Nous sommes ici or we is 'ere..............

We are in Sete, the end of the road, the completion of our journey. We phaffed around Agde for an hour this morning, first trying to find the velo route to the Cape which we failed miserably, then at the Tourismo asking where the end of the canal is - no one knows!! Asking about a cycle route to Sete as there is only a major road across a 25km causeway - you must be joking was all the Tourismo lady could say. We just followed the road signs and there was a fantastic velo route alongside the Mediterranean. We  had a very strong NW wind which helped as oppossed to hindered our progress and we arrived in Sete at lunchtime. Dist 29.22 km. Our final Odo reading 1489.4 km or 931 miles. We cycled on 27 days including to Mont Michelle so averaged about 55km or 35 miles per day - not too bad for 3 geriatrics. We did 12 days on the original route and 15 days on the revised route. We just about got from the Atlantic to the Med on velo routes - we really need to do better in UK.
So that is it for this trip, Gilly and I were in Sete 44 years ago and Gilly is having fun trying to find our hotel and the police station in which she spent the night - but that is story for another time. Gilly and I have enjoyed the journey, the weather has been generally kind, the roads good and the locals very helpful. We hire a car on Monday and make our way to St Malo for our ferry on 30th.

TTFN.

The Wind is King.............

A few miles have gone under our wheels in the last few days - some hard yards and some good miles - the wind gods have not been entirely on our side.

We are in Agde just 30km short of Sete and the end of the Canal du Midi. It is also apparently the nudist capital of Europe. I discussed a bit of nude cycling with Gilly but she has not got any doublesided bra tape (see previous blog) - she now says she has but I've checked, she does not have nearly enough!!!!!!!!

We stayed in the same hotel in Toulouse as last time we cycled through - Hotel Victor Hugo but I was disappointed that we did not get a discount as regulars and I realy don't think they remembered us from 3 years ago. I like Toulouse, it is a vibrant fun city with many friendly folk willing to help lost cyclists.
We followed the canal out of the city during rush hour, we were late starting as John, who was in a hotel just round the corner,could not get his breakfast as firstly the staff did not turn up and then the bread man did not cometh - so eventually we departed about 0900 - half an hour late. There were cyclists everywhere all pedalling at 100mph coming from all directions - in many ways worse then cycling in traffic - at least you can see and hear cars approaching!
We rocked into Castelnaundry after coming off the towpath about 13 km from town. The tow path deterriated into a narrow, rucked grassy track - not good with laden bikes. We were battling into an easterly all day and once we were clear of the tow path it hit us hard. We huffed and puffed up hill for nearly 7 km before dropping down towards town. Hard man!!
Last time we cycled through I put in the blog that Castelnaudry was a dump - nothing has changed. Dist 62.22 Odo 1297.3
Wednesday we stayed clear of the tow path and struggled against a strong easterly - what should have been a gentle short day tested our resolve - there was a hint of LMF in the air and comments such as "what are we going to do tomorrow if the wind does not change?" Were being banded around. So we  slunk into Carcasonne, grabbed a coffee and licked our wounds. Gilly booked our hotel near the castel and John said I will lead us to our hotel with my magic garmin thingy! Our fearless leader took us higher and higher up the side of the castle road, a road too narrow for the impatient French drivers to pass until eventually we were looking down onto our hotel way below. LMF was definately active in the troops following our leader.
We had a great meal inside the castel and our spirits were high as the wind was going to shift to the west and blow us along the following day.
Carcassonne Dist 41.28 Odo 1338.6

Thursday was a great day, cross country to Narbonne, through small villages, virtually no traffic and yes, a strong following wind. Fantastic.
Narbonne Dist 61.79 Odo 1400.4
We met up with some old friends who have an appartment about 40km south of Narbonne, we stayed in the appartment last time we cycled this way. Had a great meal in a restaurant which boasted fresh food and  individually cooked. It was but it took nearly 3 hours.

Today should have been a good day but it was very ordinary. Too much traffic, hard navigation in places but we did pick up the canal for a few miles were it had a metalled surface. We looked lost in one town and Frenchie came across and asked if could help - he was very confused as I read the wrong town off the map. He was just like me  - the less I understood what he was saying the louder he said it!!!
So here we are, Agde, we have not got our kit off yet but Gilly would like to go the Cape Agde tomorrow before we go mmmmmmm....
We will seek out the end/beginning of the canal before our last days cycling to Sete.
Dist 59.83km Odo 1460.2. Good weather with the wind mainly on our backs.

Fawlty Towers has arrived in France..........

Hi Ho, We had a good rest day in Agen on Friday and then an enforced one with thunder storms and torrential rain on Saturday. There are worse places to rest. We had lunch with some friends on Friday - they live in Condom - Stop I can hear you giggling already - but Condom is a great place. On Sunday we moved on to Castelsarrasin Dist 52.84km Odo 1171.1. It was humid day but a good cycle along the towpath. The hotel was something very different. An ancient place with rooms around a central open tower thingy, probably a couple of centuries old with funiture to match. We were greeted by the Grandad and I though Oh. What have we booked. The procedure was taken over by the granddaughter and she was delightful - quite clearly schooled by John Cleese out of Fawlty Towers, an engraciating bow with almost every word, walking out of the room backwards with a flurish of the hand and very slow and precise English. I believe the other 2 had a good night but I heard the chimes of the town clock every quater of an hour all through the night.

Today we headed for Toulouse - the side of the canal is adorned with 200 year old plane trees which have unfortunately been aflicted with an untreatable fungus. The canal authorities are in the process of felling the infected trees - 11,000 down 40,000 to go. Sad. 10 days ago there was a storm (we were in Confolens) and along the tow path many of the infected trees had been blown over or had branches off. They are replanting with plane trees grafted onto resistant root stock. It will take 200 years to grow back!!!!!
 We stopped after about 20km for coffee just as the bar/restaurant lit the first fire of the year - blocked chinmey - we sat there as the place filled with smoke, it got lower and lower and eventually we were sitting in smoke, the fire place was black and the staff were all coughing - we thought it very amusing and they were very embarrassed.

Gilly was talking to our lunch friends about an incident with doublesidded bra tape - apparently this keeps bra straps in place and it occurred to me that our naked cyclist probably used this to keep his willy straight along his saddle, although thinking about it now as it was straight perhaps he did not need the tape after all.

Toulouse Dist 63.93 Odo 1235.1

We have seen many fields of sun flowers but it is well passed their flowering and they all look sad and forlorn in the fields waiting to be harvested. Very sad indeed and it brings a little tear to the eye.

We will probably end in Sete where the canal meets the sea, this gives us about 5 more days of cycling before we thow our bikes in the sea.

Naked cyclist and other stuff?...........

We are in Agen - good cycle along the dedicated cycle path. The path is in good repair with some damage from tree roots. About 10k out of Agen we were stopped watching some boats negociate some locks. A couple of touring cyclists passed between us with out a word. We always speak. I thought this rude. We set off and in the distance ahead of us we could see the offending couple - an older man, maybe our age and a younger lass cycling in a very short skirt mmmmmm!!!!!!!! I was third in line with John pace setting, the targets were getting closer, suddenly Gilly got the scent and off she went with John hot on her heels. I was left eating their dust and bingo - a loaded bike overtake, however the non speaking guy took umbridge and sped up onto John's back wheel with non speaking dolly bird struggling to keep up. I was gradually catching the bottom in the skirt on the bike ahead. An overtake is not an overtake unless you can hold it for at least 1km and then just as I was about to take the bottom in the skirt the dynamic duo slowed and stopped and the non speaking duo  disappeared down the track.

Agen Dist 65.74km Odo 1118.3km

On our way across the Mois - Bazas cycle track we crossed paths with a male naked cyclist.  None of us had seen one before. We  had just stopped for lunch at a join in tracks and there he was. A smooth skinned, browned body sitting on his stead. I was surprised but due to positioning I was the only one who got a shufty at the business end. I was questioned heavily by Gilly and I explained that his willy was gently laying along his szddle and dipping just over the front, the dangly bits were just resting where you would expect. He was sitting in an up right position otherwise everything would squashed as I can verify. Thinking about it as he must have had a short saddle otherwise he would not of dangled over the front, I of course have a long saddle!!!!!!

on our enforced rest day in Royan due to a non exsistant strike we were entertained by an International Trathalon. There were some very fit folk around. The last person to complete did it in just shy of 8 hours. I have 2 children who are triathaletes and finish just over the 6 hours so they would have done well.

A lycra clad over taker & 1000km...........

It's been a good few days with the kilometres rolling away under our wheels - we are pedalling well in good weather, on dedicated cycle tracks though flat country. A pleasure.

We left Royan by the early ferry (0750) and headed south on a dedicated cycle route. I cycled this route 10 years ago on my way to Gibraltar and remembered it well - forested dune area gives you shade from the midday sun. We were heading for Lacanou Ocean, a holiday village on the ocean. On the way we passed through a number of small villages by the beach obviously frequented by folk from Bordeaux. Then it happened - a first for Gilly and I - a lycra clad cyclist on a high spec road bike entered our road ahead of us. Initially I paid no attention but I suddenly realised that I was gaining - I thought we could do this - I increased speed and came up behind him, he had seen us when he turned onto our road and presumable dismissed us as no threat. It came as a shock to him as I said' pardon mesuire, je passe sil vous plat' he eased over, I said YES to my self as Gilly eased past as well. I pedalled quite hard as we were on a slight uphill incline. The lycra clad was not amussed, he was on Gilly's tail trying to pass, Gilly being quicker than me up hills passed me and I pulled over so that lycra clad could not pass. He was breathing down my neck but he could not pass as we were on a cycle path with raised edges. We held him off for more than a kilometre and this makes it a genuine take out. Unfortunately John did not get passed but for while it was great fun for us Brits!!!
Lacanau Ocean Dist 81.16km.

We found a cycle map which showed a cycle path crossing the great expanse of nothingness to the south of Bordeaux so we continued south to the Arcachon Basin. This was more cycling on dedicated cycle path though forest. There are more cycle tourists on this route and it is interesting to exchange stories - mainly Fench and German. I always lie when the Germans ask me how far as they put us to shame but with the French we can hold our own!!.
We arrived in Biganos on the SE  of the Acachon Basin in good form. Dist 63.82.

Then on Tuesday we set off on the Mois - Bazas cycle route heading east, south of Bordeaux. I guess Beeching had been out here as there are many disused railway lines, the one to Bazas was one such disued railway but has been beautifully restored as a 100km cycle path. We have much to learn from the French. A socialist country which does much for the average Joe  and families- each town has a play park, and there are cyclepistes everywhere. We could do better in England!!!
After 60 odd kms we looked for accommodation which we found in Villandraut. No hotels but a Chambre D'Hotes - probably out of 19th century - lovely old couple who spoke no English but Gilly did well, the walls were crumbling, the electrics were a bit frightening, the plumbing left a lot to be desired but the breakfast was great. We went out for supper to the recommended resaurant to be greeted by a youngish lass who appeared to lack a sence of humour. It possibly did not help as we had consumed  couple of bottles of very drinkable vin rose at a takeawy pizza place from plastic tumblers before we arrived. Despite a lack of welcome and smiley service the food was great.
Villandraut Dist 62.63.

Today the weather has held - wall to wall sunshibe about 25°C and very little wind. Another 15 km on the cycleway to Bazas and then Velo Vert to Castets en Dothe where the Canal du Gironne starts. I really cannot get over it, we have been on a cycle path since Royan - almost 300 km and we will be on one to way past Toulouse - Cameron get your diget from within you rectum and sort it out!!!!!!!
We are in Marmande, just off the cycleway to the north of the Gironne. Dist 65.78.
BUT LOOK AT THE  ODO 1052.6 - we are official members of the 1000km club.

Great to smell the sea air ......

We have made it to Royan in good time. The terrain has got easier the closer to the coast we have travelled, the hills are shallower and the weather has been great for cycling - about 22°C and a gentle northerly breeze.

We arrived in Mansle, our friends pad to meet up with the 'barrel club' to find them still standing and able to talk. They had 2 barrels which were for later in the week, they needed to settle but John's (mine host) wine flowed freely in the evening followed by cognac. The cook , Brian did us proud with duck and all the timmings and we had a great time. It was Cognac that we were heading for next day.
Mansle Dist. 49.97km

The journey to Cognac was good apart from me nearly ending it all. It was not until the end of the day at the hotel that I realised what had happened. The manhole covers on the road were slighty depressed so that if you cycled over them the bike jolted - just like going over a pothole. It was on a sweeping left hand bend on a down hill section when I went over a manhole cover (you could say bad bike handling) there was a big crunch, my back wheel bounced and slid and I yelled as I thought I was going to take a tumble but it all setteled down and on I went. My bike felt fine,  no buckles, I looked down and around and all looked good. I had not seen any debris on the road so did not know what had happened. I was at the back of the group so pedalled on the catch up. At the hotel I was taking my water bottles off and there were only  2 and I normally carry 3. My bottom bottle had dissappeared - I guess it  jumped out and my back wheel went over it - being an alloy bottle it made a big crunching noice when I did this. Lucky I stayed on my bike.
Cognac was a busy town and it looks like it is dominated by Martell - 300 anniversary this year.
Cognac Dist  55.09km

Yesterday we could smell the salt on the breeze - sea gulls in the fields - and an almost flat coast plain lay ahead. We took the main road from Cognac as it was realy the only way to go. It was fine. On these trip there are certain highlites and one happened just as we were entering Royan. I do not mind being overtaken by joggers when I am labouring up hill in my 'granny' gear however I get a bit miffed when I am overtaken by walkers and this has happened on this trip but I was going to keep stum about it. But it is very rare that I overtake another cyclist but today it happened. It has only taken us just over 700km to achieve this - possibly a record as it is normally over a 1000. It was a genuine overtake , the lady was younger than us, her bike was not sqweaking and appeared in good repair and we swept past easily. Not only that but a few minutes later on the cycle path into Royan, two more -wow - 3 in one day. Fantasmagorical!!!!!!!
So here we are in Royan on the enterance to the Gironde on the north bank. Dist 66.29km and the odo reads779km.

I guess this is really the start to the new route - Atlantic to the Med across France. Some of us thought a swim in the Atlantic  would be a great start (that's me) others thought just a paddle would do (that's Gilly ) the remainder thought just thinking about might be ok. It is a different type of route so we have left our camping stuff with the 'barrel men' and hope that through their alcoholic haze they remember it and it eventually arrives back in UK. We will be credit card touring from now on staying in hotels etc.. Weather is set fair for the next 5 days so we plan to catch the 0750 ferry tomorrow morning across the Gironde.

A new route & new challenge..........

We are still here in Confolens having survived the biggest thunder storm in the world last night. Glad we were in a hotel - the storm seemed to circle us for about 4 hours and it seemed a thunder bolt just missed the hotel. This morning the damage to Toulouse was all over the TV. We have not 1 but 2 weather girls back near Woking reporting in on a daily basis on the future weather - boy did they get it wrong - I certainly would not like to have been camping last night. I keep telling John to give them a "buck-up" but he very defensive and maybe a little afraid - he says they are doing the best they can mmmmmm!!!!!!!!

We had a review of where we are at and where we are going. We have completed well over  third of the journey, just over 600km and looking at the book the easiest section. The terrain gets more hilly as the journey progresses and we have the Central Massive to cycle over. Is this too much of a challenge? Are we fit enough and are we made of stern enough stuff to keep a PMA when it really starts to get tough? We discussed this over a caraffe or 2 or Loire Rose, and we decided that we were weak and feeble and that today we would look for our adventure elsewhere.

In a small village about 45km away in Mansle, some old friends of ours have an old farmhouse thingy which they have renovated and a quick phone call revealed that yes someone will be there tomorrow. Some guys from the 'Barrel Club', so named because they all used to congregate once a month and stand around a barrel in someone's  kitchen and drink until it was empty or they had all fallen over. Every so often they come to France and do the same thing and that's tomorrow night. We will be there.

We  have decided to head for the west coast, we should hit it in about 3 days at Royan on the north bank of the Gironde at it's entrance. We will then mosey into Bordeau and pick up the Canal du Gironde and then the Canal du Midi and flow effortlessly across the middle of France to the Mediterrainean. This route will be less challenging terrain wise but just as much fun wine wise!! Gilly & I have done some of this route a couple of years ago but are quite happy to re-visit. This will also cut  few hundred kilometres off our total. It will mean we will have crossed France by velo - yippee!

We are going to keep the camping stuff, cut down on our daily mileage, drink more wine and take time to run bare foot through the wet meadows in the mornings - or someting like that!!!!  Some maps are on the way home and some new ones have been added so at 0800 tomorrow morning we shall be pedalling out on a new adventure.

P.S. We saw 'Mister Big' in the bar this lunchtime - black shirt, black jacket, black tousers and white shoes with a 'moll' on his arm. He had a bullet hole in the side of his neck - luckily he did not focus on us and we escaped unscathed! Please do not mention that we saw him as we do not want his mob chasing us through France. Thanks.