the canal like previously. It had more of a natural look but still quite striking.

By the time we packed up and went to the next village it was quite late!! But fortunately for us day light savings finished so we gained an hour !!  We bought our baguette, had breakfast, then went to the supermarket. We had to ‘hot foot’ it to the supermarket as it closes at 12.30pm on Sundays.

We rode for the next 1.5 hrs had lunch and took the tent out to dry. ‘

We have had no rain but the dew is worst!! So the last few mornings, the tent has been saturated. We both have said rain is better than dew!!

Because our last two nights were pretty average Peter booked accommodation in Bardonne so we had 40 km to ride. It was 2.30 in the afternoon and it now gets dark at 6!! So we had to put the skates on

We arrived at 5.30  – accommodation was very pleasant and the bikes came up(one flight of stairs) with us to our room! 

We had to wash everything and our clothes so we went to the Laverie (laundry) and went out to dinner. Peter had the pork with chips and salad – deliceaux, I had a plate full of mashed potato and one sausage???!!! I got it wrong 😑 

Day 51: Castelnaudary – Carcassonne (55 km)

Saturday 28th October 2023

We continued down the Canal du Midi. Sun was out and it was a beautiful day. We came across a guy form Czechoslovakia who was towing his ‘bicycle caravan’ – Prue was quite envious

After arriving in Carcassonne we had a quick lunch in the square and then headed to Cite de Carcassonne. We had a bit of competition on the roads as there was a marathon on. Prue lost her concentration and took out one of the barriers, she went down heavily and unfortunately slowed a couple of the marathon runners down as well, as they collected her panniers, bike and Prue, moved her and everything to the foot path so the race could go on! We both decided Prue doesn’t have osteoporosis – bones still very strong as nothing broken – just a bit sore!

We loved the medieval town – but very touristy – people everywhere.

Day 50: Toulouse – Castelnaudary (70 km)

Friday 27th October 2023

Today we cycled along the Canal du Midi – the oldest canal in Europe. It connects Toulouse to the Mediterranean Sea.

Day 49: Toulouse – Rest Day

Thursday 26th October 2023

It hasn’t stopped raining since we have arrived. Perfect day to have a rest!!

Toulouse is known as La Ville Rose (The Pink City) due to the terra-cotta bricks used in many of it’s buildings.

We love Toulouse – it has such a nice ambience. Peter said, “It was consistently delightful.” Every turn we took it was a lovely surprise.

Day 48: Montech – Toulouse (50 km)

Wednesday 25th October 2023

Rain was forecast for early afternoon so we wanted to get to Toulouse, to our accommodation before it started. So we had our heads down and pedalled.

We kept seeing this sign along the way……Peter loved it!!

We were struggling to find somewhere to have our lunch so we stopped at one of the locks to sit on the stone bridge. As we were preparing our lunch a workman approached us and invited us into the lunch room as it was going to rain. We took up his offer. We were touched for the kindness of the men.

We arrived at our accommodation just before the rain started – perfect timing. We treated ourselves to dinner in a quaint French restaurant and had the local specialty – cassoulet with a local red. Deliceaux.

Day 47: Bon-Encontre – Montech (70 km)

Tuesday 24th October 2023

We had our best sleep and woke to an overcast day. We were determined to set off earlier but still left at 10.30!!! What do we do??!!!

The morning warmed up quickly and it was a lovely ride along the canal. 

We had lunch at Valence d’Agen. Popped into the local market and queued for our baguette and had lunch in their local park. 

Went through Moissac where the canal runs through the city. It is a very pretty village.

Met Nicholas who was stranded high and dry. He wanted some help to put his kayak in the canal. He had been paddling down the Garonne River but had to leave the river as it was prohibited to paddle past the nuclear power plant. So he made it to the canal but couldn’t put his kayak in the water by himself. So, in his words, he said he was “f*%##……” until we stopped to help him. He was paddling to Bordeaux. 

Just out of Montech was the “la pente d’eau de Montech” (The Water Slope of Montech). In Montech, 5 locks closely followed one another over 2.5 km, so to be more competitive with the railway an alternative had to be considered. Hence the invention of the water slope by engineer, Jean Aubert. His idea was to push the water to make the boat rise.

Unbelievable Peter said, “it was ‘out of the box’ thinking”.

We found a campground open in Montech. We both were looking forward to having proper amenities.

Day 46: Lagruere – Bon-Encontre (56 km)

Monday 23rd October 2023

As we were riding out of our campground we met Margot and Clemence who were from Belgium cycling to Portugal via the Mediterranean coast. They also changed their route as they were going to cycle the Atlantic coast to Portugal but due to the bad weather changed their minds. By coincidence they had stayed with the same Warmshowers host, JP and Jojo as we did in Ugny-le-Gay.

Late start due to showers in the morning and Peter couldn’t get Prue out from under the tarp.

We headed off and we needed to get some stores so we rode into Damazan. We just made it into town before the shops closed at 12.30. That is the local bakery (boulangerie) only shop plus one other in town!!  It was a lovely village.

We rode onto Agen to pick up more stores for dinner and lunch for tomorrow- getting ourselves better prepared. The little villages that we pass only seem to have a church, always with working bells and a Mairie (town hall). No shops. We often wonder where the locals go to get their stores.

Found a camp site just outside Agen near the boat moorings on the Canal.

8.11 lights out, all is well 

Only one dog barking……..

Day 45: Sauveterre-de-Guyenne – Lagruere (57 km)

Sunday 22nd October 2023

We started our day with a traditional French breakfast of bread, pastries, apple cake, fruit, homemade yoghurt and coffee.  We rolled from the table and  packed up and eager to go as no rain forecasted for today!!

The first 20 km were a brisk ride through the rolling hills of the Bordeaux vineyards. It was crisp Autumn morning and  the countryside was alive. 

We then found the most popular boulangerie in la Reole , the queue was out the door.  Prue hot footed it to the end of the queue to pick up the daily  baguette. It was a beauty – deliceaux!! Prue resisted the strawberries and cream eclair!

After lunch we found ‘Canal lateral a la Garonne’ (running beside the Garonne River) which we will follow all the way to Toulouse. The canal was built due to the need of a reliable trade link between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean as they couldn’t rely on the Garonne River due to flooding . The construction of the canal began in 1838 after a feasibility study by Jean-Baptiste de Baudre, chief engineer of bridges and roads (1825-1831). The canal is 193 km long , 66 locks and 2 canal bridges.

We had a lovely and relaxing ride amongst  the Autumn colours of the plane trees along the canal. 

We found a picnic spot just outside Largruere where there were a few camper vans set up to camp for the night. The spot looked peaceful and had a toilet and water. So we thought we would join them! 

Day 44: Bordeaux – Sauveterre-de-Guyenne (63 km)

Saturday 21st October 2023

We are changing direction like the weather. The weather has changed – cool and wet so we are now heading across to Toulouse then Narbonne. We were planning to cycle down the west coast of Spain and Portugal, but as the west coast weather forecast was rain for the next 2 weeks we decided to look at the East Coast, off the Mediterranean Sea with a more favorable climate. We found that there was a great cycling route along the coast, through Barcelona and Valencia, all the way to Gibraltar. So that is our new plan and off we went early Saturday morning, unknown how heavy the precipitation for the day would be!

We left Bordeaux cycling beside the river la Garonne.

We cycled the Roger Lapebie Bike Path from Bordeaux to Sauveterre. (Roger Lapebie was a French Cyclist who won Tour de France in 1937.)

We had light rain falling most of the day and an occasional heavy downpour, always when we were caught out in the open with no cover.

*We thought the Japanese should invest in automatic lights in their tunnels!!

We rode through the Bordeaux vineyards that seemed to go on for ever. Bordeaux has approximately 6,000 wineries, 53 appellations and approximately 272, 000 acres of vineyards.

After arriving at the camp site in Sauveterre-de-Guyenne, we promptly U Turned back into town, as preparation for a Saturday night concert was happening in the hall next door. Then the heavens opened with high winds, we were beside ourselves, we were in a middle of a storm and had no where to go. Prue was even thinking of camping in the town square under the verandah of a building!! But to Peter’s diligence he found a lovely Chateaux in town with one vacancy left, for us! The last room in town! To celebrate we went to the only restaurant in town and had the best meal. We were happy.

Day 43: Bordeaux – 5th Night

Friday 20th October 2023

Wet, wet, windy, windy and wet again!! A good day to visit Cite du Vin – Museum of Wine in Bordeaux.

The shape of the building is inspired by the movement of wine when it is swirling in a glass

The vine, there was a 10 minute display on the whole ecosystem of how the vine grows. Peter and I were mesmerised!

Then we had the grape varieties……..

Then we went to the table………..

We went to the restaurant for lunch on the way there we went through the Cave and Peter found some lovely Australian winesl

Also the other highlight was Prue got new cycling shoes!!

Day 42: Bordeaux

Thursday 19th October 2023

Another lovely house keeping day with cleaning the bikes, haircut for Peter – so nice to be able to potter and have an apartment to ‘play in’!

Prue went to the CAPC Musee d’art Contemporain de Bordeaux. She saw this most impressive installation of Kapwani Kiwanga, who was commissioned by the gallery to install a work in the nave of the gallery for the of the 50th anniversary.

Also the other piece of art that was amazing was by a Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum. (Very poignant for the times we are in now). A scarf embroidered with human hair.

Day 41: Bordeaux

Wednesday 18th October 2023

We had a lovely day in ‘old’ Bordeaux.

Prue’s favourite place Chartrons, full of secondhand and antique shops, wine bars, restaurants and trendy shops. Prue selected her chandelier.

Day 40: Bordeaux

Tuesday 17th October 2023

Rest Day!!! We are in a lovely apartment and loving it. We just had a lovely housekeeping day and went to the most amazing supermarket. It has to be the largest supermarket we have ever been in

Day 39: Clerac – Bordeaux (65 km)

Monday 16th October 2023

We started with a treat today. Croissant from the Boulangerie for breakfast this morning. The Boulangerie was 1 minute walk from our camp site so it was too close not to partake in a morning pastry!

We wanted to get to Bordeaux today as it was forecast to rain on Tuesday (tomorrow). The EV3 went via Libourne, Creon and Latresne to get to Bordeaux (110 km). We wanted to cut across so we took a short cut (55 km) following Mapout route. The first part had us following the railway line and all was going well, probably too well, when we got to a locked gate across the road. We then had to weave our way on minor roads – covering more kilometres than planned!

We finally joined the National Cycle Route V80, so we were home and hosed.

We crossed the Dordogne River over the ‘Eiffel Bridge’, named after Gustave Eiffel who designed the bridge. It was one of the largest metal bridges of its time. Gustave Eiffel is best known for the Eiffel Tower which was designed by his company and built in 1889.

On the other side of the bridge is a small village called Saint Vincent de Paul. It was formerly known as Puoy and was renamed in 1828 after Saint Vincent de Paul, who was born there. St Vincent de Paul was a Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serve the poor. Saint Vincent de Paul Society was founded in 1833. We had to stop here and take a photo as our neighbour, Peter from back home volunteers 4 days a week for ‘Vinnies’.

Day 38: Angouleme – Clerac (93 km)

Sunday 15th October 2023

We had a long day planned so got up early which was very hard as we had a disturbed sleep due to the neighbours (outside of the campground) having a party that lasted to the wee hours of the morning and due to the cold – only 7 degrees this morning!!

Once we got going it was fine and the route at the beginning along the river was lovely.

We left the river and headed inland and upwards through the vineyards then onto a rail trail which took us all the way to Clerac.

*It is said that Napoleon(1769-1821) was the instigator of planting trees throughout France, specifically plane trees and species such as sycamores, ash, elms and chestnuts along the roadsides to shelter his armies from the sun so they could march unaffected and they could also use the trees as firewood in the colder months. So they say that the alignments of trees constitute French historical and cultural heritage.

Found our best campsite by the pond in the local village. They are providing a camp area for tourists so that in return tourists use the shops in town.

Day 37: Angouleme – Rest Day

Saturday 14th October 2023

Prue is tired. So compulsory rest day!! We did ride into the supermarket 12 km – but probably good for the legs – that is what Prue said to herself!

We tried to update the blog but were having issues, so we thought we would leave the blogging until we got to Bordeaux.

Day 36: Le Lindois – Angouleme (64 km),

Friday 13th October 2023

We woke to a dry tent hence we got away much quicker than usual. 

We both commented on how quiet the camp site was and the only disturbance was the acorns dropping from the trees.

We thought it was all down hill but no, we started with an uphill!!! Then we did eventually start to go downhill properly through very rich dairy farm area.

We got our supplies from Montbron and then we were off again. To our delight we were on a rail trail, which Prue was very grateful for as the hills on the previous days had taken their toll.

It took us all the way into Angouleme, when we detoured off the EV3 course to go to the campground. Even though Prue rang to confirm that the camp site was open we were both still very unsure whether it was or not, especially when we tried to enter via the rear entrance and the gate was firmly locked!!

We then went to the front entrance and it all looked very dead but the gate was opened and there was some one in the office (with the lights off)!!

We were in!!! And very relieved!!!

Day 35: Confolens – Le Lindois (47km)

Thursday 12th October 2023

We said our farewells to Diana and went into town to get our baguette.

It was just a lovely day cycling. We had lots of hills but were only doing 45 km.

We had lunch overlooking la Vienne at Exideuil-sur-Vienne. Such a beautiful setting then cycled on.

Had our banana break at another gorgeous town, Massignac. More umbrellas and this village had a pink knitted garland to promote and support ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Month’.

Today’s highlights was the beautiful countryside, gorgeous weather and ending up at campsite overlooking a lake very quiet with a restaurant and bar – hence we treated ourselves to dinner.

Day 34: Civaux – Confolens (70 km)

Wednesday 11th October 2023

We rode through Gaux – a very pretty village and the houses alongside the river were lovely !!

Lunch at Port de Moussac and we were horrified as there was no bin, there is always a bin and as usual no public toilet anywhere! But it did have the cutest cottage and of course a very old church!

We were riding along La Vienne River but not as flat as riding along the Loire River!! No lovely bike path following the river so our route took us inland on minor roads but although the hills were challenging it was a nice change ……….until the last few!!. The last hill was the worst – it was the little steep hill after the big climb!

The only thing they got Prue through the last climb was getting into camp and it was all down hill. But alas, and as we are finding more often, the campground was closed and Prue was devastated. Prue also knew that she had “run out of legs” so was not going anywhere!!

Fortunately a lady who lives across the road from the campground “came out of her house and was telling her dogs to get up into the back of the car in “English”! So, Prue went up to her and asked about the campground. She said, “it has just been taken over by new people and have closed it early.” She tried to help us find another campground to no avail and then out of the blue she offered us a bed.

She said she had an appointment and won’t be home until later. So we went to the park – got the tent out to dry and Prue’s washing then went to the supermarket got stores then kebab for dinner before returning to Diana’s.

Not only did we have a room but we had our own apartment. How spoilt were we!!

Day 33: Senille-Saint-Sauveur – Civaux (65 km)

Tuesday 10th October 2023

It was the first morning without a dewy tent – which was lovely. Peter did a few bike maintenance ‘jobbies’, so we had a latish start. 

Dropped into Chatellerault and picked up lunch and our baguette and saw the famous bridge Pont Henri-IV.

Our route was next to la Vienne River, which we detoured away from it on and off throughout the day. We went through the farmland and up a few minor hills, our first for awhile! We were getting prepared for mountainous terrain coming up in Spain!!

We had one minor mishap. Prue stopped on the road – not in the middle (as Peter said) but just on the side to take a photo when lo and behold Peter comes ‘burning up’ from behind her and bingo – both down!! Peter only realised Prue was there on impact! Thankfully no one hurt except a grazed elbow for Peter and a broken mirror – we think it is the fourth for the trip!!

We arrived to our campsite with fear and trepidation as we didn’t know whether or not it was going to be open or closed. We got the owner of the camp site who we stayed with the night before to ring and check for us prior to leaving – there was a message and her interpretation was “disruption”??!! Thankfully open. Yeah!!

And we had the best shower. No push the tap to get a 20 second burst of water – it was one continuous flow. But the setting was a lot to be desired – next to the nuclear power plant!!

Day 32: Montbazon – Senille-Saint-Sauveur (93 km)

Monday 9th October 2023

The last 12 km were unplanned due to the first campsite being closed!! It still was going to be a long day.

We said our goodbyes to Frederique and Pierre. Prue loves the French kisses. What a memorable night we had with them. And was very spoilt as we had a BBQ with lamb chops, beef steak and chicken. We were in heaven.

Weather was gorgeous – 28 degrees but not a summer 28 degrees so it was pleasant riding.

We now have left the Loire Valley and heading south through the farmland, running into the occasional river and riding through the beautiful French Villages – they never let us down.

We rode through the town of St Maure de Touraine. Peter got quite excited as he thought his relatives may have come from here??!!!

Pierre told us to pop into the shop Aigle, a French footwear and textile company which was founded in 1853. It reminded Prue of R.M.Williams. While Prue did some retail therapy, Peter went ahead to check out the campground we were planning to stay at. Unfortunately, it was closed so we had to ride a further 10 km to the next campground.

We finally made camp at 6.30 – campground very quiet with only two groups of people here tonight. Us and one other!

We didn’t need much rocking tonight!

Day 31: Amboise – Montbazon (55km)

Sunday 8th October 2023

We cycled back into Amboise to get stores for lunch then found the market which we ambled through before getting onto the cycle track.

The weather was perfect and since it was Sunday there were many cyclists out all saying, “Bonjour” to each other as we passed. It made us laugh as 90% of the cyclists were tourists like us, mainly Dutch! We all pretended to be very French!

We had lunch on the banks of the River Cher- the same river as was Chateau de Chenonceau.

We took a short cut to where we were staying tonight. We had a Warmshowers tonight which we were looking forward to. Our short cut was a long cut!! Even though it took longer than what we thought we still arrived too early for our Warmshowers. We came across a car wash, so Peter thought it would be a good idea to clean the bikes as they were filthy.

We arrived at our Warmshowers Frederique and Pierre – such nice people. They already had a house full and couldn’t welcome us more warmly. Evelyn their friend, daughter Lauren and her partner Pikato and Lucas.

Day 30: Amboise – Day trip to Chateau de Chenonceaux (23 km)

Saturday 7th October 2023

The chateau is situated in the valley of the river Cher, a tributary of the Loire and bridges the river Cher. It was founded on the pilings of a mill in 1515 by Thomas Bier a financial minister in Normandy and was completed in 1522.

Chateau Chenonceau is known as the Castle of Flowers in the Lorie Valley. Prue now knows why as in every room there is an amazing floral arrangement. The man behind these arrangements is Jean-Francois Bouchet. With his team of 2 they put together around 200 bouquets per week.

It is also known as the Chateau of the the Ladies. Seven dominant ladies lived in this Chateau each putting their mark on the building of the Chateau. For example Diane de Poitiers 1499 -1566 she built the bridge over the River Cher, making the architecture of Chenoceau unique in the world.

Day 29: Amboise – Amboise (accommodation) 10 km

Friday 6th October 2023

We had a late start, knowing we were moving into accommodation just up the road and we couldn’t check in until 5 pm. It gave us a good opportunity to dry the tent out properly, as we were not going to use it for the next few days.

We planned to visit Chateau du Clos Luce. King Charles VIII bought the home from Etienne Le Loup in 1490 and during this time it became known as the ‘Summer House’, housing French Royalty. After a few decades Francis I gave it to Leonardo da Vinci when he invited him to live in France in 1516. He lived in this Chateau until his death on 2 May 1519.

Leonardo designed the concept of the double-hull ship – one of his many inventions.

We had an amazing afternoon learning about this genius on all subjects, “one of the masters of our times – painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor and architect, who epitomised the Renaissance* humanist ideal.”

*Renaissance humanism was a world view centred on the nature and importance of humanity.

Day 28: Amboise – Rest Day

Thursday 5th October 2023

Our camp site was on an island looking out towards the Chateau. We both were in awe of this amazing building as every time we looked up it was right there – so impressive.

We planned to catch the train into Tours and spend a day there.

We saw the Cathedral – another one!!! Prue just can’t comprehend how they built these beautiful structures so long ago and the stain glass windows – WOW!

We then went to the old town. It is a cluster of cobbled lanes and courtyards with timber framed medieval buildings housing shops, bars and bistros.

We also loved the shops.

After our busy day sightseeing we stopped at the Brasserie to have an aperitif before we caught the train home. While there we witnessed a demonstration and asked the waitress what they were demonstrating for. She couldn’t answer but she said, “the French love to make a noise and and they will demonstrate for anything.”

Well, lo and behold on the train home a lady stood up in our carriage and started spruiking about “something” that she thought very strongly about.

Day 27: Muides-Sur-Loire – Amboise (65 km)

Wednesday 4th October 2023

The mornings are cold now and very foggy. The tent is wet with dew – so it takes us a little while to get going in the morning.!

We rode into Blois where we had our coffee and picked up our baguette for lunch. The baguette came straight from the oven and now we are connoisseurs of baguettes this one was a beauty!! “”Deliceaux.

• Every French village we went through had a pink theme – the most common was pink umbrellas. it took us awhile to work it our but it was for the month of September, Breast Cancer awareness month.

While having lunch we met Debra and Phil from Newcastle who were riding from Nante to Neves.

We planned to camp in this small camp site next to the river but it was closed so we cycled onto Amboise.

Day 26: Jargeau – Muides-Sur-Loire (70 km)

Tuesday 3rd October 2023

Day was cool overcast and showers were forecast. Weather wise, today was the worse day we have had since leaving Paris.

We had 20 km to ride to Orleans. It was along the levee banks that were constructed in the 15th century. (Henry II of England commissioned the first dyke in 1160!)

Before riding into Orleans we rode through ‘Parc de Loire’ which had some interesting and fun seats! Prue was a little bored taking photos of beautiful chateaus all the time so the chairs took her fancy!

We went to the Cathedral which was very impressive and then had a coffee and pastry in the square.

We passed through lovely lovely lovely villages – old and charming and stopped to have lunch at Meung-sur-Loire. Prue took a photo of Peter having lunch and loved the backdrop so much she thought to set up the phone on the tripod! As you can see it took a few tries to get the right photo!!

We made camp at Muides-sur-Loire. It was a municipal camp, Camping Municipal Bellevue, basic but very clean! Peter liked the staff very much!

Day 25: Briare – Jargeau (81 km)

Monday 2nd October 2023

We finally left camp early – 9am!! The main reason was we had a 70 + km ride so we thought leaving after 10 was too late.

10 minutes down the track we met David and Rowena from London. They were out touring for 7 weeks in France and staying in accommodation, so were traveling much lighter than us. We were very happily chatting away and we were even go to have a coffee with them -thankfully, the coffee shop was closed, as we could see, if we stopped for coffee we were not going to get to Jargeau.

The ride today was more varied as we were away from the canals and now following the la Loire River, through the countryside.

We were taken aback when we turned the corner and hit the La Loire and in the distance was this beautiful town, Gien. A must visit for anyone travelling down the La Loire. La Chateau Gien was built in the 15th Century for Anne of France. It has belonged to the French Government since 1823, and is now a museum renowned for its collection of arts dating back from the 15th century. Unfortunately it was closed so we were unable to visit.

When you cycle through the countryside there is always a church steeple in the distance – guiding you to the next local village. Most churches ring their bells for the time during the day. They normally start at 8 am, which is quite civilised but sometimes we have heard them start at 7 am. Where we stayed last night there were 3 churches in the neighbourhood so we had 3 lots of bells at 8 am – funnily they all rang one after another not altogether. So we were not quite sure which church had the correct time!!

Our next surprise for the day was coming across Chateau de Sully-Sur-Loire. This was built in the late 14th century on a site that contained one of the rare crossings of La Lorie.

Then to finish our very historical day we visited L’Abbaye de Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire – Fleury Abbey. It is of Romanesque art, one of the oldest abbey churches of France founded in 651. The outside of the abbey was being restored when we were there.

We still had another 20 km to ride to our camp site. The day was quite warm – 29 degrees so we made one more stop at Chateauneuf-sur-Loire – another beautiful village to get refreshments and then cycle to our campground, Camping de I’Isle des Moulins at Jargeau.

Day 24: Briare – Rest Day

Sunday 1st October 2023

We went to visit the Briare Aqueduct, carries the Canal lateral a la Loire over the river Loire on its journey to the Seine. Between 1896 and 2003 it was the longest navigable aqueduct in the world. The aqueduct was designed by the engineers Leonce-Abel Mazoyer and Charles Sigault.

Day 23: Ouzouer-sur-Trezee – Briare (10 km)

Saturday 30th September 2023

Yes, only 10 km today.

We came to the camp site that we were originally planning to go to yesterday and we liked it. Although no toilets seats or loo paper, it did have hot showers, WiFi and a laundry!

Day 22: Cepoy – Ouzouer-sur-Trezee (62 km)

Friday 29th September 2023

We got up early but still didn’t get away until 10.30 am!!! Still chatting to fellow campers and also ringing the family.

Finally away and we left Canal de Liong and veered onto Canal de Briare. 

We passed through Montargis a beautiful old French village which Prue fell in love with.

Then through the locks heading uphill through Montbouy coming across one of the deepest locks we have seen.

We stopped at Rogny-les-Sept-Ecluses where there are the remains of 7 locks, built in late 1500’s!

In 1597 The King of France King Henry IV and his minister Sully decided to develop the river network in France in order to increase trade between the Provinces. In 1604 the project was awarded to a local Tours engineer Hugues Cossnier. The works were completed in 1642 after several stoppages. Boats stopped passing through in 1880

We were planning to camp at Briare but we came across Municipal Camping de la Trezee – very small camp site, beside the canal and away from roads – very peaceful so we pulled up early and made camp. Quiet except for the lawn mower/s! We are not sure why Friday afternoon is a good afternoon to mow the lawns!!! Thank goodness they don’t do it at night!!

Day 21: Fontainebleau – Cepoy (61km)

Thursday 28th September 2023

We got away earlier today -10am??!!!

This time we had an excuse. We got talking to a young couple from British Columbia, Annie and Matt, who are cycle touring with their twins, 4 years of age, Esme and Soya. They are out in Europe for 10 months. We said our goodbyes and then went into town to the ‘Boulangerie’ and picked up our baguette and off we went back on EuroVelo 3.

The first 8 km we continued down the Seine, then the rest of the day we followed the Canal de Liong.

Prue came across her favourite long boat – just love the lace curtains, the hanging pot plant and the brass lamp.

The lace curtains are very common in France and each house has a different design.

We had lunch along the canal at one of the locks and met Robert and Annie on ‘Merlot’, Robert’s boat. Robert was traveling to Beziers, along the canals, where he has a mooring ‘Merlot’ for Winter.

We came across one of our favourite places so far – Moret-Loing-et-Orvanne.

We popped into Nemours to pick up stores, which was also a very pretty village.  From there we had another 26 km to ride – it was a lovely afternoon ride along the canal – very peaceful and relaxing to get to Cepoy, our camp ground. We love Cepoy.

We are camping at ‘Camping des Rives du Loing’ at Cepoy. It closes at the end of September until 1st April 2024. So we are a little worried that most campgrounds will be closing at the end of the month.

Day 20: Morsang-sur-Seine – Fontainebleau (40 km)

Wednesday 27th September 2023

We only had a small day’s ride as we wanted to visit Chateau de Fontainebleau, the first palace of Napoleon 1 the Great. We planned to leave early – 10.30 am??

Peter changed his rear break pads then it took us awhile to dry the tent before we packed it away. There has been no rain, but the tent is wet due to condensation. We think we would prefer rain!!

We had to get back on the other side of the Seine to rejoin Euro Velo 3. We found a pedestrian bridge with a ramp going across the river and the locks, but thankfully it had a lift as the ramp looked very steep and we would have had to take the panniers off to push the bikes up and over!

We were fascinated with the lock system and the barges, and watched for over an hour 3 barges passing through the lock. Most barges consist of a husband and wife team, with a dog! They live on the barge and cruise up and down the Seine carrying freight – mainly crops and sand/gravel.

By the time we left the bridge it was nearly lunchtime so we headed to the next village to pick up our baguette.

The Velo 3 took us on bike paths, varying from single narrow tracks to wide bitumised paths, to bike lanes on roads – kept the trip interesting.

It also took us past magnificent French mansions overlooking the Seine – we were riding through a very wealthy area.

We finally got into camp and we quickly erected the tent and rode into Fontainebleau. Unfortunately, bikes were banned from the area so we just looked from the outside and appreciated the gardens.

We stayed in town and had pizza for dinner.

Day 19: Versailles – Morsang-sur-Seine (62 km)

Tuesday 26th September 2023

After 3 nights in Versailles we were well rested and Prue was nearly fully recovered from her cold and it was time to move on and start our journey south.

Peter wanted to join part of the EuroVelo 3 cycling route. The French part of EuroVelo 3, called “La Scandibérique” which we planned to cycle, along the Seine River and canals to Bordeaux. We had to ‘cross country’ – cut acroos the south of Paris. We were amongst the traffic all again and had to be vigilant.

We had a coffee at a Brasserie, at a very busy intersection. It was very entertaining with traffic jams, a police car trying to get through, with their siren blaring and low and behold there was a female cyclist amidst it all, with absolutely no fear. Just leisurely cycling through the chaos!

We got to the Seine and had lunch then cycled along the bike trail.

We were going to have a short day as Peter had selected a camp site 45 km away. Well it didn’t exist did it!! There was just a horse stud with the same name as the campsite, but no mention of camping. This is the second time that a camp site is on the Mapout App and not on google. We should have known better.

Never fear, there were 3 more camp sites down the road. The first one, we rode in and we rode out! The second one was nearly the same but it was getting late so we decided to book in. That is, after looking at the the third camp site – a rating of 5 with only one review. We have been there before so that was a, “no go”.

In residence at Camping les Canardieres:-

Quiet ✔️Showers ✔️Warmish water 1/2✔️Toilets✔️ No toilet paper ❌ not clean ❌

We can do better!!

Day 17 & 18: Versailles – Rest Days

Sunday 24th September and Monday 25th September 2023

We found a lovely campsite – Camping Huttopia Versailles and liked it very much, enough to stay for a few nights. Prue was getting over a cold – too much of the high life in Reims and Paris and Peter just had things to do.

We did go to Chateau de Versailles for a ‘look see’ and once again taken by the sheer beauty and size of the Palace. Prue fell in love with the chandeliers and Peter’s favourite again was the Hall of Mirrors.

Day 16: Paris to Versailles (10km)

Saturday 23rd September 2023

We said our goodbyes to Jane and Peter. They were carrying on their trip in France and we were riding to Versailles.

Day 13 – 15: Paris

Wednesday 20th September – Friday 22nd September 2023

We are on the Bus – Since King Charles and Camilla were in town, the bus route was being disrupted due to road blocks, so we could use the ticket the next day as well! And because there was complete chaos in town, you could hop on any bus (there were three different companies, running ‘hop on hop off’ bus tours) – no-one checked your tickets! Chaos on the busses as well!!

The traffic at a stand still! We were no sure if it was because King Charles and Camilla were in town or whether it is always like this!!

The Sites.

The shops

The department stores.

The Brassierie

Day 12: Reims to Paris (20 km) plus train

Tuesday 19th September 2023

We were saying our goodbyes to Louise, our host and little did we realise she was married to the famous artist/sculpture Angelo Lembo, who creates MIXARTOYS. He started this as a child. He loved toys, so when his friend’s toys were broken, he would ask for them and then fix them up mixing characters, to offer them a new life. Angelo says they look like him; each one of them is a mix of seriousness, derision, mood and humour.

We all caught the train to Paris and then J & P caught a taxi to our next apartment and we rode. We were staying in a little village Ville-d’Avray which was just out of Paris. Our hosts were Camille and Xavier – quite delightful.

Our ride through Paris was amazing – everyone rides but a little bit more hectic than in Japan as bikes, buses, cars and taxis all jostle for thier position and then throw pedestrians into the mix – pure chaos!!

Day 9 – 11: Reims

Saturday 16th – Monday 18th September 2023

Saturday:

After our lovely introduction to Reims with a visit to G.H.Mumm last night we planned a visit to the market this morning. We were going to ‘eat in’ so, off to the market we went. As you can imagine the choice was amazing.

After a busy time at the market we went to the local Brassiere and had ‘cafe et croissant’ (coffee and croissant). The girls wanted to go shopping, so the boys took the food back to the loft. Little did we know that after dropping off the groceries they went to the local tobacco/cafe/alcohol shop and had a few pints……

Prue went to the hairdressers and Jane went to get a pedicure and manicure. Everyone happy!!

Sunday

We had our very special day, going to Pommery and having lunch.

Madame Pommery was the creative genius of Pommery. She took over the head of Pommery in 1858, (39 years of age ) when her husband died. Her vision was to produce champagne unlike any others, and creating the image of Pommery brand as a luxury product.

The entrance into the Pommery cellars was amazing. You entered the door from the grand hall and you were immediately immersed in this magnificent stariwell , consisting of a monumental staircase with 116 steps, with beautiful classical music playing and an amazing exhibition, of vibrant and fantastic light sculptures suspended from the ceiling by Tsai and Yoshikawa. “WOW”. Throughout the cellars was an amazing display of contemporary art scattered around the 18 kms of underground cellars.

Gustav Navlet sculptured huge tableaux in the soft chalk and are included in the UNESCO world Heritage List. These were amazing.

After the tour we headed to the restaurant for lunch.

After lunch we walked to Reims Cathedral- Notre-Dame de Reims.

Sunday

Champagne, Champagne, Champagne and more Champagne – off to Epernay and the Avenue de Champagne!!

And then we did a tour of Mercier. Mercier was the only champagne House that took you to the vineyards.

The tour started with a viewing of a small film introducing the house of Mercier and then we were taken in a lift down 30 metres to the cellars. The lift had a full glass window on one side and as we were descending we were enchanted by a magnificent animated projection on the wall. It felt like we were in fairy land. When we got to the cellars we were shown around the 25 km of cellars in a small train – very civilised way of being taken around!

Eugene Mercier was keen to make the cellars appealing to visitors so decorated his cellars with 14 bas-reliefs between 1881 and 1888 by Gustave Navlet, a local renowned sculptor.

Day 8: Bourg-et-Comin to Reims (45 km)

Friday 15th September 2023

We had a short ride to Reims, in the heart of the Champagne Region, where we were meeting Prue’s sister and brother-in-law, Jane and Peter.

In the first 5 minutes we came to a blocked bridge – no cars allowed. The detour was going to add an extra 10 kms – Prue was not happy as this was going to be our ‘short’ ride day and was eager to meet Jane and Peter. Also, we had been on the road for 12 days – no rest days to get to Reims, so to add another 10 km on the last day was unthinkable!. Thankfully, Peter found a way around the pile of rubble so we could get through!!

The last 10 km into Reims was along the canal – it was a lovely ride in.

Then rode onto Reims – first impressions were impressive. Just a beautiful city.

Jane and Peter were there to greet us, and we all settled into our accommodation – very trendy loft. No sooner were we settled in we were off to our first champagne house G.H.Mumm for a tour and tasting.

Maison Mumm’s (The house of Mumm) key to its success is “Innovation- the key to uncompromising quality”. For example, it was the first house to install presses directly in the vineyards to extract juice of the highest quality and they are now working on the first champagne that can be tasted in space!

Day 7: Ugny-le-Gay to Bourg-et-Comin (70 km)

Thursday 14th September 2023

We were so comfy we had a big sleep in!! JP and Jojo were very patiently waiting for us with homemade bread and spreads. Jean Paul and Jojo rode into Chauny with us, where we enjoyed a coffee with them before pedalling off.

Prue had a cappuccino, which in France is a long black with fresh sweetened cream on top – Prue says she won’t be having too many of those!!

We said goodbye to Jean Paul and Jo Jo and headed on our way. We passed by the ruins of Chateau de Coucy, had lunch at another picnic table we found on the way. We mention the picnic tables as in the UK we couldn’t find any!!

After lunch, there was a long hill climb. At the top we came across the Soupier Necropolis 1 & 2. They were established from 1920 to bring together the bodies of soldiers who died for France in 1914, 1917 and 1918. The capacity of the initial cemetery was exceeded so the second necropolis was built in September 1934.

We also came across the German cemetery at Soupir, which was built on the site of a campaign hospital, in order to bring together all the imperial soldiers who fell between the sector of Soissons and Reims and the Italian Necropolis. The Italian nation left 4,851 of its men whom fell in 1918.

We had a lovely ride into Bourg-et-Comin to our camp site, Camping La Pointe. We had a walk around the village before heading to the camp restaurant to join our fellow campers watching the rugby – New Zealand versus Namibia.

We had a hysterical night with Sian and Gareth, a couple from Wales, who had the smartest motor home in the camp site and another couple from Scotland.

Before we joined the others, Prue took a photo of the sky – very busy up there above with all the jet streams

Day 6: Peronne to Ugny-le-Gay (70 km)

Wednesday 13th September 2023

We had a lovely ride along the Somme Canal and then the Nord Canal. We veered off to a little village, Breuil to have lunch. We found a picnic table, which was perfect. We had our usual baguette with ham and cheese. We are addicted!!

Just after lunch we met Laurence and Bertrand on their very smart tricycles. They said, “they give electric bikes run for their money”. They cycle to the next large village, 20 km every week, to do their shopping.

We arrived early for our Warmshowers, so we had time to dry out our tent and tarp from the previous night. We hid behind the church to do this.

Once everything was dry we went to meet our hosts JP and Jojo. What an amazing and welcoming couple and what a fun night we had.

Day 5: Miraumont to Peronne (70 km)

Tuesday 12th September 2023

We had our first French breakfast – we had 4 types of bread, pastry, cheese, marmalade jam, apricot cake with homemade yoghurt. All spreads were homemade. We both waddled from the table. We said goodbye to Beatrice, our host and we got our first French kiss. We felt like we were acclimatising to the ‘French Way’.

We continued with flat riding along the WW1 Australian trail on the Western Front*. Our moods remained sombre whilst riding through the fields, as we knew these fields were a place where Australians and others fought with huge courage and with so much bloodshed. We stopped along the way at the numerous cemeteries scattered throughout the area.

*Western Front stretched for 600 km from Belgian coast to the Swiss Border.

We visited the Hem Farm Military Cemetery where Prue’s Great Uncle, Alfred(Paddy) Mehan MM (Military Medal) is buried. Aged 21. A very emotional and sad experience.

• The cemetery design emulates and English walled garden so as to give comfort to the families. Most cemeteries had a Cross of Sacrifice in recognition of the Christian Faith. Larger cemeteries have a stone of remembrance which looks like an alter and bears the words. “‘Their name liveth for evermore”.
• Rudyard Kipling described the cemeteries as “Silent Cities”.
• Rudyard Kipling also wrote the words “A soldier of the Great War known unto God”. These words were written on the crosses of graves of the unknown soldiers.

Australians fought in France for 2 and a half years – March 1916 – November 1918. 46,000 Australian lost their life and 134,000 were wounded or captured.

From the cemetery we rode into our campsite, just outside of Peronne along the Somme Canal. We set up our camp quickly as rain was forecasted and then rode into Peronne to do some ‘jobbies’. That is find a phone company to replace Peter’s broken screen – I think this is the third for the trip!!!

Day 4: Bethune to Miraumont (70 km)

Monday 11th September 2023

The morning ride was lovely through the farming country. We both commented that the villages were getting more attractive but also still all very much like a ghost town with no services. It is very difficult to find supermarkets but ‘pharmacies’ were plentiful.

We had lunch at Gouy-en-Artois on the steps of the of St. Arnaud church , dating from the 18th century. While sitting on the steps we noticed a very big black cloud above. Peter googled the weather and it said ‘cloudy’ for the area and ‘no rain’. Well we headed off and 20 minutes later the heavens opened and we got drenched. We were out in the open and had no where to hide from the rain. We continued riding until we found some shelter behind a building. We waited for the worse to be over and then we started riding again.

One hour later the sun was out, we got dry and carried on to our campsite to find it closed!!! We did a circle to see if we could sneak in but no luck so we booked accommodation as we had no where to go. We booked an Air BnB and gave them 15 minutes notice.

We were greeted by Beatrice who gave us a very warm welcome.

Day 3: Bailleul to Bethune (75 km)

Sunday 10th September 2023,

Oh what a night!

4 children next door screaming until 11pm, then a group of teenagers returned home from the pub and started to party onto the wee hours of the morning. Finally, we got some sleep until the children woke up – early! Then lo and behold 50 motor bikes started their engines. The camp site was right next door to the motor cross course.

We couldn’t wait to get out of the place!!

We picked up our baguette* and headed off.

*At all campsites you put your bread order in the night before – usually it is a choice of a baguette, pastry, croissant or just a loaf of bread.

It was a hot day again but this time with a stong head wind – a hot southerly.

The ride was flat through the battlefields of WW1. It was a very sombre ride, riding through the area where there was huge bloodshed.

We had our French lunch, baguette with ham and cheese at Merville and then set off again. Lots of stops and refreshments as there was hardly any shade whilst riding.

We weren’t quite sure about our camping site so we had to get some water and stores just in case there was nothing around This added a few extra kms as the supermarket was off route. But it was well worth the effort riding the extra kilometres as we were sitting at our campsite with no one near!! All very quiet

Peter is happy.

We camped at le camping du Parc D’Olhain.

Day 2: Dunkirk to Bailleul (61 km)

Saturday 9th September 2023

A flat ride with a short climb at the end, sunny and hot 33 degrees, we were happy. We loved the beach at Dunkirk, so we went back again in the morning.

We then headed away from the coast along the narrow roads through the country.

Scattered a long the route were wayside crosses and crucifixes as well as wayside shrines, with a plain cross or an image of the Virgin Mary inside. We were told one of the reasons for the crosses was used for the Celts as a protection against witchcraft, ghosts and vampires as well as providing protection for the cattle against evil spirits. The shrines? Prue is still researching as there are many reasons, one of them is a memorial to a dead person, or a sacred area??

Had lunch in the sports ground while watching a group of people play a game that we both have not seen before. They were shooting arrows vertically upwards to targets overhead, very strange? Then they had to be careful of the falling arrows!!

We camped at de la Ferme des Saules.

Day 1: Dover England to Dunkirk, France (31 km + Ferry)

Friday 8th September 2023

Our day began with an early start to catch the ferry – it was recommended to be there two hours before and since Peter always follows the rules, we were there two hours before – only one other car and us! It was very easy to get to the ferry as all we had to do (as cyclists) was follow the red line!!

We had 4 other tourers 2 English guys and 2 Belgium girls on the ferry with us. Cyclists were first on and first off. It was a perfect sailing day, not a ripple to be seen and the sun was shining.

We rode to the centre of Dunkerque where we had lunch, then went to the Museum Dunkerque 1940. The museum tells the story of the Battle of Dunkerque and Operation DYNAMO in May-June 1940, the largest evacuation effort in military history.

After the museum we went to the waterfront and ‘oh’ what a magnificent beach.

On the way to the campground we popped into the supermarket. Prue bought some yummy ingredients for our salad for dinner but didn’t realise that she had to weigh them herself at the fruit and vegetable section to get a price before going to the check-out. When she got to the check-out, the lady told her to go back and weigh the items. Prue knew we were short on time and we had to get to the campground before 6pm and it was 5.30pm, so she abandoned the items and scuttled out of the supermarket.

We knew we were running late for the campground but we had reserved a site. Well we arrived at 5.45pm, 15 minutes before the office closed. When we arrived the office was closed. This didn’t worry us as there was an after hours number. Peter rang the number and to be told that they were fully booked. Peter said that we had a reservation and we had an email to confirm it but the lady on the phone was not interested and hung up!

We both looked at each other and thought the ‘sand dunes’ were looking good when lo and behold, Jean Louis came to our rescue. Jean had a permanent site at this campground and rang the owner on our behalf and got nowhere. He suggested another campground and he said he would escort us there. Jean jumped in his car and waved at us to follow! Prue got the giggles as what a sight – two cyclists madly pedalling, trying to keep up with Jean Louis, in the car in front!! Thank goodness Peter could keep up, Prue gave up the chase!! Jean Louis ‘sweet’ talked the owner of the campground and we got in for the night! (Prue had previously rung the same campground, and was told that they had no vacancies for the night.)

Since we left our dinner back in the supermarket and had nothing to eat, we went to the restaurant in the campground for a meal!!

Now watching the opening of the World Cup Rugby with a glass of ‘Vin Blanc’!!