Just a quick note to say that Sam and I have arrived at Les Fromentaux in Retournac, the organic goat farm where Sam and I worked last summer. It’s really nice to be here and see our friends Réné-Jo and Dédé, and to have a chance to rest our legs after three hard days of climbing (yesterday into Puy en Velay I think we climbed non stop for 20kms).
We’ve been heading gradually further eastwards, and are now in the region called Aubrac. This is is a high plateau is part of the Massif Central, with landscape (and weather) reminiscent of Yorkshire.
Our journey up to the plateau started yesterday (Sun 20th Aug) in Entragues sur Truyère (alt. 238m), a pretty, old town at the confluence of the Truyère and Lot rivers. We woke up around 7am to a grey, drizzly day, and started slowly. After packing up the tent and getting some provisions in the town it was already 0930 before we began the climb.
The first 4 km to Banhars took us gradually up above the Truyère, with beautful views of houses perched on the steep valley sides. We stopped at Banhars in a nice little café to eat our breakfast. At 1030 there were already a couple of old men started on the glasses of wine, one of whom insisted that we help him translate a letter he had received in Dutch.
We had mentally prepared ourselves for a tough day, knowing that we would have a lot of climbing to do, but in the end it was quite gradual, and we sustained around 10km/h most of the way up to St Amans des Cots (alt. 755m) where we had arranged to meet our friend Valerie for lunch. I know Valerie from the choir I sang with in Lyon, and she had come to join us (by car) for a few days.
We arrived at St Amans around 1220, and popped into the Spar for a few provisions. A very tanned man came up to us in the shop and asked “does your bike work?”. We weren’t quite sure what to say, but explained that we were having a good time riding it. He was riding with his family - wife and four children, and were heading westwards. Unfortunately one of his daughters had fallen from her bike recently, and had stitches on her chin.
We ate lunch with Valerie in a café in St Amans, and set off around 1500 for Laguiole. More climbing, always tougher after lunch, and the weather turning worse. With the increasing cold and drizzle, we couldn’t really appreciate the stunning countrside which we were passing through. Thankfully we had the beautiful pink heather all along the road to keep us company.
We arrived in Laguiole around 1720 tired and wet, and popped into the tourist office to find out about campsites, and enjoy the warmth! There was a great exhibition of photos next door and we bought several pictures.
RUN OUT OF TIME .. TO BE CONTINUED
I’ve been wanting to do one hundred kilometres in a day on our bike just to see if we can…. and of course we can! From Castillon la Bataille (site of the last battle of the one hundred years war where the English lost to the French), breakfast in tiny village with very friendly Manu and then through Ste Foy la Grande to an excellent market. And through lots of wiggly country lanes to St Alvère. St Alvère is very cute little town. The last ten kms hurt a lot! And the uphill to the campsite was hard work.
We were knackered at the end of it but feeling good 
Now taking it easy and off to see some cave paintings.
Hope you’re all well. love Sam xxx
Journey stats
Alarm: 05h50
Start: Camping Municipal, Castillon la Bataille
Left Campsite: 07h00
Total Distance: 105.49 km
Cycling time: 5h 49m
Average speed: 18.09 km/h
Max speed: 55.78 km/h
Destination: Camping Les Pauvrettes, St Alvere
Arrive: 18h30
Thursday morning out of Brach (we stayed at an Aire Naturelle which I think means a campsite but with more basic facilities and a bit more room for your tent) and onto the ferry to Blaye. On-board the ferry we met some other British cyclists (Nick and Irene on a tandem and Chris and Janice on solo bikes…….hey, so did I get your names correct?!) (more…)
Just to let you know that the sea and the sand on the Atlantic coast is wonderful. But you definitely need a bodyboard or surfboard. Shame that you can’t fit either of those on the back of a bike very easily. But we had fun jumping the waves and going Whooooooooooo! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! oh-my-gaaaawd! Here is a lovely picture of us looking stylish on the beach…I think we could get a part in Baywatch as the strange foreigners, don’t ya think?!
The sea by Lacanau Océan is really quite dangerous though…apparently one guy had been killed on Sunday because of the strong currents. Hence lots of Baywatch style lifeguards hanging around.
It was lovely falling asleep on the sand and having time to read a bit….and it did me good to think a little bit about what to do in ol’ Blighty when we come back (tbc)….Answers on the back of a postcard please to: Any ideas, PO BIKE 30.
Hi All,
The website has been inaccessible for about a week. Sorry if you’ve tried in vain to look at the site. I’ve restarted the web server now, so all should be good. Enjoy! Dave
We promised ourselves at least a couple of days on the sand and by the sea…so we had a good lie-in and headed off to Arès accidentally coming across their weekly market. So a good hour later, we cycled off with bags full of Provençal bread (with big fat olives in it), juicy tomatoes and a new book (which I still haven’t started to read…). (more…)
We headed off out of Bordeaux along the river early and stopped by the Lac de Bordeaux to have breakfast and watch the beach-cleaners rake the sand in preparation for the bathers. Bordeaux may even beat Lyon in having a more beautiful city centre and a big lake on the edge which you can sail and swim in. (more…)
So we took the best part of the Saturday 4th August to actually leave Plum Village (the Buddhist centre where we did a week’s retreat)….the peace and the excellent food and the great people were hard to leave. I think we have some good photos now of Dave giving lots of buddhist nuns and retreatants rides on the tandem… (more…)
Heading out of the campsite at Fontvieille at 8am. We picked up a pain au chocolat from the handy stall at the entrance of the campsite on the way. Took us a little while to find the right road out of Fontvieille as usual .. our navigational abilities being slightly dulled first thing in the morning. A lovely clear day and a nice flat or slightly downhill ride to Arles about 10 km away, passing the impressive Chateau d’Avignon on the way. (more…)