Although we managed a couple of smaller rides before we left Lyon for a week's non-cycling holiday in Italy (Rome, Naples, Herculaneum, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast etc) the challenge of making it from Lyon to the Mediterranean proved too strong. And so, with only a few days remaining before our departure, we repacked our panniers and saddled up...
Day 1 - Lyon to Romans sur Isere (137km/85 miles, 3737 feet of climbing)
It would have seemed much easier to simply follow the Rhone valley south, but there are not any decent cycling routes through the flat, fairly industrial centre - so we headed to the hills. All of our previous complaints about rain and cold were forgotten - in the hot and sunny weather, we enjoyed whatever shade we could find.
We stopped for lunch fairly early in Villefontaine - an ugly, modern working-class town by the side of the A43 (i.e. a big auto-route). We found a reasonable restaurant by the side a shopping complex and ordered a "plat de jour".
After lunch, in the hottest part of the day, we began the first of three major climbs. Our bodies were just getting used to being back on the bike, and we really felt as though we had thrown ourselves in the deep end. The only respite was a wonderful "Glacier" at Hauterives - Brittany was missing the sorbet after the gelatarias in Italy.
By the time we eventually reached Romans, we were truly pooped. At the local tourist information centre, we managed to find a hotel with air-conditioning and a swimming pool - needless to say, we were in our swimmers and in the water within minutes of our arrival.
Day 2 - Romans to Orange (i.e. obviously named after Orange, NSW) (136km/85 miles, 3884 feet of climbing)
We left Romans fairly early, knowing that it was going to be just as hot and hilly today as it was yesterday. There were more and more fruit stalls by the sides of roads, and we managed to pick up ingredients for a picnic lunch as we went. Traffic was clearly getting busier, and the Belgian and Swiss drivers weren't as a good as the French in terms of giving us plenty of room by the side of the road.
Our lunch spot was near the top of the second major climb for the day, in a picnic area crammed with families traveling towards the Med. A french family invited us to share a picnic table with great views of the valley below.
Just like yesterday, we left the hardest climb to the hottest part of the day... a straight climb of over 1000 feet. Luckily, once we reached the top, it was downhill all the way to our final destination. This did not stop Simon reaching an angry point of starved exhaustion with about 6km left to go ("where the f%&k is the bl*&dy information centre" etc)..
We eventually found the tourist information centre and booked us into a very cheap chain hotel ("Etap"). After a quick shower, we found ourselves dinner (Simon had moules cooked in their own weight of garlic) and spent the evening exploring some of Orange's Roman antiquities (would have been more impressive if we had not just come from Pompeii etc).
Day 3 - Orange to Aigues-Mortes (128km/80miles - nearly all flat or downhill)
Knowing the day's max temperature was going to be in the high 30s (100 degrees farenheight), we decided to get out early. We stopped for breakfast inside the walls of Avignon, before heading down the long, flat valley towards the med. Simon was pushing fairly hard, and we averaged 20mph for nearly three hours.
We had reached the marshy "Camargue" region by lunch, and struggled to find a nice place for a picnic lunch (the first time in France that we couldn't find a picnic table). We ended up sitting on the mosquito-ridden bank of a small river, having dragged the tandem onto the top of the steep levy.
We found a much better spot to stop about 15 minutes later (always the way...) where we found a fruit stall with shaded picnic tables. We both felt a lot better having eaten half a refrigerated honey-dew melon washed down with icy-cold Evian.
Back on the bike, we soon discovered that we were cycling the Tour de France route that would be raced the following day. We pretty much followed the route all the way into our final destination - although probably at a lesser speed than the pros will be doing.
Sue and John had thankfully reached Aigues-Mortes several hours earlier than planned - they greeted us with cold water and a car in which to store all of our stuff while walking around the pretty, walled city. Although we had reached the marshes of the Mediterranean, we really wanted to wade in the sea, so Sue and John took us to a beach (via a ferry). We snapped the necessary photos before starting the long drive back to Lyon.
Monday, 6 July 2009
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Day 10 - to La Clayette (108km)
We got up early this morning and collected some pastries at a nearby patisserie. We then cycled under clear blue skies between the Loire river and Loire canal. Needless to say, the route was very flat and we made great progress.
By lunch, we had already covered 70km and, after getting a little lost in Digoin searching for a supermarket (you would have thought a supermarket the size of four football fields would be easier to spot!), we had a picnic by the side of the road just out of town.
We decided we could both justify a stop at a McDonalds for a McFlurry. The McDonalds was just off the a highway in the middle of nowhere - it appeared that many locals had driven miles specifically for their meal deal.
The afternoon's cycling was harder but a lot more interesting. The Burgandy hills were pretty, with wild flowers in the fields and pretty hill-top villages. Thankfully, the climbs were relatively easy and we arrived in La Clayette at about 3:30 - leaving Brittany plenty of time to do some shopping (there was a local chocolate shop) for both of us to look around the town.
There was a market around the towns small lake with all types of junk ("antiques") - the only thing that interested us was the cherry stall. We bought and almost immediately consumed a kilo of new season cherries. At the end of the market, there was a beautiful private chateau overlooking the lake.
We finished the day with a swim in our hotel's swimming pool, followed by a drink at a cafe (watching the town's youf hooning around on their mopeds and motor bikes), and a good dinner at a local restaurant (we only realised after we left that Simon should have had frog's legs, which were the restaurant's specialty).
By lunch, we had already covered 70km and, after getting a little lost in Digoin searching for a supermarket (you would have thought a supermarket the size of four football fields would be easier to spot!), we had a picnic by the side of the road just out of town.
We decided we could both justify a stop at a McDonalds for a McFlurry. The McDonalds was just off the a highway in the middle of nowhere - it appeared that many locals had driven miles specifically for their meal deal.
The afternoon's cycling was harder but a lot more interesting. The Burgandy hills were pretty, with wild flowers in the fields and pretty hill-top villages. Thankfully, the climbs were relatively easy and we arrived in La Clayette at about 3:30 - leaving Brittany plenty of time to do some shopping (there was a local chocolate shop) for both of us to look around the town.
There was a market around the towns small lake with all types of junk ("antiques") - the only thing that interested us was the cherry stall. We bought and almost immediately consumed a kilo of new season cherries. At the end of the market, there was a beautiful private chateau overlooking the lake.
We finished the day with a swim in our hotel's swimming pool, followed by a drink at a cafe (watching the town's youf hooning around on their mopeds and motor bikes), and a good dinner at a local restaurant (we only realised after we left that Simon should have had frog's legs, which were the restaurant's specialty).
Friday, 12 June 2009
Day 9 – to Decize (112 km)
We finally woke to blue sky and sun this morning. It is amazing what the weather can do to improve our moods.
The first part of the ride was a side trip up a hilly road through vineyards to the hill-top village of Sancerre. It is a beautiful old town, once surrounded by ramparts, with spectacular views of the Loire valley below.
From there, we followed the Loire river and canal to Herry and we had lunch by another “Pont Canal” at Le Guetim. We saw lots of signs to Nevers, the major regional town, but never went there – instead we cut the corner of the valley (the river curved) though the rolling hills of the Bourgogne countryside.
There were a few more château's to be seen – but most of these were showing a little more sign of their age, with crumbling towers and ramparts. One of these was near a town which we simply could not pronounce, Luthenay Uxeloup – 'Château de Rosemont'.
We stopped for the night at Decize. For once we got in before 5pm, so had plenty of time to look around. We had a beer and ice tea at a cafe by the river before a walk down the town's avenue of plan trees (some over 200 years old). It was nice to be in a town that was clearly less of a tourist trap, even if it meant there were less choices for dinner (we ended up at another pizzeria).
The first part of the ride was a side trip up a hilly road through vineyards to the hill-top village of Sancerre. It is a beautiful old town, once surrounded by ramparts, with spectacular views of the Loire valley below.
From there, we followed the Loire river and canal to Herry and we had lunch by another “Pont Canal” at Le Guetim. We saw lots of signs to Nevers, the major regional town, but never went there – instead we cut the corner of the valley (the river curved) though the rolling hills of the Bourgogne countryside.
There were a few more château's to be seen – but most of these were showing a little more sign of their age, with crumbling towers and ramparts. One of these was near a town which we simply could not pronounce, Luthenay Uxeloup – 'Château de Rosemont'.
We stopped for the night at Decize. For once we got in before 5pm, so had plenty of time to look around. We had a beer and ice tea at a cafe by the river before a walk down the town's avenue of plan trees (some over 200 years old). It was nice to be in a town that was clearly less of a tourist trap, even if it meant there were less choices for dinner (we ended up at another pizzeria).
Day 8 - to Bassay (120km)
The plan today had been to look around Orleans in the morning an to go for a shorter ride in the afternoon. We started the day by walking into the city centre for breakfast, coffee and orange juice before looking around the cathedral. In the end, we decided against a tour of the (1960/70s) reproduction of Joan of Arc's house, which was awarded to her by the city after she rescued it from the English in the 100 years war. Before checking out of our hotel, to avoid further instances of booked-out hotels, we booked the evening's accommodation further down the Loire valley.
The route today took us away from the châteaus by the river, which by now is getting quite wide and shallow, and instead follows the “Canal lat. a la Loire” - i.e. the canal built to allow the flow of boats along the path of the Loire, despite the silted up river.
The highlight of the day was the Pont Canal at Briare – a beautifully decorated bridge which carries the canal over the Loire river. We enjoyed a sorbet each as the boats passed over the river. It was already quite late in the day that we reached here – Simon had (again) underestimated distances and, despite the plan to cycle a 'half day', we actually managed 120km by the time we reached the hotel overlooking the canal at Bassay.
We had another great French dinner, entertained by the owners 1 or 2 year old son, Rafael, who danced for us in his high chair. Our main disappointment for the day was the fact that the hotel's
WiFi was not working – we were forced instead to watch a repeat of NCIS dubbed in French.
The route today took us away from the châteaus by the river, which by now is getting quite wide and shallow, and instead follows the “Canal lat. a la Loire” - i.e. the canal built to allow the flow of boats along the path of the Loire, despite the silted up river.
The highlight of the day was the Pont Canal at Briare – a beautifully decorated bridge which carries the canal over the Loire river. We enjoyed a sorbet each as the boats passed over the river. It was already quite late in the day that we reached here – Simon had (again) underestimated distances and, despite the plan to cycle a 'half day', we actually managed 120km by the time we reached the hotel overlooking the canal at Bassay.
We had another great French dinner, entertained by the owners 1 or 2 year old son, Rafael, who danced for us in his high chair. Our main disappointment for the day was the fact that the hotel's
WiFi was not working – we were forced instead to watch a repeat of NCIS dubbed in French.
Day 7 – to (old) Orleans (120km)
We were joined at breakfast by two American families on a road trip around the Loire valley. Brittany was a little disappointed with breakfast – she had taken a diary tablets expecting 'real' French hot chocolate and got hot milk and chocolate powder. By the time we were getting back onto the bike, it was raining fairly heavily – rain that continued throughout the day.
Our first stop was Château de Chenonceaux, a stunning tribute to the style (and greed and vanity) of the French aristocracy. The whole thing was built across and around the Cher river, and its owners motto was 'if we finish this, history will remember us'. We forget who they were....
We were soon back on our way past a variety of big, impressive chateaux (many still owned by the original aristocratic families), but today our hearts were not really in it and we were completely château-ed out. Simon was in a particularly bad mood, which became worse as the result of a couple of minor mechanical failures (which were fixed in the pouring rain).
Things improved slightly when we found some fruit stalls by the road selling the cherries that we have been seeing in the road-side orchards for the last few days. We eventually reached Orleans and managed to find a room in an Ibis Hotel (not our first choice) with free WiFi, a Chinese restaurant next door and a supermarket across the road.
Our first stop was Château de Chenonceaux, a stunning tribute to the style (and greed and vanity) of the French aristocracy. The whole thing was built across and around the Cher river, and its owners motto was 'if we finish this, history will remember us'. We forget who they were....
We were soon back on our way past a variety of big, impressive chateaux (many still owned by the original aristocratic families), but today our hearts were not really in it and we were completely château-ed out. Simon was in a particularly bad mood, which became worse as the result of a couple of minor mechanical failures (which were fixed in the pouring rain).
Things improved slightly when we found some fruit stalls by the road selling the cherries that we have been seeing in the road-side orchards for the last few days. We eventually reached Orleans and managed to find a room in an Ibis Hotel (not our first choice) with free WiFi, a Chinese restaurant next door and a supermarket across the road.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Day 6 – to Amboise (136 km)
Despite mixed weather, we truly discovered why the Loire valley is such a tourist attraction today. Cycling at high speeds down the long, flat roads, we cycled through many beautiful villages and past wineries, châteaus, churches and troglodyte dwellings (I.e caves and houses built into the hills).
The wheat fields appear to have been taken over by poppies, and Brittany was salivating all day at cherry trees full of fruit. She also liked the look of orchards being used for dried apple and pear products – some of which will undoubtedly find their way into our panniers over the next couple of days.
Our only stop for the morning was in Samur, where we decided to by a couple of inner-tubes a replacement for our replacement bike pump from the local decathlon. We gave our original 6 euro replacement pump to a passing English “traveller” who has been working and walking across France for the last 5 years.
At lunch, we stopped by the Château d'Usse. Simon had forced Brittany to cycle further and further, waiting for the 'perfect' lunch spot – by the time we reached the château we were both starving and ready to eat anything. We didn't even bother to see the château (which was big and chateau-ey), but we have a long chat with a family of 4 from Miami travelling on two tandems. They admired our tandem, our light packing and Simon's thighs (!?). They seemed to be travelling about 30 miles a day to our 80 miles – which kind of made up for those patronising b&rst%rds in England telling us were were “taking it easy” on our LEJoG trip.
On the advice of the Floridians, we decided to head straight through Tours to Amboise, which is a delightful old village (now very touristy) overlooked by its own (yes, you guessed it...) château. Leonardo Da Vinci increased its attraction (?) by dying here. We managed to find a pricey B&B in the centre of town but walked across the bridge for dinner (see photo).
The wheat fields appear to have been taken over by poppies, and Brittany was salivating all day at cherry trees full of fruit. She also liked the look of orchards being used for dried apple and pear products – some of which will undoubtedly find their way into our panniers over the next couple of days.
Our only stop for the morning was in Samur, where we decided to by a couple of inner-tubes a replacement for our replacement bike pump from the local decathlon. We gave our original 6 euro replacement pump to a passing English “traveller” who has been working and walking across France for the last 5 years.
At lunch, we stopped by the Château d'Usse. Simon had forced Brittany to cycle further and further, waiting for the 'perfect' lunch spot – by the time we reached the château we were both starving and ready to eat anything. We didn't even bother to see the château (which was big and chateau-ey), but we have a long chat with a family of 4 from Miami travelling on two tandems. They admired our tandem, our light packing and Simon's thighs (!?). They seemed to be travelling about 30 miles a day to our 80 miles – which kind of made up for those patronising b&rst%rds in England telling us were were “taking it easy” on our LEJoG trip.
On the advice of the Floridians, we decided to head straight through Tours to Amboise, which is a delightful old village (now very touristy) overlooked by its own (yes, you guessed it...) château. Leonardo Da Vinci increased its attraction (?) by dying here. We managed to find a pricey B&B in the centre of town but walked across the bridge for dinner (see photo).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
