Day 22: Mont Saint Michel – Bayeaux

On July 26, 2023August 24, 2023 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe, France3 Comments

An early start after a solid breakfast saw us head east along the bay providing great views across the salty paddocks to the Mont.

My criticism of the Mont is not the structure, history or views, it was aimed purely at the mass commercialisation and unabated push for the tourist $ at any cost.

As the next few photos show, it is an awesome structure, viewed in different lights as we journeyed away.

We could only see three sheep in this area. There are more in the background but these are individuals.

We crossed the nice bridge.

For a few days we have seen many of these road signs. They represent La voie de la liberte, or Liberty Road in English. It is the commemorative marking of the route taken by Allied forces from D-Day in June 1944.

It starts in Sante-Mere-Eglise, in the Manche department in Normandy (Utah Beach) and travels across Northern France to Metz, Bastogne and Belgium. At each of the 1,146 kilometres there is a stone marker such as the one pictured.

Then there are other memorials such as this one at the entrance to a village.

Churches are ubiquitous here and of lovely structure and build quality.

Think of us, take it easy signage.

Lots of rolling hills today. We went up, we went down through agricultural land. Lots of sheep and cattle. Many paddocks being harvested. Wheat has been harvested and the corn is growing strong.

There are many wind turbines on the hills, and today we faced a head wind.

We had a later lunch at St Martin but all the fresh baguettes sold. So,it was bananas and a creamed rice. As we ate we looked at this old hotel that has seen happier times.

More churches. The day was nesting up. It was 15c when we started, but now in the high 20’s. Normandy is not suffering from the dreadful heatwaves like other areas of France fortunately. Many areas were declared orange or red zones yesterday. We are in a green zone.

As we got closer to Bayeux we went through a lovely green area providing shade and cool.

This wins the roundabout of the day award. There were four such topiary horseman I presume depicting the central characters mentioned on the Bayeux tapestry. William, Harold, Odo and Edward.

The last 300 metres was riding up a cobbled street adjacent to the magnificent Bayeux Cathedral that we would later visit after sorting out our accomodation.

Bayeux Cathedral is a national monument, and the likely original home of the Bayeux Tapestry. The site is ancient with the current cathedral consecrated in 1077 in the presence of William, Duke of Normandy.

View of the cathedral as we are our scrumptious dinner (I had a fish poutine, then octopus main course, strawberry tiramisu).

The Bayeux tapestry is housed in this building. It was a highlight and a joy to view, and listen to the well constructed and told depiction.

The Bayeux Tapestry tells the story in wool thread embroidered on linen cloth, of William, Duke of Normandy who became King of England in 1066 after the Battle of Hastings.

The tapestry is viewed in a darkened room with only the tapestry lit.

The events surrounding the conquest of England include crossing the sea in longships, long cavalcades on horseback, shields and coats of mail and battlefields.

There are 1500 designs, 600 characters, 500 animals including 200 horses. It is 70 meters long and 50 cm high, made up,of 9 successive linen panels. There are 380 Latin words.

A section of tapestry from their website as no photographs are permitted.

It has been a wonderful highlight of the holiday. Bayeux as a small city is very much worth the visit. Ancient in origin without the mass crowds.

Bayeaux was the first town libe rated by the Allies in 1944 and escaped much damage inflicted on other towns in France.

Now to the unusual part of our day, the accomodation. George, trigger warning… put down your drink!

I had several written conversations with the owner in June. I had a confirmed booking number.

We arrived at 3.45, checkin was from 3 pm. No answer. Eventually his elderly neighbour responded and some ladies walking last helped and rang the owner. He was sitting in a cafe and would be 10 minutes.

He checked us in, showed us through and lovely place. Only weird thing was we would share HIS toilet next his bedroom. Amazing cathedral views from the lounge. 17th century building, beautiful.

We unpacked and I showered including washing my cycle kit. As I showered I heard Tony talking (the shower was adjacent to the sliding door to the owners area) and Tony says ‘my wife is showering’. He came into the shower and told me ‘we have a problem’. Ok, what kind of problem? ‘Apparently we do not have a booking here’……say whaaaaat?

I jumped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around me and walked into the new conference. Tony, the owner and some random younger guy who also had a booking for OUR room. WTF!!!!

I must have looked a sight. Wet hair dripping, only a towel for modesty. I went and grabbed my IPad, opened the booking and showed him the confirmation. The owner stated he’d not used Booking.com for 3 years!

Digging deeper, there was a one liner that said the owner cancelled our booking. When? No message on the booking or notification history.

So what a pickle. I plan meticulously and double check and have received no communications re this situation.

So I threw a dress on, packed our gear including all my wet clothing, grabbed our bikes and were on the street. I was somewhat embarrassed and offered the owner money for the shower (and the chocolates in the room we had eaten very quickly upon arrival 🙈🤣).

I do not make mistakes like this…so I was very confused. Had I stuffed up and just not realised? If so, my bad…

The owner took pity on us ( I was crying by now) and he rang another hotel and walked us around. Very kind. The lady at the refugee hotel was very welcoming and said they get Booking.com errors often.

I have written to Booking.com asking why and when this cancellation happened, why there is no message or notification about it or email.

As for the owner not using Booking.com you can still book with him next week on that platform. So that is 💩

Our best guess is that he is on multiple booking platforms and double booked. Something to be wary of and may lead us to larger hotel chains more in the future.

Anyhow, life goes on, we got a bed in a crappier hotel, but it is clean and functional.

All is well that ends well. We do like Bayeux❣️😊

A 114 km day with 1253 m climbing is a solid touring day. Thunder storms are forecast tomorrow morning so we may leave a little later.

Thanks for reading ❣️😊

Day 20: St Brieuc to Dinan

On July 26, 2023August 22, 2023 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe, France7 Comments

We did not dare venture to breakfast prior to 8 am, but we timed it to the minute, and opened our door right on 8 am. She was a lovely host and she made us pancakes and had a variety of foods available for us to eat.

Quickly on our way leaving the busy Monday morning streets of the city, we descended down the hill we had climbed the previous day.

St Brieuc had a lot of large street art, and we quite liked this one. Bright and vibrant representing the very diverse population of the city.

Not quite at sea level again, we transited on a gravel cycle path of good quality, that crossed this former rail bridge. You don’t always get to see what you are riding on, but given the curvature we got a great glimpse of this beautifully constructed viaduct.

Signage indicated that this forms part of EuroVelo 4 that goes 4,000 km from Roscoff (our ferry port from yesterday) to Kiev (Ukraine).

At sea level we were viewing the Bay of St Brieuc, riding along a nature reserve of international interest, 1,140 hectares in size.

Plus two sheep! The sign says to not feed the animals.

What goes down always goes back up cycling, guaranteed! We climbed a nasty climb back up and within a few km was in Yffiniac.

Yffiniac is the birth place of Bernard Hinault, famous French cyclist. Hinault won the Tour de France five times, Giro three times and Vuelta twice. He is remembered in town with this roundabout and adjacent wall.

When I was researching the town this image accompanied history, but no explanation – I just love the look on the animal’s face but have no idea to its relevance – but it appears here anyhow as I liked it!

Lamballe was where we stopped for a morning coffee, in the town square. There are half-timbered houses in the historic town center many turned into exhibition spaces and craft workshops. They also have interesting art on their roundabouts.

We had to climb to leave town, which is always a joy with legs that have cooled down and past this sign for a former chateau that looked quite magnificent in its day.

Sections remain including a war memorial.

Local school art in a village, with a ceramic map of the village including shops and houses.

Riding in France is glorious. The quiet back roads that are of good quality, rarely used by cars. Often in farming areas dotted by very small, quaint villages where it is so quiet you almost feel like an intruder. For me, this is quintessential France and why I love France.

On the ride I counted, and this trip is my ninth to this country and I will have ridden nearly 7,000 km here by this trip finish.

Up another hill and around the corner and boom, the castle of La Hunaudaye is closeby, built in 1220.

The castle was destroyed in 1234, reconstructed in the 14th century and in the 17th century left to deteriorate. During the French revolution it was raided and torched, and locals used the castle as a quarry for stone. The norther part of the castle collapsed in 1922 and the French Government intervened, buying it in 1930.

Legend says that when the monks boat, loaded with the relics of Saint Magloire, reached the banks of the Rance in Lehon, the place became joyful and bloomed like paradise. Since then, pilgrims travel widely to see the wonders.

I stole an aerial view photograph as it is interesting, the shape within the moat.

Within a few km after here we had our first mapping issue. It was taking us down a gravel road that had signs saying private. We stood and debated, nosed in a bit further but decided to re route up the road going around the edge of this village.

This photo is a typical view of a French village. Cornfields, church spire, hill, few houses.

Our planned lunch stop was Jurgon Les Lacs, where I grabbed a fresh baguette from the boulangerie, two bananas and drink from the intermache and we headed to the lake to eat.

Jugon les Lacs initially had a Roman road, leading to the construction of a fortress for the Duke of Brittany. The Duke commanded the lakes and ponds be made from the two rivers, the Jugon and the Arguenon.

This is where we sat. It was quite hot by now, around 28c.

Carved stone seats are the perfect place for lunch

Leaving the town we knew we had an uber shite climb ahead. The data on our bike computer was in red and amber, and the average climb gradient was 16%. Did I mention the cold legs?

Anyway, it was never a question for me, I was always walking it. Lucky it was only about 400 metres.

At one point it did reach 18%. The road was heavily painted encouraging riders in a former race.

Here is the top approaching.

This is the cross at the top to remember all those who died climbing the hill by bicycle….

As we stood discussing what a super nasty brute the hill was for a cyclist, we watched this dog trotting down the road towards us. He came in for a belly rub, peed, then continued, breaking into a trot as he ran down the hill.

He seemed to know where he was going, and was on a mission.I hope he got home safely.

The Monster trucks were on show on the outskirts of Dinan.

Dinan was our overnight destination.

In the 12th century, the lords of Dinan erected a fortress on the rocky outcrop to protect the monastery’s property and boat traffic on the Rance. The walls were demolished in the 17th century, but more recently have been restored.

Dinan was described by Victor Hugo as a town perching on an overhanging precipice, like a swallow’s nest.

From the 14th to 18th centuries it was a famous town for producing linen cloth, leather, wood and cereals. The goods were transported from the harbour.

Napoleon was responsible for the canal implementation, but it was interrupted after his defeat, but later opened in 1834.

The town is enclosed by 3 km of walls and contains many beautiful half-timbered houses.

After checking in at our accomodation, storing the bikes, showering and laundering we headed off for a wander.

The town was super busy with tourists, and we grabbed ourselves a gelato to enjoy in the heat (citron and passion fruit for me, citron and framboise Tony).

We found people heading down this little bit of a hill, so we thought we’d have a look. It kept going down, down, down. It is all cobbled and we commented how hard it would be to even push your bike up this hill.

The street is lined with old buildings and lots of artists shops.

Looking back up a section, noting photos never show steepness as bad as it is.

At the base is the Dinan Port, on the Canal d’Ille-et-Rance. It is a 79 km long canal connecting Dinan to Vilaine, forming part of the English Channel-Atlantic Ocean link, long used by yachtsmen, but popular as a cruising waterway.

Some of the views whilst we worked out where the gondola was to get back up to the top, lol!!

We liked the repurposing of the old bike wheel

We did walk back up. I counted 775 steps and strava recorded a 90 metre ascent. My reconstructed knee has trouble with descents, and the ascent was easier on it.

The other thing I noted, we paid $6.50 two boules (scoops) gelato at the top each, the further you went down it got cheaper, $6.00 two boules, $5.50 two boules and finally $5.00 two boules.

A nice old church snd a beautiful chocolate shop. The chocolate would not survive the trip home for multiple reasons, so sorry!

Walking back towards our accomodation we passed this building. Amazing curvatures. Safe to say nothing square or level here.

Just behind our accomodation is the old Chateau de Dinan constructed from 1382, built by John IV of Montfort, Duke of Brittany after his exile from England.

The sun was in a bad spot when we visited, and maybe we might stop in the morning when we depart.

We returned to our hotel where we met the owner Christoph. Truly funny and witty man who knows a lady from Hobart, who spends part of her year here at a house she owns. Patricia Bromley is a Tasmanian artist, jeweller and lecturer.

He also spoke of David Walsh and MONA. It is the second time this trip that Walsh and MONA mentioned to us (the other was a Swiss guy). I had not really understood the international impact and renown of the man and the museum. Tasmania owes him!

We had a lovely meal cooked by Christoph selecting the three course menu for only $29 euro. I had gravlax, fish risotto dish and creme brûlée.

A great day to ride. Wonderful weather, great route and sights. A shorter day at 80 km, with 676 m ascent.

Thanks for reading 😊❣️

Life is like a box of chocolates….

On May 30, 2022May 30, 2022 By Sharron YaxleyIn EuropeLeave a comment

Looking out the door from our accomodation up to a local ski run. The day was crisp and cool. We had a beautiful home made breakfast and headed off down the hill.

Near our accomodation looking at nearby homes

We stopped in central Morzine and started putting more clothes on. We were freezing. We should have put our full leg kit on in hindsight as we still shivered for the descent. The sun was hidden behind the tall mountains on our right hand side. I shivered most of the way down and stopped often to thaw in the sun. I was feeling pretty uncomfortable and full of my clothing choice regrets.

There were lovely gorges that we rode through, but no verge to stop l,is they were all sans sun. We stopped only in the sun. Here are a few sunny photos whilst we defrosted.

The temperature increased considerably by the time we reached Lac Leman (Lake Geneva). It was 12 C and we stopped at a boulangerie to get a hit drink and eat, as this would be our last French boulangerie this trip. The Swiss and French border is part way along the southern shores of Lac Leman.

A couple of Lac Leman shots. This is the largest natural lake in Western Europe.

The border is close now, dual flags are flying. The traffic was super shite here too. Evian-Les-Bains was crazy and this was to be our experience all around the Lake.

My fault. I thought it would be nice to ride around the lake. Seriously cyclists, get the ferry across to Lausanne as that is what I would do next time. It is not worth all the traffic and road work angst we experienced.

The border was interesting. We crossed on the foot path, but cars went through the control area. The French did not give one iota. The Swiss had four border guards making more of an effort.

Leaving France with great memories. This was my 6th visit to France, and my longest.

Au revoir France, it’s been a great 20 days.

The positive is we are back in Switzerland, the starting point of our odyssey.

Waving France goodbye, or maybe Tony as we are in different countries.

There is an area where we needed to head inland (south) away from the lake due to a series of rivers. The area is lovely and open.

Back on the lake edge we pass through another busy town, again with roadworks and people everywhere.

That is Chillon Castle we are approaching. Chillon is in between Villeneuve and Montreal and is the most visited medieval castle in Switzerland and Europe. Yes, there were lots there today!

Chillon began as a Roman outpost guarding the strategic road to the Alps. In the 1600s it was used as a prison. I did tour inside this castle in 1987.

Now we have made it past the many hundreds hovering around, using our bike like a scooter, but this is a nice view with Chillon on the left, and looking over at the French and Swiss mountains.

Me waiting on the other side of the road whilst Tony photographs the lake

Montreaux was another very busy town to get through and we headed to the foreshore to look at one thing, along with hundreds of others. Again using the bike like a scooter.

The man who needs no introduction, the wonderful Freddie Mercury, an extraordinary talent the world lost far too early.

Grapes are grown all along the upper foreshore.

Finally we make into Lausanne, a large city and home to the IOC, the International Olympic Committee.

We had not had any lunch and bought a roll, two bottles of water and a small slice at the IOC small shop. Aud $37…….😊😳

Some photos from the parklands surrounding their museum.

The steps have the name of the person who lit the cauldron at each Olympics. 1956 Melbourne Ron Clarke.

Getting out of Lausanne was no walk in the park. We needed to climb a fair bit through the city, which was a bit tricky un cleating feet on a climb at pedestrian crossings, then trying cleat back in on a slope. 🙈 I kept hoping I could time the crossings with no one wanting to cross. At one crossing I thanked the lady for waiting.

It was then another 30 km to our destination. We had not eaten enough food today and both bonked and just concentrated on the destination. We ended up on agricultural farm paths again and one forest path which pleased us as we were sick of all the cars and people today.

We much prefer small villages and not the business of large towns and cities. I know many love that, with the cultural offerings such as museums and art galleries, but we like the peace and solitude and beauty of the simpler things in nature.

Touring you cannot avoid cities though, so you just have to bite the bullet and tolerate the frustrations.

Tomorrow is a big day again and we have just done some remapping work. Tad longer but less climbing, but needing to pass through part of Bern, the capital of Switzerland.

Until tomorrow, thanks for reading. Stay safe, smile on 😊

Climb climb climb

On May 29, 2022 By Sharron YaxleyIn EuropeLeave a comment

Our standards are dropping. We got to breakfast at 6.10 am and five people had beaten us! 😳. Nevertheless we were on the road in good time today, and what a contrast to yesterday. The roads were relatively quiet.

Our last views of the lake in Annecy.

There was a big sportive event being held on the lake edge,

Today was a climbing day. There were five registered climbs, with three in excess of 5 km and the last one 9.8 km.

So we started climbing, and just getting ourselves into a steady rhythm, conserving energy as much as possible. It was quite cool for the first few climbs around 10C. The descents between climbs required pulling the arm warmers back up and zipping up the gilet.

We were not keen on stopping for long and the best spot km wise was on the descent or early flat section after the third climb.

If you stop too long, the legs seize up and complain loudly on the next climb. We just happened to pass a boulangerie and I grabbed a drink each to have a sip and pop the rest into our bidons.

A series of photos below from the first part of the ride including me climbing. Tony climbs faster than me. Up to 4% or so we are together, but more then that he out climbs as he pushes bigger gears, whereas I spin my lower granny gears.

Descending he totally smashes me. I’m a careful descender, thinking about all the things that could go wrong. He has no fear and experience with racing motor bikes.

These cows were wearing bells, lovely to hear them ringing.

This was the final village before our last big climb. We needed more fluid and popped into the most amazing boulangerie. However we were not in a position to eat, as the last thing you want climbing is a full stomach.

Off we headed for the 9.8 km climb that had an average of about 5.8% from memory. It was quite warm by now, arm warmers were off and gilet packed away.

Les Gets is at the top of the climb, a very popular ski village, but today it was pretty quiet.

All during the climb I had decided I would like an iced coffee. I was out of luck.

Just above the building you can see cows grazing. That is one of the ski slopes, as you can also see the lift. You can ski pretty well right into the village with the range of slopes around.

grazing. That is one of the ski slopes, as you can also see the lift. You can ski pretty well right into the village with the range of slopes around.

We are now descending to Morzine. It was quite a cold descent too with an icy wind.

This was the last photo we took on the ride during the decent. The Tour de France heads through here in July.

Tony spent 2 weeks in Morzine in 2018, staying at a chalet operated by former Devonport teachers Joe and Amelia. We both knew them from our involvement in triathlon and it was brilliant to be able to catch up with them on this trip.

They have established a business here and built a new home, and have their little daughter Lia. We had a wonderful bbq with them and four of their friends. Kind thanks for having us around.

Another day is done. Our last night in France this trip. 😢 Tomorrow we will cross the border back into Switzerland. Six more days riding though 😊

Thanks for reading, stay safe, smile on 😊

Climb climb climb

On May 29, 2022 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe1 Comment

Our last views of the lake in Annecy.

There was a big sportive event being held on the lake edge,

Today was a climbing day. There were five registered climbs, with three in excess of 5 km and the last one 9.8 km.

We were not keen on stopping for long and the best spot km wise was on the descent or early flat section after the third climb.

If you stop too long, the legs seize up and complain loudly on the next climb. We just happened to pass a boulangerie and I grabbed a drink each to have a sip and pop the rest into our bidons.

Descending he totally smashes me. I’m a careful descender, thinking about all the things that could go wrong. He has no fear and experience with racing motor bikes.

Off we headed for the 9.8 km climb that had an average of about 5.8% from memory. It was quite warm by now, arm warmers were off and gilet packed away.

Les Gets is at the top of the climb, a very popular ski village, but today it was pretty quiet.

All during the climb I had decided I would like an iced coffee. I was out of luck.

Just above the building you can see cows grazing. That is one of the ski slopes, as you can also see the lift. You can ski pretty well right into the village with the range of slopes around.

grazing. That is one of the ski slopes, as you can also see the lift. You can ski pretty well right into the village with the range of slopes around.

We are now descending to Morzine. It was quite a cold descent too with an icy wind.

This was the last photo we took on the ride during the decent. The Tour de France heads through here in July.

They have established a business here and built a new home, and have their little daughter Lia. We had a wonderful bbq with them and four of their friends. Kind thanks for having us around.

Another day is done. Our last night in France this trip. 😢 Tomorrow we will cross the border back into Switzerland. Six more days riding though 😊

Thanks for reading, stay safe, smile on 😊

Not so Gruffy

On May 28, 2022May 28, 2022 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe2 Comments

We awoke to another beautiful day. Blue skies. First to breakfast 😳.

The roads were busy and after we cleared the first few km we started climbing on a decent cycle path, on the verge of the main road.

As you can see from the graph below, most of our climbing today was done in the first 28 km.

At the top of the first climb the land really opened up. The area is known as the Bauges Valley.

We descended through a Gorge, Les Gorges du Cheran, and there was an interesting 75 metre length bridge, Pont de l’ Abime. Literally translated, this means Abyss Bridge. It was built in 1887 to link the villages of Cusy and Gruffy.

The Cheran River is a lot further down than the photo makes it appear. The river is 96 metres below.

From the bridge looking up to where we will ride

We are at that point looking back at the bridge

Now we have climbed further and Tony is standing on a picnic table to get a shot clear of some trees.

After another shorter climb the land flattens again.

Options, but great that there is a cycle route to Aix-Les-Bains and Annecy

I had to get a photo here, I loved the name of this village. The French do not pronounce it like we would in English.

Numerous villages are badged Village Fleurie. It is a French contest organised annually aiming to encourage communes to adopt and implement policies that improve the quality of life of their inhabitants and enhance their attractiveness to visitors. Communes are awarded the right to display a badge with one to four flowers depending upon their annual result.

As we get higher there are signs that we are about to see some really nice mountains.

Ooh, now we are descending and look, it is promising.

After that final climb to 751 metres we started descending. We do not stop as the traffic is fast and we are more concerned with holding our line and staying safe.

The traffic in central Annecy is chaos. We head straight to the lake thinking it will be really relaxing to ride around.

The lake is certainly beautiful, but seriously I have never seen as many people on bikes ever! There is a literal conga line/queue. All ages and skill levels.

It is very slow (ie 15 kmh and less), lots of braking as people weave around, and then you get some Ritchie Porte wannabes overtaking in both directions.

The views were great and Tony took a few photos on the fly.

A fair way down the lake, we pulled over for refreshments. We spent about an hour here. The next three photos are from our lunch spot.

We made a clean getaway from lunch, a temporary reprieve from the conga line.

Noticing many parachutes in the skies, we headed off track to have a better look as many were landing in a nearby field. The picture below does not show them but around the top of the mountain there are maybe 20 plus people just hanging around.

Heading back towards Annecy in our continuing anti clockwise route, the crowds cycling picked up again, but on a narrower path. The views were just glorious and there were more opportunities to pull over.

There was a nasty little climb thrown in for good measure too. Steep with cycle path hair pin bends, where collections of younger youth stood (the worst spot possible is to take up all the space on a narrow, steep hairpin). Cuss and curse.

We were delighted to get off our bikes at our accomodation. The bikes are very very safe tonight.

After showering and washing our gear, we followed a canal/creek into centre ville but were overwhelmed with the crowds.

We have since found out that yesterday was a French public holiday and that it is common practice to also take the Friday off, making a four day break. Hence the crowds.

We will retire earlier tonight as whilst tomorrow is only 80 km, it is our Queen stage, where we climb to Morzine. About 1700 m climbing in the 80 km.

We bought some items for our dinner and returned to eat in our room, and chill. Tony has cleaned the bikes whilst I have been doing this blog.

Thanks for reading, stay safe, smile on 😊

Wow

On May 27, 2022 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe4 Comments

Today was a day full of superlatives. We deserved today!

Early breakfast and this was the view out our front door. Blue sky, no wind.

We walked our bikes out of Perouges as it is hard enough walking on the raised polished stones with our mtb cleats, let alone trying ride as they are extraordinary uneven.,

We descended into the next village that was quite busy and once we cleared that, we were on open road. In the background the hills are becoming bigger.

There was minimal traffic on this road.

We passed a lovely chateau.

The hills are growing.

We then left the open road and joined Via Rhona, a wonderful cycle path. From this point Geneva was about 170 km away.

At the same point, this was our first view of the Rhone River. The colour was incredible. Turquoise.

The Rhone River starts high in the Swiss mountains in the Valais region at over 2200 m. The river is 813 km long and empties into the Mediterranean Sea.

The ViaRhona path is of excellent quality. Agricultural land to the left, and the river to my right.

The views kept us focused. Chateaus, gorges, the colour of the river….

We did deviate from the path a few times on a more direct road ( as rivers weave around), and the backdrop kept our interest. The French and Italian Alps are over there.

We saw plenty of water based activity including swimming and canoeing. I think there must be school holidays here as there are school aged children everywhere on the path.

A bridge crossing the Rhone.

This couple were cycle tourists, towing their family dog. Fair sized dog too, not sure if it was a Labrador or Golden Retriever, or similar.

This placard was on the side of the cycle path in a village. Quite a loop.

That gorge on the far side is where we are heading, as the river winds its way there, but it will be on our right hand side soon enough. We need to get over that lump too.

The river bulged out at this point and had a beach and lake like appearance here. There were many families here enjoying the water. I cropped out the male sun seeker

The gorge wall is getting closer. I look at the map trying to figure out where we go.

The agricultural fields are full of new growth

Interesting, note the gap over there? Our map route seems to line up.

Here we are riding in that gap, which in fact is quite a narrow gorge. The Rhone River splits into two, coming together further on.

We rode through this short tunnel and there was an amazing gorge, with sheer rock walls either side. There was no verge and no stopping as there were lots of cars buzzing through.

Out the other side, the landscape broadened significantly. We are heading towards that pointier rocky outcrop. We discovered something interesting last night and re routed todays proposed route.

We discovered that a cycle tunnel opened here in 2019. It is 1.5 km long, and it is only for bicycles (although I presume walkers use it too).

It is the most extraordinary piece of cycling infrastructure I have ever seen. It must have cost bucket loads.

As you can see below it is well lit. We took our cycling glasses off (as they are tinted) and the vision was very clear.

There is some water here and there, and that is a cyclist way ahead. We caught her and we were pedalling minimally because ….it slopes down.

There is art work on the wall in places (not graffiti, looks to be legit).

Popping out of the tunnel was akin to being teleported to another world. It was ‘wow’. We had been saying ‘wow’ through the tunnel as we were super impressed, but the view was amazing.

The big town on the shores is Aix-les-Bains, and the lake is Lac du Bourget. The lake is the largest natural lake of glacial origin in France and the town is a famous spa town, boasting the largest French freshwater marina.

We descended down from the tunnel (see the elevation graph below, you can see the climb up to the tunnel, then the descent). The 1.5 km in the tunnel does not show due to the fact that our bike computers rely on satellite technology. That is hard to achieve in a tunnel!

So here we are. The end of Day 18, 100 km today and over 2200 km ridden in our holiday cycle odyssey.

It was seriously warm today (32c), and we showered and washed our clothes and headed off to find a glace. It was a trois boule kind of day (three scoops).

Food options in France generally start at 7 pm and we could not be fussed hanging around so we headed into a Monoprix, grabbed some food to make our tea.

Today rates very highly in all the rides I have done. Great route, quality paths, signage, the tunnel and the views.

The ViaRhona path interests us for for future rides as it starts in Geneva and ends up on the Mediterranean coast, and a mere 800 km.

To finish with tonight, this is the view out our bedroom window. The church is named, Notre Dame. I think the great percentage of French churches have that name! It has a different repertoire of bell ringing. It finished up at 7.10 tonight playing for three minutes.

Our route, zoomed out, shows you just how close we are to Italy, Switzerland and Monaco. I rode in the Italian Aosta region in 2018 during the Giro d’Italia with Italy Bike Tours, and it is very spectacular.

Tomorrow is another day, more adventures. Thanks for reading, stay safe, smile on 😊

Angels and Demons

On May 26, 2022 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe5 Comments

The day started off idyllically. This is the view from our bedroom window at Chateau Matel. The view is towards the Loire River which borders the Chateau property.

We were staying on the third floor. The Chateau is like a maze, with multiple stair cases (some with barriers saying not to enter). Then near our room was an ascending staircase to the top floor and a curtain half way up. No security cameras were obvious here, so I could not help myself….up I went and peeped behind the curtain. It appears that the chateau is not fully renovated.

Breakfast was a very pleasant affair with the same French guys present as at dinner. They were happy and chatty and curious about our ride today.

Bidding all au revoir, off we headed, knowing today was tough as we had previewed the climbs. There were four that were over 4 km long, with very steep sections (ie above 15% gradient).

Heading into the city of Roanne there was a bit of traffic as you would expect at the time of day. We arrived back at the Loire, having last seen it over a week ago as it discharged into the Bay of Biscay.

Here the river was much nicer and prettier.

The first 50 km today was far, far tougher than we had envisaged. We were mentally prepared for another tough day but we were not prepared for some things that had not showed up mapping.

There were four longer climbs today (4-5 km each) with a couple having an average of around 8%. That is tough going for 4-5 km, particularly with a loaded bike.

We found ourselves faced with climbs in excess of 20% pinches, and on narrow paths. That is a thumbs down from me. I know my limits. I walked the steepest sections today (not easy to do pushing a bike).a few of the sections pulled Tony up too.

Worse still were a few of the descents. One we could not believe. It was over 20%, unsealed, rocky, cow pats and as I walked down it, lined with stinging nettle which swiped against my leg. Not happy.

It is these kind of challenges that define you. You do not go into a 3000 km unsupported odyssey like we have without expecting that there will be shite days. It is your reaction to such physical and mental challenges that builds character and strength and resilience in ways you did not necessarily know you were capable of.

If we wanted less challenges, we would do a supported tour, or use ebikes. The strength we gain as individuals knowing what we achieved in challenging conditions is what we talk about down the track.

So we climbed a lot, and the camera did come out.

The bonus was this sign. We laughed as we are pretty sure we did not get there by the conventional route.

After stopping at a supermache for some food supplies, we decided to ditch the route planned and take the road route to Villefranche sur Loire. Yes there were some climbs, but less severe gradients.

This turned out to to be a great decision as we knocked off the last few climbs and our confidence returned.

There was also an awesome 400 metre descent. I was riding my disc brakes very hard all the way. The elevation shows the descent from around 57 km to 70 km.

We were able to ride easier after that, despite a now present headwind. Our confidence was back and we pushed on to get to our destination Perouges, a medieval city.

Perouges is regarded as a perfect example of a city of the Middle Ages, existing from the 1200’s. Movies have been filmed here including the Three Musketeers.

Arriving at our accomodation ( walking again as the rocks were very difficult to ride on) I was despondent when told there were no food options in the village, and we would need to cycle or walk to the next one.

The look on my face….I questioned the pizza and galette places we had seen entering. Galettes were sweet only and about to close. Pizza though…oh yes, they are open.

So this was dinner. We were joined by one old dog looking for offerings, and four seemingly stray cats. Then the owner asked…did we want glacé? He had little tubs for 4 euro each.

After eating we wandered around the small village. Having walked through quite a number of old villages, this one is particularly interesting.

I borrowed an aerial shot to show the relatively small size.

Our bikes are stored in this building behind the large door.

Guess who has their washing hanging up on the curtain rod in their bathroom? No shame, just a desire to wear cleanish and dried cycling gear each day.

We have climbed over 5000 metres and ridden over 400 km in three days, and each of those days have had reasonable challenges.

Tomorrow is another day and what adventures and challenges?

Until then, off to bed I go. Thankyou for reading, stay safe, smile on 😊

Bikes and trucks

On May 25, 2022 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe1 Comment

The sky started off blue but quickly changed. The weather forecast showed zero possibility of rain!

Breakfast was lovely with our own little cloche. Yes that is chocolate, one piece each. I did offer to trade my prunes for Tony’s chocolate but I failed.

Today was to be another hilly day. Look at the graph below and note how the day started off. We rode 600 metres on the flat leaving our accomodation and then straight into a climb with cold legs. Eek.

At the top of the climb (5 km climb, plus the 600 metres we started off with), we had climbed 169 metres. So for 5 km that is an average gradient of over 3%.

I have taken four photos from my Hammerhead (bike computer ) showing just some of the data I have at my fingertips as I ride.

First screen shows speed ( I was stopped when I took the photo!), the average at the time (12.6 kmh after climbing 5 km), distance (5.6 km), ascent climbed since the start (169 m), elevation (above sea level), the temperature (12C), and the time (8.55 am).

This screen tells me what the next few km holds climbing wise. This is a broad overview. I have another screen that tells me precisely what each climb holds ( eg. 1.2 km long, average gradient of 3.0%, total ascent 36 metres). It also countdown the remaining distance in the climb (Length and ascent)

This screen shows where I am heading per the route map previously uploaded. It says in 4.0 km I will go straight ahead at a roundabout. I can zoom out and get a broader view too.

This screen says I have 129.5 km to ride if I stick to the route map, how long it might take me to get there including breaks, current temperature and elevation, how much of the Hammerhead battery remains, and what grade I am climbing (0 % indicating I was on a level plane).

Now whilst we put time into planning routes, they are not all successes. Todays route falls into the fail category. On the positive side, we went through some lovely villages when we deviated from the main route. The weather was kind.

The downside, we spent about 80% of the day on what we now know is a National Road 7. This caters for trucks over 25 tonnes.

At times (mainly climbing) there were two lanes and a verge. Flat and descending there was no verge. We held our line best we could on the white line and cussed and cursed.

We deviated where we could but there were a general lack of roads to support that in the direction we were heading.

Truck drivers on the whole are good. They hold their line well. The issue is the suction pull/vacuum they create as they whizz past. at times, they are less than a metre from you.

We did deviate where we could and here are some photos. As you could imagine we did not stop on the busy road, and these photos are from deviations.

Our total ride today was 143 km with over 1500 metres climbing. We have had two big days.

The photos below are predominantly agriculture and villages. France certainly has lovely open spaces.

Check out the rest of sirens on the top of the building. Not sure if they are still used or old air raid sirens?

This is looking south. Those are mountains in the far distance.

Saint Georges de Bransat, in a tiny village. This church, in part, dates back to the 11th century.

Loved this. There was a sign that said it was constructed for the 2013 Tour de France, 100th anniversary.

These made me laugh. What do you think happens in the middle toilet? I did look, but the door was locked.

Parts of this abbey dates back to 971 AD

On one of our deviations, we were low in water. I recalled reading a blog that said cemeteries in France were a great place to get potable water.

Seems strange to me that all their fountains in villages have non potable signs (around the living) yet in a cemetery (around the deceased) you can get potable water.

Yes I do realise that the water is there to water flowers but non potable water could do that too, and surely it would be better to give the living potable water?

We arrived in Roanne after an adrenaline charged day, thankful to have made it safely. Something may have happened in Roanne back in history but we did not arrive via centre ville. Who knows!

This is our accomodation. Chateau Mattel, a 15th chateau. You can see our room. It is on the third floor, windows wide open drying our clothes!

Tony took a couple of other photos around the grounds. The land goes down to the Loire river. Yes we will see it tomorrow albeit briefly again.

We had dinner here tonight with the owner Olivier. There were three other chateau guests joining us for a large dinner table gathering. all French but very curious about our cycle odyssey. The guys stay here often for work.

Our route map shows we are getting close to Switzerland and Italy. Aosta is a beautiful area that I rode in 2018 during the Giro d’Italia.

Bedtime! 10.30 pm and I’m getting latter and latter to bed.

Thanks for reading, smile on 😊

Wet, windy, hilly and long

On May 24, 2022 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe4 Comments

In all cycle tours you have these days. After over two weeks of hot weather and close to no rain, the time had come for the weather gods to dish it out.

We knew it was coming. We had looked at the weather rain radar multiple times hoping that the awful weather crossing France from the Atlantic Ocean had either miraculously disappeared or changed course.

Around 2 am we listened to the huge thunderstorms, lightening and thunder.

When we awoke, it was overcast but not raining. We’d take that.

After bidding our host farewell (another English family that have settled in France, formerly from the Isle of Wight) we set off.

Within 4 km the raincoats went on. So the day would continue with constant stops taking gilet off, coat on, coat off, gilet on and so on.

We had a day of climbing. Our Hammerhead Karoo (bike computer) had 24 rated climbs, plus there were other lesser climbs.

This is our climbing graph for 140 km. Over 1800 metres climbing with that distance, with loaded bikes is a big effort. We have similar tomorrow. Not because we want to do such distances with lots of climbing but more out of necessity.

We are heading east and you have to ride to towns that have decent accomodation plus somewhere to eat. Such towns are less plentiful compared to say the tourist hot spots in the Loire Valley. We carry only snacks with us (replenishing those at supermaches).

That means you sometimes have tougher days.

The camera did not come out as often today. It comes out when it is not raining. Here are photos that we did take en route. The photos are in order from the start.

After turning off major arterial roads, we were generally on local and agricultural roads

Our route took us through many villages, some just a few homes, others larger. At times, you just see the edge of other villages, often noting the church spire.

That is me coming up to finish a climb. There were 24 rated climbs today.

Rain gear still in, checking out a village arch, probably an old village entrance from the Middle Ages when most towns had fortified walls.

We upset these two dogs, as we chose to take raincoats off here.

The big promise…blue sky. It amounted to nothing.

My favourite picture today. The growth in the river are white flowers in full bloom. It is quite pretty.

Raincoat on, just about to hop off my bike and take the coat off.

Village church and war memorial. Note the rooster on top.It is quite gruesome as it has slain an eagle.

We arrived in Montlucon by a nice descent down a major arterial road, bit of city shuffling, arriving at the river Cher. Locating our accomodation, we showered, washed our clothes and headed into the old city quarters.