Weds 20th may
Restless night, possibly due to noisy ferries. Ran out of breakfast so make early start to ferry port. Within half hour i've bought ticket, boarded and set sail. Arrive Dover about 9:40 local time. Make way into Dover to get road map which shows campsites make quick route plan and head off for Canterbury. It's a beautiful day with beautiful scenery as I follow small shady lanes across the downs. The lack of sleep and breakfast takes its toll on the many steep hills but a pint of real ale at the Unicorn in Bekesbourne makes it worthwhile. Campsite is very nice and within walking distance of Canterbury. Have cuppa while plan provisional route through UK then take stroll into Canterbury for a recce. Will explore it more thoroughly tomorrow. It's good to be back in the UK and a little strange to hear everybody speaking english. Only went on wrong side of road once (that's why i'm sticking to quiet roads for a while!)
Thurs 21st may
Nice day so do chores then walk into Canterbury. Post leaflets and maps i'd accumulated to reduce weight, call in bank to check on finances, get maps needed to get through London then get food etc. Canterbury looks interesting enough to spend several days here but I will leave it for another time. Get back and work out route. National Cycle Network route 1 goes roughly where I want to go, crossing the Thames at Greenwich; not much choice on campsites but it's do-able.
Will pass through London at the weekend when i've been told there will be a heatwave!
Fri 22nd may
Nice sunny day as set out from Canterbury towards Chatham and Rochester. NCN1 twist and winds all over the place so take many shortcuts. Very pleasant ride through Faversham followed by a quick visit to the gunpowder works but Sittingbourne didn't appeal. Many short but very steep climbs and descents and a few nice country lanes before reaching Gillingham. From here on it is high volumes of traffic and cycle lanes that treat you the same as a pedestrian. Nice break as cycle path runs along 'the strand' which follows the estuary edge for a while, then back to traffic chaos as head south then west into Rochester. Long climb south out of Rochester to campsite where they tell me they don't allow tents! Lot of trouble with groups camping, visiting nearby clubs then causing trouble when they got back. As I didn't look like a group of club-going troublemakers they concede and let me pitch for the night as long as it's somewhere out the way where I can't be seen.
Sat 23rd may
Follow ncn1 out of Rochester to Gravesend, Dartford and on to Lesnes Abbey woods, east of Woolwich, to campsite. An interesting if not particularly scenic route that passes through industrial estates, marshland, the thames riverside, housing estates and shopping centres. Route well signposted so fairly easy, if frustrating, to follow as it often uses pavement cycle tracks which involve stopping and starting every few minutes. Site very busy with quite a few tents. They suggest you don't keep food in the tent as the local squirrels are in the habit of boring through the tent walls to get to it. Also warn that foxes steal your shoes if left outside.
Sun 24th may
Quite good facilities at this site and handy for accessing central London. Set out with aim of getting through London and as far north as possible. Follow national cycle network route 1 which follows Thames to Greenwich, past Thames barrier and Millenium dome. Up through Docklands and by Victoria park to the Lee valley. Nice ride along valley so decide to carry on despite running off the edge of my detailed map. Not long before I get lost although I followed signs. After numerous dead ends and backtracks I concede and ask some chap how to get to the road. When I mention that i'd followed the signs and still got lost he informed me they had been messed with and were pointing the wrong way. Head off for campsite at Nazeing; that was closed down. Second site at Royden had been converted to luxury chalets. Eventually found one just beyond Ware but it was very basic. Overall i've spent 10 hours in the saddle today so i'm feeling a little frayed at the edges.
Mon 25th may.
Was going to rest today but sight is so bad I decide to carry on. Cloudy but pleasant ride to Cambridge where it's a decent site. Stopped on route to lend toolkit to cyclist who's spokes had come loose. Very sunny and hot in afternoon and its nice to lay back and rest the legs.
Tues 26th may
Rained all evening and through morning. Clears in afternoon but very windy. Walk into Trumpington for supplies but can't find any meths for stove. Eventually find pharmacy where they charge an inflated price for a small bottle. Phone letting agents to check on status of house.
Weds 27th may
Another cloudy, drizzly day. Clears up late morning so cycle short distance to St. Neots calling in Tesco to buy a technology magazine. Spend rest of afternoon reading and doing crossword and mathematical puzzles. Nice to do something cerebral for a change.
Thurs 28th may
You wouldn't credit it, had first case of dicky stomach last night. Wake up at 04:30 and make dash to loo. Wander back to tent and notice one of my panniers had gone. Search surrounding area in case this site had kleptomaniac wildlife but I conclude it was stolen by a low-life. Strangely it was the broken pannier with my old clothes in they took!
With reduced carrying capacity I decide to dump unessential items, pack and head home. Set out at 06:00 and make fairly good time, arriving at letting agents by 12:30. Get keys and am in home by 13:00. Quick trip into attic for kettle to make a cuppa and all's well with the world again. Sitting down with a cup of tea and reflecting, the past 8 or so months seem very surreal. Glad I kept a daily log, I think I'll need to convince myself that I actually did it.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
Into northern France
Fri 1st may
Happy may day everyone. My last month on the road starts with glorious weather so walk round Chalons en Champagne and grab a bit of culture. Everywhere is very quiet as it's a holiday but the cathedral and churches are open which is fine as i'm into gothic at the mo. Chalons is a pleasant place to stroll around due to the waterways, green space and variety of architecture; lots of timber frames, decorative brickwork and carved stone.
Sat 2nd may
Give bike an overhaul, repair puncture etc. Back into Chalons to visit fine arts museum, a little disappointing as half of it was shut for refurbishment. Incidentally, fine arts museums in France cover just about everything; natural history, geology, furniture, etc. as well as paintings and sculptures. Return to find the two german cycle tourists here yesterday have been replaced by two from Holland. This stretch of France down to Troyes is on the Santiago pilgrims route so more walkers and cyclists than usual.
Sun 3rd may
A grey, chilly morning threatening showers. Lent campsite book to one of the dutch cyclists whilst packing. Set out NE to look at Atilla's camp; turned out to be just a large ring shaped earthworks. Sign said it was probably Celtic but 'called' Atilla's camp. Atilla did meet the Romans somewhere near Chalons but i've no idea where. Head for St. Hilaire au Temple and the Templar fair which was a cross between a farmers market and craft fair, the only thing Knights Templar about it were the few people wearing white tunics with a red cross. Unless of course, the templars really did use battery operated clocks with a photo of a cat in the middle. Head NW towards Reims with plenty of time to spare so detour through various small villages which are deathly quiet as it's Sunday lunch. Passing through Bouy there is a model of Henri Farman's biplane, I guess he came from around here. With the flat featureless landscape, wind and grey skies the journey has turned out to be a little tedious and disappointing. Not sure whether to go through Reims or around it tomorrow.
Mon 4th may
As there is a town plan of Reims on my map and it looks fairly easy to get into I decide to give it a go. Apart from an initial 4k of busy road it was plain sailing (or cycling). Visit Basilique St. Remi; it's from this SE quarter of Reims centre that the real Quasimodo and Esmerelda came from apparently. Onto the cathedral but that's way over the top for my taste. There's another statute of Joan of Arc in front of cathedral. I've seen many depictions of her since the first statue at Alise sur Reine, obviously a popular lass in these parts. North out of Reims on quiet country roads through flat, featureless landscape and silent villages. Highlight is two military jets taking off from Reims-Champagne airfield while I munch my boulangerie lunch. Stop at nice municipal campsite at Guignicourt for 4.40 a night. Although it's been an overcast and chilly day the rain has held off.
Tues 5th may
Horrible, wet and windy, wait until 10 to see if it eased but no luck. Go back to bed until 14:00 then wander into village for supplies. Relax for rest of the day.
Weds 6th may
Still horrible, wet and windy. Decide to do exactly as yesterday. Starts to brighten up in evening.
Thurs 7th may
Hooray, sun is out, set of for Laon along country roads. Headwind picks up about 13:00 but otherwise a pleasant ride until just outside Laon where I have to go on D1044. Very busy and not much room. Follow campsite signs around northern outskirts of Laon to western edge. Pitch, have cuppa then stroll into Laon. Laon is on a plateau and the road up to it is busy and no pavement. City looks interesting so get guide from tourist info, look round the cathedral then head back for dinner.
Fri 8th may.
Nice morning, laze around until 12 then walk into Laon, find a footpath that bypasses most of the road and is a pleasant if steep climb up to the plateau. The plateau is crescent shaped so I start with the fort at one end and work my way round to the old city and cathedral at the other. Lots of historic stuff to see. Have lunch, everywhere is very quiet and most of the shops are shut, I guess it's holiday. Visit museum which has interesting variety of exhibits, apparently it has the most important collection of ancient greek articles outside the Louvre. A fascinating, relatively modern sculpture caught my attention, so unusual and realistic I had to take a photo. Also many roman votive offerings, where people would carve an image of what they wanted the gods to help with; looks like impotence or infertility was a big problem back then. Very sore feet by time I got back to camp.
Sat 9th may
Nice day as I set off for St. Quentin. Landscape is rather like a mattress, hills and valleys but the hilltops are all similar heights, consequently you can see for miles, with the four towers of Laon cathedral remaining visible for some 20 km. Clouds over during day but with the wind behind me for a change and the interesting scenery it's a really enjoyable journey. Too good to last, campsite at St. Quentin has closed down, fortunately there's one 6 km to the east. Busy road to get to it and its 9 € a night for pretty basic facilities but it'll do. Have first glass of 'bier brun' this trip, went down a treat.
Sun 10th may
Cycle through St. Quentin and onto Cambrai. Up and down all the way with long hills. Weather is hot but brisk wind keeps things cool. Landscape pretty much as before but more houses are of brick rather than stone. Good climb up to Bonavis, 12k S of Cambrai, an important part of the Hindenberg line during WW1 due to its view over the Cambrai plain. Camp on western edge of Cambrai.
Mon 11th may
Through Cambrai centre, not a particularly interesting place visually, then north to Marchiennes. Headwinds get tiresome again but landscape flattening out. No signs outside campsite so had to ask; no signs on toilet block either so had to guess.
Tues 12th may
Strong winds and rain so stay put. Absolutely miserable day so stay in bed until 15:00. Just set out to get supplies from village and rain stops; not long back and rain starts, good timing.
Weds 13th may
Rains until 10:00; pack and set off for Armentieres. Flat mud/clay countryside with scattered clumps of trees. Rain threatens but holds off all day. Although traffic gets very busy as I bypass Lille, cyclepaths on side of road make it a reasonably pleasant ride. Get puncture in front tyre, as i'm replacing inner tube a couple of french lads on MTB's stop to offer assistance. One spoke very good english as he'd studied at De Montfort university in Leicester. Camp near Houplines just E of Armentieres.
Thurs 14th may
Decent hot shower at last, the last few sites have had shabby shower blocks and barely warm water. Weather a little brighter and warmer. Look round Armentieres centre with it's interesting mix of styles; no madamoiselle though. Detour slightly to Kemmel to look for an Ossuary that's marked on the map. Very steep hills to get to where it should be but couldn't find it; find remnants of British WW1 command post though. On to Ypres and into centre. Almost totally destroyed in WW1 it's been rebuilt to how it was before and very nice it is to. Get info from tourist office then head to campsite just outside old city walls. A bargain at €4.50 a night. Pitch then walk along city ramparts and into centre for supplies. Very vibrant centre with lots of young folk and quite a few brits. Just get back and start dinner when thunder and showers start. Take evening stroll in the rain to Menin gate to watch the daily 'last post' ceremony. A lot of people there despite the bad weather, many of them are youngsters presumably on a school trip.
Fri 15th may
Rained all evening and not looking promising today. Clear slugs from inside of tent and mug. After not seeing many brits since leaving southern Spain, this campsite is full of them apart from one large group of Belgian kids on bicycles. Chat with another cycle tourist, Keith from Newcastle, who's doing part of the North Sea long distance cycle route. First comment was on the dreaded wind; he'd had to double back at one stage and says he was being blown along at 17kph without pedalling. As he's heading north to Brugge he gives me his belgian map of this area with campsites marked on it. Visit Flanders field WW1 museum, some effective displays and media but as it's very busy (schoolkids again) it is sometimes difficult to see the exhibits. On to municipal museum which has some wonderful pastel drawings and oil paintings by local artist Louise De Hem. Subject matter was a bit ordinary but technique and use of colour I thought was brilliant. Nearly bought a book of her work but didn't want to carry it back.
More rain and strong winds in afternoon. I was going to head back into France via Poperinge but I might head north through Belgium instead.
Sat 16th may
More rain and wind. Pack up and head N then NE along canalside to Diksmuide. As its quite sheltered its not too bad and it's flat. Weather improves after Diksmuide as I head N to Nieuwpoort on an old railway track, even get a bit of sun for a while. Campsite at Sint Jaris, just outside Nieuwpoort, can only charge for two people again; discrimination I call it. Wind quite strong again now and occasional showers; 8 day weather forecast at reception says showers and winds up to 50 or 60 km/h from W and SW which is precisely where i'm headed later. Cycle into Nieuwpoort for a look round, pleasant seaside town. Wind and showers die around 18:00 and sun makes an appearance for a while so manage to charge PDA for first time in days.
Sun 17th may
Overcast and windy as forecast. Set off for Dunkerque along cyclepaths. The Belgians are really geared up for cycling and despite the unpleasant weather there's a lot of them out today. Follow canal most of the way passing through the interesting centre of Veurne. Lots of tobacco and chocolate discount shops appear at Adinkerke near the French border and the cyclepaths disappear. Final stretch not particularly pleasant as wind picks up and scenery is dull. Find campsite on the coast just E of Dunkerque and pitch just before it starts raining. Weather brightens later so go for cycle around Malo-les-Bains but as it's Sunday it's quite lifeless.
Mon 18th may
Very pleasant morning for about an hour then it greys over and wind and showers start. Set out towards Calais through Dunkerque. Signs designed for motorists again, pointing to E40 which you can't cycle on, so use compass to keep heading west through the busy conurbation. Eventually reach D601 which is a fast dual carriageway but no other real option. Wind very strong and blows bike around, fortunately it tries to blow me off the road rather than into it. The journey is extremely unpleasant and by the time I reach Gravelines 25km later i've had enough. Head for campsite just north at Petit-Fort-Philippe and find a nice sheltered spot for €5.13 a night. Gravelines looks an interesting place; I passed through it on my way down through France but I might try and find out more about it tomorrow.
Tue 19th may
Lovely sunny day but wind still up. Weather definitely seems to be improving bit by bit. Head off for Calais along quiet minor road so journey is better than yesterday even though it's windy. Get to Calais at about 13:00 and consider whether to catch ferry today but decide to camp here tonight. Cycle down to seafront and onto beach for a sit down. I can just make out the English coast and can't help smiling as I realise that at least I've made it back here; only England to get through now. I did consider using the chunnel but as the ferry port is almost next door to campsite i'll sail back.
Happy may day everyone. My last month on the road starts with glorious weather so walk round Chalons en Champagne and grab a bit of culture. Everywhere is very quiet as it's a holiday but the cathedral and churches are open which is fine as i'm into gothic at the mo. Chalons is a pleasant place to stroll around due to the waterways, green space and variety of architecture; lots of timber frames, decorative brickwork and carved stone.
Sat 2nd may
Give bike an overhaul, repair puncture etc. Back into Chalons to visit fine arts museum, a little disappointing as half of it was shut for refurbishment. Incidentally, fine arts museums in France cover just about everything; natural history, geology, furniture, etc. as well as paintings and sculptures. Return to find the two german cycle tourists here yesterday have been replaced by two from Holland. This stretch of France down to Troyes is on the Santiago pilgrims route so more walkers and cyclists than usual.
Sun 3rd may
A grey, chilly morning threatening showers. Lent campsite book to one of the dutch cyclists whilst packing. Set out NE to look at Atilla's camp; turned out to be just a large ring shaped earthworks. Sign said it was probably Celtic but 'called' Atilla's camp. Atilla did meet the Romans somewhere near Chalons but i've no idea where. Head for St. Hilaire au Temple and the Templar fair which was a cross between a farmers market and craft fair, the only thing Knights Templar about it were the few people wearing white tunics with a red cross. Unless of course, the templars really did use battery operated clocks with a photo of a cat in the middle. Head NW towards Reims with plenty of time to spare so detour through various small villages which are deathly quiet as it's Sunday lunch. Passing through Bouy there is a model of Henri Farman's biplane, I guess he came from around here. With the flat featureless landscape, wind and grey skies the journey has turned out to be a little tedious and disappointing. Not sure whether to go through Reims or around it tomorrow.
Mon 4th may
As there is a town plan of Reims on my map and it looks fairly easy to get into I decide to give it a go. Apart from an initial 4k of busy road it was plain sailing (or cycling). Visit Basilique St. Remi; it's from this SE quarter of Reims centre that the real Quasimodo and Esmerelda came from apparently. Onto the cathedral but that's way over the top for my taste. There's another statute of Joan of Arc in front of cathedral. I've seen many depictions of her since the first statue at Alise sur Reine, obviously a popular lass in these parts. North out of Reims on quiet country roads through flat, featureless landscape and silent villages. Highlight is two military jets taking off from Reims-Champagne airfield while I munch my boulangerie lunch. Stop at nice municipal campsite at Guignicourt for 4.40 a night. Although it's been an overcast and chilly day the rain has held off.
Tues 5th may
Horrible, wet and windy, wait until 10 to see if it eased but no luck. Go back to bed until 14:00 then wander into village for supplies. Relax for rest of the day.
Weds 6th may
Still horrible, wet and windy. Decide to do exactly as yesterday. Starts to brighten up in evening.
Thurs 7th may
Hooray, sun is out, set of for Laon along country roads. Headwind picks up about 13:00 but otherwise a pleasant ride until just outside Laon where I have to go on D1044. Very busy and not much room. Follow campsite signs around northern outskirts of Laon to western edge. Pitch, have cuppa then stroll into Laon. Laon is on a plateau and the road up to it is busy and no pavement. City looks interesting so get guide from tourist info, look round the cathedral then head back for dinner.
Fri 8th may.
Nice morning, laze around until 12 then walk into Laon, find a footpath that bypasses most of the road and is a pleasant if steep climb up to the plateau. The plateau is crescent shaped so I start with the fort at one end and work my way round to the old city and cathedral at the other. Lots of historic stuff to see. Have lunch, everywhere is very quiet and most of the shops are shut, I guess it's holiday. Visit museum which has interesting variety of exhibits, apparently it has the most important collection of ancient greek articles outside the Louvre. A fascinating, relatively modern sculpture caught my attention, so unusual and realistic I had to take a photo. Also many roman votive offerings, where people would carve an image of what they wanted the gods to help with; looks like impotence or infertility was a big problem back then. Very sore feet by time I got back to camp.
Sat 9th may
Nice day as I set off for St. Quentin. Landscape is rather like a mattress, hills and valleys but the hilltops are all similar heights, consequently you can see for miles, with the four towers of Laon cathedral remaining visible for some 20 km. Clouds over during day but with the wind behind me for a change and the interesting scenery it's a really enjoyable journey. Too good to last, campsite at St. Quentin has closed down, fortunately there's one 6 km to the east. Busy road to get to it and its 9 € a night for pretty basic facilities but it'll do. Have first glass of 'bier brun' this trip, went down a treat.
Sun 10th may
Cycle through St. Quentin and onto Cambrai. Up and down all the way with long hills. Weather is hot but brisk wind keeps things cool. Landscape pretty much as before but more houses are of brick rather than stone. Good climb up to Bonavis, 12k S of Cambrai, an important part of the Hindenberg line during WW1 due to its view over the Cambrai plain. Camp on western edge of Cambrai.
Mon 11th may
Through Cambrai centre, not a particularly interesting place visually, then north to Marchiennes. Headwinds get tiresome again but landscape flattening out. No signs outside campsite so had to ask; no signs on toilet block either so had to guess.
Tues 12th may
Strong winds and rain so stay put. Absolutely miserable day so stay in bed until 15:00. Just set out to get supplies from village and rain stops; not long back and rain starts, good timing.
Weds 13th may
Rains until 10:00; pack and set off for Armentieres. Flat mud/clay countryside with scattered clumps of trees. Rain threatens but holds off all day. Although traffic gets very busy as I bypass Lille, cyclepaths on side of road make it a reasonably pleasant ride. Get puncture in front tyre, as i'm replacing inner tube a couple of french lads on MTB's stop to offer assistance. One spoke very good english as he'd studied at De Montfort university in Leicester. Camp near Houplines just E of Armentieres.
Thurs 14th may
Decent hot shower at last, the last few sites have had shabby shower blocks and barely warm water. Weather a little brighter and warmer. Look round Armentieres centre with it's interesting mix of styles; no madamoiselle though. Detour slightly to Kemmel to look for an Ossuary that's marked on the map. Very steep hills to get to where it should be but couldn't find it; find remnants of British WW1 command post though. On to Ypres and into centre. Almost totally destroyed in WW1 it's been rebuilt to how it was before and very nice it is to. Get info from tourist office then head to campsite just outside old city walls. A bargain at €4.50 a night. Pitch then walk along city ramparts and into centre for supplies. Very vibrant centre with lots of young folk and quite a few brits. Just get back and start dinner when thunder and showers start. Take evening stroll in the rain to Menin gate to watch the daily 'last post' ceremony. A lot of people there despite the bad weather, many of them are youngsters presumably on a school trip.
Fri 15th may
Rained all evening and not looking promising today. Clear slugs from inside of tent and mug. After not seeing many brits since leaving southern Spain, this campsite is full of them apart from one large group of Belgian kids on bicycles. Chat with another cycle tourist, Keith from Newcastle, who's doing part of the North Sea long distance cycle route. First comment was on the dreaded wind; he'd had to double back at one stage and says he was being blown along at 17kph without pedalling. As he's heading north to Brugge he gives me his belgian map of this area with campsites marked on it. Visit Flanders field WW1 museum, some effective displays and media but as it's very busy (schoolkids again) it is sometimes difficult to see the exhibits. On to municipal museum which has some wonderful pastel drawings and oil paintings by local artist Louise De Hem. Subject matter was a bit ordinary but technique and use of colour I thought was brilliant. Nearly bought a book of her work but didn't want to carry it back.
More rain and strong winds in afternoon. I was going to head back into France via Poperinge but I might head north through Belgium instead.
Sat 16th may
More rain and wind. Pack up and head N then NE along canalside to Diksmuide. As its quite sheltered its not too bad and it's flat. Weather improves after Diksmuide as I head N to Nieuwpoort on an old railway track, even get a bit of sun for a while. Campsite at Sint Jaris, just outside Nieuwpoort, can only charge for two people again; discrimination I call it. Wind quite strong again now and occasional showers; 8 day weather forecast at reception says showers and winds up to 50 or 60 km/h from W and SW which is precisely where i'm headed later. Cycle into Nieuwpoort for a look round, pleasant seaside town. Wind and showers die around 18:00 and sun makes an appearance for a while so manage to charge PDA for first time in days.
Sun 17th may
Overcast and windy as forecast. Set off for Dunkerque along cyclepaths. The Belgians are really geared up for cycling and despite the unpleasant weather there's a lot of them out today. Follow canal most of the way passing through the interesting centre of Veurne. Lots of tobacco and chocolate discount shops appear at Adinkerke near the French border and the cyclepaths disappear. Final stretch not particularly pleasant as wind picks up and scenery is dull. Find campsite on the coast just E of Dunkerque and pitch just before it starts raining. Weather brightens later so go for cycle around Malo-les-Bains but as it's Sunday it's quite lifeless.
Mon 18th may
Very pleasant morning for about an hour then it greys over and wind and showers start. Set out towards Calais through Dunkerque. Signs designed for motorists again, pointing to E40 which you can't cycle on, so use compass to keep heading west through the busy conurbation. Eventually reach D601 which is a fast dual carriageway but no other real option. Wind very strong and blows bike around, fortunately it tries to blow me off the road rather than into it. The journey is extremely unpleasant and by the time I reach Gravelines 25km later i've had enough. Head for campsite just north at Petit-Fort-Philippe and find a nice sheltered spot for €5.13 a night. Gravelines looks an interesting place; I passed through it on my way down through France but I might try and find out more about it tomorrow.
Tue 19th may
Lovely sunny day but wind still up. Weather definitely seems to be improving bit by bit. Head off for Calais along quiet minor road so journey is better than yesterday even though it's windy. Get to Calais at about 13:00 and consider whether to catch ferry today but decide to camp here tonight. Cycle down to seafront and onto beach for a sit down. I can just make out the English coast and can't help smiling as I realise that at least I've made it back here; only England to get through now. I did consider using the chunnel but as the ferry port is almost next door to campsite i'll sail back.
Friday, 1 May 2009
North to Chalon
Mon 27th apr
Rains stopped but its a chilly and damp morning.
As it's monday most places are shut. Take walk around centre of Troyes with it's multitude of skewed wood frame house and ornate gothic churches; fascinating place. Although extensive renovation work has been underway for many years much still neeeds to be done. The cathedral still has a lot of moss growing over the gothic carvings which gives it an organic feel I really like. Find free wi-fi and an internet place so update blog and add a few pics. Sun makes an appearance late afternoon. Watch strange antics of mayflies in the evening, thousands of them fluttering up then floating down with their forked tails, by 21:00 they've all gone.
Tues 28th apr
Another grey, cold and damp morning. Visit fine arts museum in Troyes. By the time i'd seen the painting, sculptures, natural history, geology and 2/3rds of the archeology section it was lunchtime and I was thrown out. Shame as the archeology section was quite good. Sticklers for their lunchtime these french. Have bite to eat then wander round cathedral. The outside was much more interesting than the inside. Off to modern art museum, many famous names and a few interesting ideas but a couple of sculptures by Rodin were about the best things there. On way back when heavens opened again, hail, lightning, strong gusts, the works. Shelter for 15 mins and the suns out again. Call in cybercafe to dump pictures from camera to the web. Been having problems with corrupt image files, found odd file (fun.xls) on storage card. Get back to camp and reformat the card, hopefully that will cure it. More mayflies in the evening; checked up on them whilst on internet, strange creatures.
Wed 29th apr
Weather still looks unsettled. Head north a short way to Arcis sur Aube. Low, featureless undulating landscape and straight road make easy but uninteresting cycling. Pleasant friendly campsite but Arcis itself has little of interest. Weather starts to clear in evening.
Thur 30th apr
Clear blue skies and sunshine. More undulating landscape with large hedgeless fields and big skies as I head for Chalons en Champagne. Only a slight breeze, the wind turbines are static. Reach Chalons en Champagne in good time and campsite is well signposted, book in for 3 nights as get 20% discount. Have cuppa then walk 1k to large hypermarket to stock up, it's Mayday tomorrow and shops will be closed. Have another cuppa then walk 3k into Chalons and the tourist info. Get guide to town and discover there is the 13th Templar fair on Sunday at one of the places I was going to travel through. Things seem to have worked out well.
Rains stopped but its a chilly and damp morning.
As it's monday most places are shut. Take walk around centre of Troyes with it's multitude of skewed wood frame house and ornate gothic churches; fascinating place. Although extensive renovation work has been underway for many years much still neeeds to be done. The cathedral still has a lot of moss growing over the gothic carvings which gives it an organic feel I really like. Find free wi-fi and an internet place so update blog and add a few pics. Sun makes an appearance late afternoon. Watch strange antics of mayflies in the evening, thousands of them fluttering up then floating down with their forked tails, by 21:00 they've all gone.
Tues 28th apr
Another grey, cold and damp morning. Visit fine arts museum in Troyes. By the time i'd seen the painting, sculptures, natural history, geology and 2/3rds of the archeology section it was lunchtime and I was thrown out. Shame as the archeology section was quite good. Sticklers for their lunchtime these french. Have bite to eat then wander round cathedral. The outside was much more interesting than the inside. Off to modern art museum, many famous names and a few interesting ideas but a couple of sculptures by Rodin were about the best things there. On way back when heavens opened again, hail, lightning, strong gusts, the works. Shelter for 15 mins and the suns out again. Call in cybercafe to dump pictures from camera to the web. Been having problems with corrupt image files, found odd file (fun.xls) on storage card. Get back to camp and reformat the card, hopefully that will cure it. More mayflies in the evening; checked up on them whilst on internet, strange creatures.
Wed 29th apr
Weather still looks unsettled. Head north a short way to Arcis sur Aube. Low, featureless undulating landscape and straight road make easy but uninteresting cycling. Pleasant friendly campsite but Arcis itself has little of interest. Weather starts to clear in evening.
Thur 30th apr
Clear blue skies and sunshine. More undulating landscape with large hedgeless fields and big skies as I head for Chalons en Champagne. Only a slight breeze, the wind turbines are static. Reach Chalons en Champagne in good time and campsite is well signposted, book in for 3 nights as get 20% discount. Have cuppa then walk 1k to large hypermarket to stock up, it's Mayday tomorrow and shops will be closed. Have another cuppa then walk 3k into Chalons and the tourist info. Get guide to town and discover there is the 13th Templar fair on Sunday at one of the places I was going to travel through. Things seem to have worked out well.
Monday, 27 April 2009
a couple of heroes
As its so long since i thought i would let you see what a handsome chap I am.
Vercingetorix is the other bloke
over the hills
Sat 18th apr.
Take stroll into Beaune and around the city ramparts to the library.
Manage to tidy up the multiple posts that had occurred through intermittent wi-fi connection. Copied text from pda and pictures from camera using memory cards through USB. Just finished when librarian came along to tell me I wasn't allowed to use the USB port. Get lunch and just reach tent when heavens open again and cracking thunderstorm starts.
Take stroll into Beaune and around the city ramparts to the library.
Manage to tidy up the multiple posts that had occurred through intermittent wi-fi connection. Copied text from pda and pictures from camera using memory cards through USB. Just finished when librarian came along to tell me I wasn't allowed to use the USB port. Get lunch and just reach tent when heavens open again and cracking thunderstorm starts.
Sun 19th apr
Clear skies and sunshine as set out for Dijon. As it's sunday the main road is fairly quiet. Vineyards climb most of the way up the limestone hills to the left giving way to woodland on the hilltops. To the right a large flat plain with vineyards and occasionally other crops. At this time of the year the vines are just neat rows of short (30-40cm) stumps sticking out of the soil like withered limbs. Entry into Dijon is wonderfully easy with a bus/cycle lane most of the way to the centre. Head to Lac Kir and campsite on the western outskirts of the city, pitch and then take 25 minute walk into the city centre. Walking to the centre was also a pleasure as much of it was on a strip of parkland alongside the river Ouche. Get map and guidebook from tourist info and have brief look round. Enough here to keep me another day I think.
Mon 20th apr
Walk back into Dijon, past a house on fire, and visit the natural history museum. Interesting selection of exhibits but in particular the 50 million year old fossilised carapace, spiky tail and bones of a very large Glyptodon; an armadillo type creature. Apparently humans sheltered under the carapace for a time. Carry on with guidebook tour; lots of ornate maisons, mansions and other historic stuff. Wander round fine arts museum but didn't find much i liked, all a bit lifeless, also much of it was shut for reorganization. There were quite a few artists scattered about copying some of the works.
Archeology museum was also shut but can't complain as all the museums in Dijon are free to visit. All in all I spent 5 hours wandering round so head back for grub and rest feet. Not long back and rain and thunder make an appearance again. Good timing I think.
Tue 21st apr
Set out west along country roads by the river Ouche then along a cycle path beside the Canal de Bourgogne. It's a lovely sunny day, very peaceful and pleasant. Pick up main road towards Vitteaux and the wind picks up as well. Long gradual climb to Sobernon then down into valleyof river Brenne. Scenery has changed from vineyards to green grassy valleys dotted with white cows and wooded hilltops. Reach nice little campsite at Vitteaux with no campervans or caravans just four other tents. Weather forecast at reception says it is 20 kph winds from the north today I reckon they were stronger than that at times.
Some folk have asked whether I celebrated easter; of course, I had 'lapin saute aux 2 moutardes' for dinner. Quite appropriate I thought especially as one of the mustards was Dijon.
Wed 22nd apr
10kph headwinds forecast for today but i'm not going far; 20k to Venarey les Laumes. After a scenic and fairly quiet ride and a few photo stops I arrive and pitch up. Take unladen bike up very steep hills (3 arrows on map) through Alise Sainte Reine to top of Mt Auxois. On the western edge of the plateau is the 6.6 metre high statue of Vercingetorix on his 7 metre pedestal courtesy of Napoleon III. In the centre of the plateau is the gallo-roman remains of Alesia. The siege of Alesia and the surrender of Vercingetorix was the turning point in Julius Caesars conquest of Gaul in 52 BC. Having read about it some time ago it was nice to see the actual site and get an idea of the true scale of the siege. Move tent when I return to camp as unhappy with signs of mole activity nearby.
Thurs 23rd apr
Had long chat with Dave and Sylvia who I met briefly yesterday. Dave is one of the 'old school' cyclists; handmade traditional frame for his bike and their tandem, not a scrap of branded lycra to be seen. Interesting chap to talk to as he's done a lot of cycle touring as well as off road stuff in Scotland with the 'rough riders fellowship'. Set off fairly late, about 12, still, only 20k odd to do today. Head towards Montbard along the Brenne valley calling in on Fontenay Abbey on the way. Lovely 3k ride along the Fontenay valley as they've slapped a preservation order on it. Look round the abbey which is privately owned and slightly disappointing I thought. Although it is an attractive building in a wonderful setting the abbey at Villenueve les Avignon was more interesting to look round. As I was leaving I bumped into Dave and Sylvia who had just arrived after cycling alongside the canal de Bourgogne on their tandem. Carry on to Montbard and very nice campsite with free use of municipal indoor and outdoor pool, as it's a hot day both are busy.
Fri 24th apr
Ice inside and outside the tent this morning, consequently sleeping bag is wet where ice has melted and dripped. Nice sunny day so put everything out to dry. Set off 11ish to Chatillon sur Seine, long climb to top of plateau then rolling hills for next 25k or so. Again nice scenery with lush green fields, lots of woodland, occasional fields of rape and the sound of skylarks. Usual persistent headwind makes going harder than it should be but it keeps me cool. Very steep hill up to campsite at Chatillon where i'm told the museum is shut. This is a bit of a disappointment as I had wanted to see a few things there, in particular the 1.6 metre high bronze Vix vase. Pitch up and go for stroll to look round and find dinner. Nice evening so go for another stroll after dinner to take a few photos. Visit the source of the river Douix, one of the oldest known water shrines in Europe. Very atmospheric in the setting sun, I can see why it has held an attraction for so long. Climb steep zig zag path up cliff side behind the spring back to campsite.
Sat 25th apr
Winds flipped to south-westerly so rain on its way. Sure enough it starts about 9 and rains for most of the day. Strolled into town to visit municipal library, as I passed by the source of the Douix a group of divers were getting ready to continue tracing its underground path. Rather them than me. Municipal library was shut for alterations and can't find any other internet access in the town. Call in to see inside the 10th Century St. Vorles church near the campsite on way
back.
Sun 26th apr
Still raining in morning, pack up everything except tent and wait for a break. Chat with a scottish chap who arrived yesterday evening. He'd bought a Claud Butler touring bike for his retirement, flew to Nice and was cycling north to catch 'chunnel' home. As he was doing it to lose weight and get fit he was cycling 80 odd miles a day. First thing he commented on was the frustration of having to cycle against the Mistral. Rain eased about 11 so set off for Troyes, about 70k to the north west along the Seine valley. Raining as left Chatillon but stopped shortly after which was as well as I had puncture in rear tyre. Fix it and carry on. Although its a grey cloudy day the scenery's nice, limestone escarpments and rolling hills with wooded hilltops, flattening out as you get nearer Troyes. As it's Champagne country there's a few vineyards on the escarpment slopes. Apparently Renoir had his studio around here at Essoyes. Just reach campsite at Pont Ste. Marie, north east outskirts of Troyes, when heavens open again. Pitch tent in about 20 seconds, get cup of tea on the go and sit it out. Heavy rain all evening and into the night. Will probably stop here a day or two and explore Troyes then get to Chalons en Champagne for beginning of May.
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Along the Saone
Fri 10th apr
Make way into Lyon, find sign for centre and follow it. Suddenly find myself on fast three lane road with inches between a concrete wall on my right and traffic on my left. Judging by the hooting i'm not supposed to be here. Too late now, pedal like crazy trying to keep as close to wall as possible. Notice sign for centre pointing to slip road on left, no way am I going across there. Eventually find slip road on right and get to safety. Stop for a while and wait for trousers to stop smoking; amazing where reserves of energy come from at times like that. Find centre and get map of city. If you're into silk production or puppets this is the place to be; i'm not particularly so not much here I want to see. Stop for a while in the huge Place Bellecour, a sandy rectangle with nothing but a statue of Louis XIV in the centre and a football pitch marked on the floor. Follow banks of Saone then head NW until I find signs for Limonest and campsite at Dardilly where again they only have a price for two people. Lyon is supposed to be cycle friendly but as with most cities its Ok once you're in but getting in and out can be tricky without a map as all the signs assume you're in a car.
Sat 11th apr
Too expensive here so set off for Macon. Not a particularly interesting journey, mainly flat with fields and stuff; most of the villages looked a bit down at heel. Belleville was the exception, a very busy one way street lined with shops and parking spaces. Everybody was crawling along looking for the few empty spaces, took ages to get through even on a pushbike. Nice church as well. Macon has not changed much since I was here last, new commercial centre near campsite which is handy. Thunderstorm and showers in evening but otherwise weathers been cloudy but warm.
Sun 12th apr
Spend most of day wandering around Macon. Noticed a few things I hadn't seen before. Somebody had fun designing the post office, very flamboyant, possibly worth a photo. Interesting ruins, possibly an abbey, that I might look at again when the museum's open. Nice to see some of the things i'd seen before but forgotten about such as the Maison de Bois with its timber framing covered in ornate woodcarvings. Thunderstorms and rain forecast for tomorrow.
Mon 13th apr
No thunder or rain but very overcast and misty. Short journey to Tournus to have a look round. Big abbey but I looked round that last time. They have an arts and crafts festival on with some nice items, everything from modern furniture to traditional crafts. Standing by the river Saone I watched a car pile into a tree on the other side, luckily another car was following to give assistance, they all seemed to be OK. Few minutes later I watch a motorbike plough into the back of a car, he seemed OK apart from a limp. 13th unkucky for some I guess.
Tues 14th apr
Warm hazy day. Decide to take easy ride along country roads to Chalon sur Saone. Cross over Saone to eastern side and cycle north through quiet villages and green fields. A few very old traditional farmhouses to add a bit of variety. Stop in Epervans to get lunch from the boulangerie then sit on park bench to eat whilst watching very little happen. Very relaxing. Pitch at St. Marcel then cycle across bridge into Chalon. I needed food but primarily I was looking for a cyber café or wi-fi connection. No luck so will try tourist info and library tomorrow.
Wed 15th
Sunny but windy day. Walk into Chalon in afternoon and explore. Pleasant place with some interesting buildings. Again, many I recognized but had forgotten about. Called in tourist info but there was a long queue so came straight out. No luck finding cyber café, managed to get wi-fi connection but it kept breaking off as has been happening lately, no idea why. Will try again at Beaune tomorrow.
Thur 16th april
Strong south westerly with showers during night. Continues to rain throughout the day. I had packed everything apart from the tent ready to go during a break in the rain. As there wasn't one I spent most of the day relaxing in the tent, quite pleasant really. Took stroll aroud St. Marcel in the late afternoon when rain finally eased.
Fri 17th apr
No rain but weather looks iffy. Time to leave the Saone. Pack up and head north to Beaune on quiet country road. Sun came out for a while and with pleasant scenery and skylarks singing it was a nice ride. Stopped for a break in the Foret de Beauregard and watched a lorry spin out of control and end up in a ditch for apparently no reason. That makes three accidents this week. Luckily bloke got out and was OK. Campsite is only a few minutes walk from Beaune historic centre so spend afternoon wandering around. Visit fine arts museum and wine museum as well as a general look round. Nice place, lots of interesting architecture. Fine arts museum had some terrific stuff considering its only a small place. Wine museum covered every aspect from history to barrel making, no free samples unfortunately.
Make way into Lyon, find sign for centre and follow it. Suddenly find myself on fast three lane road with inches between a concrete wall on my right and traffic on my left. Judging by the hooting i'm not supposed to be here. Too late now, pedal like crazy trying to keep as close to wall as possible. Notice sign for centre pointing to slip road on left, no way am I going across there. Eventually find slip road on right and get to safety. Stop for a while and wait for trousers to stop smoking; amazing where reserves of energy come from at times like that. Find centre and get map of city. If you're into silk production or puppets this is the place to be; i'm not particularly so not much here I want to see. Stop for a while in the huge Place Bellecour, a sandy rectangle with nothing but a statue of Louis XIV in the centre and a football pitch marked on the floor. Follow banks of Saone then head NW until I find signs for Limonest and campsite at Dardilly where again they only have a price for two people. Lyon is supposed to be cycle friendly but as with most cities its Ok once you're in but getting in and out can be tricky without a map as all the signs assume you're in a car.
Sat 11th apr
Too expensive here so set off for Macon. Not a particularly interesting journey, mainly flat with fields and stuff; most of the villages looked a bit down at heel. Belleville was the exception, a very busy one way street lined with shops and parking spaces. Everybody was crawling along looking for the few empty spaces, took ages to get through even on a pushbike. Nice church as well. Macon has not changed much since I was here last, new commercial centre near campsite which is handy. Thunderstorm and showers in evening but otherwise weathers been cloudy but warm.
Sun 12th apr
Spend most of day wandering around Macon. Noticed a few things I hadn't seen before. Somebody had fun designing the post office, very flamboyant, possibly worth a photo. Interesting ruins, possibly an abbey, that I might look at again when the museum's open. Nice to see some of the things i'd seen before but forgotten about such as the Maison de Bois with its timber framing covered in ornate woodcarvings. Thunderstorms and rain forecast for tomorrow.
Mon 13th apr
No thunder or rain but very overcast and misty. Short journey to Tournus to have a look round. Big abbey but I looked round that last time. They have an arts and crafts festival on with some nice items, everything from modern furniture to traditional crafts. Standing by the river Saone I watched a car pile into a tree on the other side, luckily another car was following to give assistance, they all seemed to be OK. Few minutes later I watch a motorbike plough into the back of a car, he seemed OK apart from a limp. 13th unkucky for some I guess.
Tues 14th apr
Warm hazy day. Decide to take easy ride along country roads to Chalon sur Saone. Cross over Saone to eastern side and cycle north through quiet villages and green fields. A few very old traditional farmhouses to add a bit of variety. Stop in Epervans to get lunch from the boulangerie then sit on park bench to eat whilst watching very little happen. Very relaxing. Pitch at St. Marcel then cycle across bridge into Chalon. I needed food but primarily I was looking for a cyber café or wi-fi connection. No luck so will try tourist info and library tomorrow.
Wed 15th
Sunny but windy day. Walk into Chalon in afternoon and explore. Pleasant place with some interesting buildings. Again, many I recognized but had forgotten about. Called in tourist info but there was a long queue so came straight out. No luck finding cyber café, managed to get wi-fi connection but it kept breaking off as has been happening lately, no idea why. Will try again at Beaune tomorrow.
Thur 16th april
Strong south westerly with showers during night. Continues to rain throughout the day. I had packed everything apart from the tent ready to go during a break in the rain. As there wasn't one I spent most of the day relaxing in the tent, quite pleasant really. Took stroll aroud St. Marcel in the late afternoon when rain finally eased.
Fri 17th apr
No rain but weather looks iffy. Time to leave the Saone. Pack up and head north to Beaune on quiet country road. Sun came out for a while and with pleasant scenery and skylarks singing it was a nice ride. Stopped for a break in the Foret de Beauregard and watched a lorry spin out of control and end up in a ditch for apparently no reason. That makes three accidents this week. Luckily bloke got out and was OK. Campsite is only a few minutes walk from Beaune historic centre so spend afternoon wandering around. Visit fine arts museum and wine museum as well as a general look round. Nice place, lots of interesting architecture. Fine arts museum had some terrific stuff considering its only a small place. Wine museum covered every aspect from history to barrel making, no free samples unfortunately.
rhone valley 2b
Sun 29th mar
Rain's stopped but strong winds again, not cycling anywhere in this. Walk into Avignon and take audio tour of the Palais des Papes. Quite interesting but insufficient written info in english to back up audio.Good bookshop, could have spent a few euros there but didn't want to carry a load of books back to UK. Visited Musee Lapidaire with its collection of Gallo Roman, Etruscan and Egyptian sculptures. Battened down tent and put in earplugs as wind very loud.
Mon 30th mar.
Nice and sunny but still blowing a gale. Revisit Villenueve les Avignon to explore fort St. Andre. Not bad but info poor. Have a wander round La Chartreuse, one of the largest Carthusian monasteries in Europe. Quite a bit to see there with rooms covering daily monastic life, herb gardens, cloisters and the like; plenty of rooms to wander round; not bad.
Tue 31st mar
Wind died down a bit but decide to stay on another day. Most campsites open tomorrow so it'll give more choice when planning. Laze around in morning then visit the Requien museum in Avignon. Only a small natural history museum but had some interesting exhibits; local wildlife, prehistoric fossils, local geology and a good section on early plant hunters, botany and herbalism. Extremely good considering it was free.
Weds 1st apr
Winds died but now it's raining. Start packing in hopes it'll ease off. Finally stops about 11 so set off for Orange, not far but want to see the roman theatre and triumphal arch there. Quiet roads and rugged scenery make a nice journey. Roman theatre very impressive, enough standing to be still used. Quite informative audio tour as well. Large temple next door but unable to wander around that. Triumphal arch was unfortunately covered in polythene whilst being cleaned so saw little of that. Get to campsite late afternoon and manage to pitch just before rain starts again.
Thur 2nd apr
Still raining in morning, hang around until 11 but no change, decide to push on anyway. Head along N7 to Mornas and have a wander round this fascinating village with its clifftop castle complete with gibbet and cage hanging from the battlements. Continue along N7 to Mondragon where I can finally get onto minor roads to Pont St. Esprit. Rain now stopped and sun making an appearance. Follow Rhone to St. Just then into Ardeche gorge to campsite at St. Martin d'Ardeche. Take short evening stroll along river to view village of Aigueze hanging off gorge top. Judging by all the broken trees and branches there has been serious flooding here at some time.
Fri 3rd apr.
Beautiful day, walk into village to get supplies then spend rest of day walking along the Gorge de l'Ardeche. Wonderful scenery with crystal clear river winding through steep gorge and wooded hillsides. Difficult to get decent photos though with bright sun giving a flat and hazy light. Would like to canoe along the river someday.
Sat 4th apr
I'd noticed hairdressers in village so decide to get haircut. Wash, cut and blow dry later I head off back to Rhone valley and north to Viviers. Scorching hot day but the winds up again, not as bad as previously but still a nuisance. Campsite at Viviers looks closed although sign on gate and my guidebook says it opens 1st april. As i'm peering into the half shuttered reception a bloke appears and tells me they are not open yet but I can pitch for the night. "how much for the night?" I ask, "nothing, because we're not open" he replies. Excellent. He also hands me an english map and guide to Viviers so after pitching I head into the town. It's the sort of place that gives you a crick in the neck. Mainly medieval, it has seen so much history they've designated it as a protected area, almost an open air museum. Narrow cobbled alleyways climb up the hillside, flanked by tall stone buildings linked by arches to stop the walls tumbling in. Some of the buildings are occupied, others empty and in disrepair. Viviers lies north of a narrowing of the Rhone valley, the Defile de Donzere, theoretically the northern limit of mediterranean climate.
Sun 5th apr
Wind up again, a bit stronger but still manageable. Head east across Rhone to Chateauneuf du Rhone then north to Montelimar. Disappointed with Montelimar, it seems a bit grubby, plus all the nougat shops were shut. Back west across Rhone to Rochemaure with its hilltop village and castle cascading down from a rocky pinnacle. Very hot and sunny but there is still a dense haze which makes photography tricky, can only just make out hills on other side of valley. Carry on to Cruas and quite a nice campsite. Pitch up then walk into village to look round romanesque abbey church then follow signs up hill to fortified abbey and village. Extraordinary place, virtually a deserted medieval village, a real sense of stepping back in time. Although in ruins there is still enough to give a good idea of what it must have been like.
Mon 6th apr
Decide to stay another day to take photos of old village. Whereas yesterday the place was empty, today there are workmen scattered around. There seems to be a renovation programme under way to make all the areas safe to visit. Hope they don't ruin the character of the place. Also managed to get a bit of info about the medieval village from tourist office, it's a basic photocopied leaflet in french but better than nothing. The leaflet says there is an ambitious 20 to 30 year project to reconstruct the village complete with trades, inhabitants and exhibitions. Should be interesting especially as one of the houses was supposedly occupied by a sorcerer (next door to the grand prior as it happens)
Tues 7th apr
Cloudy and looks like rain but the wind is a southwesterly. Set out for Tain L'Hermitage. Really pleasant ride with wind behind me for a change. Steep wooded limestone hills to the left with the odd castle etc. Rhone to the right and the Rhone Alps in the distance. Only encountered a brief shower but otherwise an ideal day for cycling. Campsite at Tain is right by N7 so lots of traffic noise also 14.50 euros a night as they work on price for two people and the 'computer' won't adjust the price for one person. At Cruas it was 5 euros a night and a better site.
Weds 8th apr
Cross Rhone back onto west bank and head north to St. Clair du Rhone. Steep limestone hills to left, either wooded or cleared for vinyards. Interesting romanesque church at Champagne, randomly dotted with carvings of grotesques and symbols. Cross Rhone again and find campsite down long track just south of St. Clair. Very nice site right by a small river with quite posh facilities. Cycle into St. Clair to look round but it is an uninteresting place.
Thur 9th apr
Decide to cycle along east bank today for a change as it should be a quieter road. Near Vienne things get busier as major road, minor road, motorway and railway squeeze together. After Vienne the minor road is sandwiched between motorway and railway; lots of industry along the river banks. Cross Rhone again about 12km south of Lyon and things get hillier as climb up to Charly. Nice descent into St. Genis-Laval to a grotty campsite. There's loads of dusty cycling trophies in the reception and an old sticker saying the site is (was)recommended by the french cycle touring association. In fairness they are modernising it but meanwhile it's old style french loos and shabby showers. Into Lyon tomorrow where finally leave the Rhone and pick up the Saone river.
Rain's stopped but strong winds again, not cycling anywhere in this. Walk into Avignon and take audio tour of the Palais des Papes. Quite interesting but insufficient written info in english to back up audio.Good bookshop, could have spent a few euros there but didn't want to carry a load of books back to UK. Visited Musee Lapidaire with its collection of Gallo Roman, Etruscan and Egyptian sculptures. Battened down tent and put in earplugs as wind very loud.
Mon 30th mar.
Nice and sunny but still blowing a gale. Revisit Villenueve les Avignon to explore fort St. Andre. Not bad but info poor. Have a wander round La Chartreuse, one of the largest Carthusian monasteries in Europe. Quite a bit to see there with rooms covering daily monastic life, herb gardens, cloisters and the like; plenty of rooms to wander round; not bad.
Tue 31st mar
Wind died down a bit but decide to stay on another day. Most campsites open tomorrow so it'll give more choice when planning. Laze around in morning then visit the Requien museum in Avignon. Only a small natural history museum but had some interesting exhibits; local wildlife, prehistoric fossils, local geology and a good section on early plant hunters, botany and herbalism. Extremely good considering it was free.
Weds 1st apr
Winds died but now it's raining. Start packing in hopes it'll ease off. Finally stops about 11 so set off for Orange, not far but want to see the roman theatre and triumphal arch there. Quiet roads and rugged scenery make a nice journey. Roman theatre very impressive, enough standing to be still used. Quite informative audio tour as well. Large temple next door but unable to wander around that. Triumphal arch was unfortunately covered in polythene whilst being cleaned so saw little of that. Get to campsite late afternoon and manage to pitch just before rain starts again.
Thur 2nd apr
Still raining in morning, hang around until 11 but no change, decide to push on anyway. Head along N7 to Mornas and have a wander round this fascinating village with its clifftop castle complete with gibbet and cage hanging from the battlements. Continue along N7 to Mondragon where I can finally get onto minor roads to Pont St. Esprit. Rain now stopped and sun making an appearance. Follow Rhone to St. Just then into Ardeche gorge to campsite at St. Martin d'Ardeche. Take short evening stroll along river to view village of Aigueze hanging off gorge top. Judging by all the broken trees and branches there has been serious flooding here at some time.
Fri 3rd apr.
Beautiful day, walk into village to get supplies then spend rest of day walking along the Gorge de l'Ardeche. Wonderful scenery with crystal clear river winding through steep gorge and wooded hillsides. Difficult to get decent photos though with bright sun giving a flat and hazy light. Would like to canoe along the river someday.
Sat 4th apr
I'd noticed hairdressers in village so decide to get haircut. Wash, cut and blow dry later I head off back to Rhone valley and north to Viviers. Scorching hot day but the winds up again, not as bad as previously but still a nuisance. Campsite at Viviers looks closed although sign on gate and my guidebook says it opens 1st april. As i'm peering into the half shuttered reception a bloke appears and tells me they are not open yet but I can pitch for the night. "how much for the night?" I ask, "nothing, because we're not open" he replies. Excellent. He also hands me an english map and guide to Viviers so after pitching I head into the town. It's the sort of place that gives you a crick in the neck. Mainly medieval, it has seen so much history they've designated it as a protected area, almost an open air museum. Narrow cobbled alleyways climb up the hillside, flanked by tall stone buildings linked by arches to stop the walls tumbling in. Some of the buildings are occupied, others empty and in disrepair. Viviers lies north of a narrowing of the Rhone valley, the Defile de Donzere, theoretically the northern limit of mediterranean climate.
Sun 5th apr
Wind up again, a bit stronger but still manageable. Head east across Rhone to Chateauneuf du Rhone then north to Montelimar. Disappointed with Montelimar, it seems a bit grubby, plus all the nougat shops were shut. Back west across Rhone to Rochemaure with its hilltop village and castle cascading down from a rocky pinnacle. Very hot and sunny but there is still a dense haze which makes photography tricky, can only just make out hills on other side of valley. Carry on to Cruas and quite a nice campsite. Pitch up then walk into village to look round romanesque abbey church then follow signs up hill to fortified abbey and village. Extraordinary place, virtually a deserted medieval village, a real sense of stepping back in time. Although in ruins there is still enough to give a good idea of what it must have been like.
Mon 6th apr
Decide to stay another day to take photos of old village. Whereas yesterday the place was empty, today there are workmen scattered around. There seems to be a renovation programme under way to make all the areas safe to visit. Hope they don't ruin the character of the place. Also managed to get a bit of info about the medieval village from tourist office, it's a basic photocopied leaflet in french but better than nothing. The leaflet says there is an ambitious 20 to 30 year project to reconstruct the village complete with trades, inhabitants and exhibitions. Should be interesting especially as one of the houses was supposedly occupied by a sorcerer (next door to the grand prior as it happens)
Tues 7th apr
Cloudy and looks like rain but the wind is a southwesterly. Set out for Tain L'Hermitage. Really pleasant ride with wind behind me for a change. Steep wooded limestone hills to the left with the odd castle etc. Rhone to the right and the Rhone Alps in the distance. Only encountered a brief shower but otherwise an ideal day for cycling. Campsite at Tain is right by N7 so lots of traffic noise also 14.50 euros a night as they work on price for two people and the 'computer' won't adjust the price for one person. At Cruas it was 5 euros a night and a better site.
Weds 8th apr
Cross Rhone back onto west bank and head north to St. Clair du Rhone. Steep limestone hills to left, either wooded or cleared for vinyards. Interesting romanesque church at Champagne, randomly dotted with carvings of grotesques and symbols. Cross Rhone again and find campsite down long track just south of St. Clair. Very nice site right by a small river with quite posh facilities. Cycle into St. Clair to look round but it is an uninteresting place.
Thur 9th apr
Decide to cycle along east bank today for a change as it should be a quieter road. Near Vienne things get busier as major road, minor road, motorway and railway squeeze together. After Vienne the minor road is sandwiched between motorway and railway; lots of industry along the river banks. Cross Rhone again about 12km south of Lyon and things get hillier as climb up to Charly. Nice descent into St. Genis-Laval to a grotty campsite. There's loads of dusty cycling trophies in the reception and an old sticker saying the site is (was)recommended by the french cycle touring association. In fairness they are modernising it but meanwhile it's old style french loos and shabby showers. Into Lyon tomorrow where finally leave the Rhone and pick up the Saone river.
Saturday, 28 March 2009
Along the Rhone
Mon 23rd mar
Set off Ne towards Nimes, not been going 5 mins before dreaded wind
starts. Its a northerly so part side and part headWind. Quickest way
to Nimes is N113 but it's so nerve wracking with the wind and fast
traffic I decide to get off it after about 20km. Branch off onto
lovely rural road at Uchaud and stop for a while for a bite to eat and
watch some camarque white horse. Get to destination at Remoulins and
camp by side of the Gardon river. Really nice sheltered woodland
patch.
Set off Ne towards Nimes, not been going 5 mins before dreaded wind
starts. Its a northerly so part side and part headWind. Quickest way
to Nimes is N113 but it's so nerve wracking with the wind and fast
traffic I decide to get off it after about 20km. Branch off onto
lovely rural road at Uchaud and stop for a while for a bite to eat and
watch some camarque white horse. Get to destination at Remoulins and
camp by side of the Gardon river. Really nice sheltered woodland
patch.
Tues 24th
Cloudy, windy and rain in morning but rain stops about 10:00. Take
stroll into Remoulins, nice medieval centre. Walking across bridge
over the Gardon I had to lean sideways and occasionally grab rail to
prevent being blown into road. Visit Pont du Gard in afternoon, very
impressive, an incredible construction for what is essentially a
single file footbridge.
Weds 25th mar
Tent zips have been gradually failing over the months due to strain on
them. With its crude pvc and mesh patches and half open zips the tents
got a goth/punk look I quite like. Hope it holds out till I get back.
Set out for Avignon. Main roads most of the way but pleasant scenery
and first views of snow capped Rhone Alps. Nice view of Avignon on
approach then branch off to campsite which is directly opposite the
famous bridge. Pitch up then stroll into Avignon for quick recce. Tent
overlooks the town so get nice view as sun sets.
Thur 26th mar
Walk into Avignon and make way to tourist info to get a town plan.
Visit main sites, papal palace, st. Benezet's bridge etc. then meander
side streets for a while to get away from all the tourists. Something
of interest at virtually every turn. Find nice quiet square in front
of library to have lunch then walk around city walls for a while
before heading back for a cuppa. Fascinating town with plenty to see
and do. Take afternoon stroll along banks of Rhone before dinner.
Really pleasant and interesting day.
Fri 27th mar
Glorious sunshine so catch up on washing as down to last set of
clothes. Walk into Villenueve lez Avignon, on the other side of the
Rhone, in afternoon. Visit Philippe le Bel tower as they have abstract
photography exhibition on. The tower originally controlled access to
other side of Avignon bridge. At the time this side belonged to
kingdom of France and the Avignon side was the border of the Holy
Roman Empire. Good views from top of the tower. Walk through historic
centre to fort St. Andre. Apparently this town has more historic
monuments per square metre than any other in Europe. Wonderfully
intriguing place, whereas Avignon has a sombre grandeur this place is
brighter, more human and friendly. Thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.
Sat 28th mar
Cloudy day. Take another walk into Avignon to take audio tour of
bridge history and visit Rocher de Doms, the site of the original
neolithic settlement and now 'english' gardens. Manage to get back
just before rain starts in afternoon. Rains all afternoon so do very
little.
Sunday, 22 March 2009
ito france
Tues 10th mar
Lovely sunny day. Pack up and pay, 5 euros, cheapest site i've had in
spain. Leave guidebook at reception and clip last remaining page from
road atlas to bike. The route looks like something the map maker has
scribbled out rather than a road, it should be interesting. Not been
going long when notice what looked like a map by the roadside. Stop
and go back to look. It's a virtually brand new road map of France,
just what I need for general route planning. Long hard climbs and
descents with barely a straight bit of road anywhere. Fantastic views
of mountains and coast. Final climb up to the Col de Belitres at 165m
and i'm at the border. More twisty hilly roads follow. 36km of road to
travel 16km as crow flies. After a long slog out of Banyuls sur Mer I
stop to admire the views. A frenchman strolls over for a chat then
walks back to his car and returns with two large cans of beer. Shortly
after a frenchwoman rolls up accompanied by a Syrian calligrapher.
Spend the next hour drinking beer and chatting in Franglais. Long,
fast (and slightly unsteady) descent into Argeles-Plage to find
tourist info and enquire about campsites. Plenty of them but only two
open this time of year. First one I try is just closing due to
sanitation problems so have to cycle inland to the other site. Hard
work but another excellent day.
Lovely sunny day. Pack up and pay, 5 euros, cheapest site i've had in
spain. Leave guidebook at reception and clip last remaining page from
road atlas to bike. The route looks like something the map maker has
scribbled out rather than a road, it should be interesting. Not been
going long when notice what looked like a map by the roadside. Stop
and go back to look. It's a virtually brand new road map of France,
just what I need for general route planning. Long hard climbs and
descents with barely a straight bit of road anywhere. Fantastic views
of mountains and coast. Final climb up to the Col de Belitres at 165m
and i'm at the border. More twisty hilly roads follow. 36km of road to
travel 16km as crow flies. After a long slog out of Banyuls sur Mer I
stop to admire the views. A frenchman strolls over for a chat then
walks back to his car and returns with two large cans of beer. Shortly
after a frenchwoman rolls up accompanied by a Syrian calligrapher.
Spend the next hour drinking beer and chatting in Franglais. Long,
fast (and slightly unsteady) descent into Argeles-Plage to find
tourist info and enquire about campsites. Plenty of them but only two
open this time of year. First one I try is just closing due to
sanitation problems so have to cycle inland to the other site. Hard
work but another excellent day.
Weds 11th mar
Strong winds blew up during the night and i'd left my earplugs in the
panniers. 02:30 I give in, put on some clothes and get them. Wind
seems to settle down in morning so head north. Once on coast road wind
picks up. Head down and bottom gear again. Its difficult to keep bike
on the road. Stop to buy guidebook and more detailed map of region
then carry on. Notice sign for municipal campsite at Ste Marie-Plage,
it's not in my guidebook but i've had enough so take a gamble.
Fortunately it opened a few days ago. Spend afternoon planning journey
through France, many sites not open until April but should be OK. Wind
persists into the night. I wonder if this is the Mistral i'd been
warned about.
Thur 12th mar
Nice day so decide to chill out. Stroll into Ste Marie Plage but most
places are closed and many shops are empty. Walk into Ste Marie
village a few km away, typical small french village, quite attractive
but little life.
Fri 13th mar
Quite a nice site and i've a pleasant pitch so decide to stay a few days.
Follow cycle route into Perpignan, about 13k. Not a particularly
attractive place, a bit scrappy I thought, but nice model of how it
was centuries ago.
Sat 14th mar
Try walking into next town, Canet Plage. Get totally lost trying to
follow footpaths. Give up and eventually find my way back.
Sun 15th mar
Cycle into Canet-Plage instead. Spend much of the day there as it's
much livelier than Ste Marie. Get slow puncture on way back.
Mon 16th mar
Cycle back into Canet Plage to explore it a little more then head back
and give bike quick overhaul ready for next leg.
Tue 17th mar
Follow minor coast road north to Port Leucate then major road to
detour around a large lake before minor roads into Port la Nouvelle.
Pick up cycle track that goes between 2 large lakes, a bit rough but
worth it for the peace, quiet and scenery. Arrive at campsite at La
Nautique, just S of Narbonne, each pitch has its own posh shower, loo
and washbasin, very nice.
wed 18th mar
Cycle into Narbonne for a look round. Not a lot to say about it
really, a french city.
Thur 19th mar
Steering seemed odd on bike yesterday and back brake hardly working so
try re-adjusting them. Steerings better but brake not much improved.
Good enough for a while though.
Fri 20th mar
Set off for Beziers. Only sensible option is main roads all the way.
Didn't see a great deal of city but seemed pleasant enough. Follow
canal du midi SE then tiny potholed country roads to campsite at Vias
Plage. Very dead place, hardly anyone there. Pitch so i'm sheltered
from wind that had picked up. Within a few hours wind had veered round
almost 180 degrees and grown very strong, really battering the tent
around, had to hold on to it. Quick pack and emergecy evacuation to
another pitch. I really am getting fed up of this wind.
Sat 21st mar
Wake up to cold drips of water on head. Inside of tent coated with ice
that's melting and dripping onto sleeping bag and me. Not a nice way
to wake up.
Long journey today to other side of Montpellier. Pleasant scenery,
mainly open fields, hills in distance, low rolling hills. Called in to
view Gallo-Roman villa near Loupian but it was shut. Montpellier nice
city, one of those vibrant places, seriously pedestrianised which
makes it nice to walk round. Due to one way system and no town plan it
took me a while to find way out. Don't think i'd have managed it
without my compass. Head to Castries. Castries supposed to have really
good chateau but it was covered in polythene for renovation so all I
saw was pointy tower tops, nice aquaduct though with old houses part
built into it. Find campsite just beyond Castries, some 15km NE of
Montpellier centre. Well out the way but fairly full with lots of
Nederlanders, some club I should think.
Sun 22nd mar
Apart from usual dogs barking during the night this is a pleasant and
peaceful woodland site. All the nederlanders disappear. Decide to stay
another night. Cycle the 1.5km into Castries to explore. Aquaduct more
impressive than first thought, official ranking jumps from nice to
very nice. Almost 7km long including underground channels, with a drop
of about 3m, it was built in 17th century to supply water to the
Marquis of Castries chateau gardens. All undergoing renovation at the
mo.
Castries itself very pleasant with tiny twisty alleys and interesting
old stone houses. Nice way to spend a sunny sunday morning.
Notice sign as entering campsite. Seems this area, Domaine de
Fondespierre, is a large recreation area. Various walks and picnic
areas, Its also the start of a 400km long mountain bike trail. Take an
afternoon walk along woodland footpaths back to aquaduct to take a few
snaps.
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
tarragona
Sun 22nd feb
Sleepless night, lots of noise. Nice sunny day so decide to move on.
75km journey today. Have another chat with Julie before leaving. She
asks me to contact her brother at the shop when I return so he can let
her know i've got back safely. Shake hands and say goodbye, it really
was a pleasure meeting her. Busy road again but less developed with
mountains to left and sea to right. The different layers of rock
dictate whether shrubs grow and gives the mountains bold horizontal
green stripes. Slight climb inland before view opens out onto huge
Delta de L'Ebre. Absolutely flat, it seems to float on the sea. Along
edge of delta to Amposta to get cash. Due to bridge I wanted being
closed I also get lost. Ask couple on scooter who tell me to follow
them. Dirt roads, little alleys and riverside tracks later we arrive
at the main bridge. "caution, national road, very fast lorries" he
says. They wait as I make my way onto bridge then wave and go. Long
climb against brisk headwind to El Perello. Windsocks and road signs
warn against strong winds. Relieved when I reach top only to find I
have slow puncture. Pump up tyre, only 7-8km to go, it can wait. Reach
L'Ametlla de Mar and after several short but very steep hills, the
campsite. Wind really picking up now. Very tired, will fix puncture
tomorrow.
Sleepless night, lots of noise. Nice sunny day so decide to move on.
75km journey today. Have another chat with Julie before leaving. She
asks me to contact her brother at the shop when I return so he can let
her know i've got back safely. Shake hands and say goodbye, it really
was a pleasure meeting her. Busy road again but less developed with
mountains to left and sea to right. The different layers of rock
dictate whether shrubs grow and gives the mountains bold horizontal
green stripes. Slight climb inland before view opens out onto huge
Delta de L'Ebre. Absolutely flat, it seems to float on the sea. Along
edge of delta to Amposta to get cash. Due to bridge I wanted being
closed I also get lost. Ask couple on scooter who tell me to follow
them. Dirt roads, little alleys and riverside tracks later we arrive
at the main bridge. "caution, national road, very fast lorries" he
says. They wait as I make my way onto bridge then wave and go. Long
climb against brisk headwind to El Perello. Windsocks and road signs
warn against strong winds. Relieved when I reach top only to find I
have slow puncture. Pump up tyre, only 7-8km to go, it can wait. Reach
L'Ametlla de Mar and after several short but very steep hills, the
campsite. Wind really picking up now. Very tired, will fix puncture
tomorrow.
Mon 23rd feb.
Although sheltered on 3 sides a strong gusty wind visciously slapped
the tent around all night. It even blew under the flysheet, into the
tent and tugged at sleeping bag and hair. In the morning everything
was covered in a fine dust. Still very windy, i'm not duelling with
lorries today. Invited over for coffee by Chris, a swede, who's in
next pitch. Sit in motorcaravan rocked by wind wondering if i'll be
seasick. Repair puncture and give bike overhaul. Wind starts to abate
in evening.
Tues 24th feb
Good nights sleep and good weather. Only 35km to do today. Take time
packing and have longer chat with Chris. He asks me whether i've tried
woofing. I take a few steps back and ask what he means. Apparently
it's working on organic farms. They provide food and accommodation in
return for work. Set off Cambrils. Stop for a break and find loads of
Rosemary bushes, can't help dreaming of roast chicken dinner. More
prostitutes by side of road. They just sit there on plastic chairs
with a bottle of water, waiting. Shortly after, see empty chair and
bottle of water. No signs of activity though. Find broad headed tack
in tyre, another puncture. A slow one again so pump it up every so
often until I reach campsite. This one's close enough to allow me some
time to explore Tarragona. Say hello to a bloke as he walks by.
"english?" he asks. He looks at my 20" wheel folding bike and asks
jokingly "you cycled all the way from England on that?". Nice to see
his face drop when I told him.
Weds 25th feb
Change inner tube then head off through Cambrils and on to Tarragona.
Unpleasant and dissappointing start as cycle through acres of smelly
industry. Eventually find signs for historic centre. Built on a
clifftop there are views right to big commercial port, beaches in
front and, off slightly to the left, an aerial view of the roman
amphitheatre. Nice. Follow interesting old city walls pierced
occasionally with flower decked windows, through gate into centre.
Tiny streets and tall houses lead to large cathedral complex. jumbled
patchwork of different historical periods give very atmospheric feel.
Explore old centre on foot for a while then head out to find campsite
some 16km away. One I wanted was closed despite the camping guide I
have saying otherwise. Find another in next village, Arc de Barra,
named after large roman archway standing in middle of traffic island.
Campsite right by side of railway. Make sure i've got my earplugs.
Thurs 26th feb
Pretty restless night. Nice day so set out for Sitges, again not far
but hopefully handy for tackling Barcelona. Managed to get off N340
for most of the trip which was a big relief, all those lorries were
getting me down. Cycle alongside kilometres of beautifully sandy
beaches, all totally empty. Reach campsite just before Sitges, pitch
up then repair puncture. Because of the terrain and distance I plan to
take train into Barcelona. If I can't, i'll have a challenging ride
ahead. Take stroll into Sitges to get proper english teabags and check
out railway station.
Fri 27th feb
Decide to risk it and cycle into Barcelona tomorrow. What's life
without a challenge.Today I chill out. Walk into Sitges again to get
supplies. Back at camp i find WI-FI fault lies with PDA. Do hard reset
and all seems fine. Pay and connect to WI-FI then send blog and
emails. Email prog doesn't seem to like it but bypass prog and do it
directly through Google. (sorry, if that doesn't make sense).
Sat 28th feb
Set off early for Barcelona in cloudy but warm weather. The stretch of
main road I was concerned about, between Sitges and Castelldefels
turned into one of the most exciting roads i've cycled. Climbs that
tired just enough to recover on the fast sweeping descents and hairpin
turns before hitting the next climb. Streams of lycra clad racing
cyclists and motorbikes all competing with cars on narrow twisty roads
like one big video game. Stopping at the top of a climb to see
motorway emerge from a tunnel one side of valley and vanish into a
tunnel on the other side whilst main road snaked down around and up.
Packed with tiny cars like one huge model set. Two of Gaudi's houses
at Garraf, far better in my opinion than his better known stuff in
Barcelona. Then finally down to Castelldefels where road finally
levels out. One huge buzz, brilliant.
Life entering Barcelona becomes uncomfortable as 3 lanes of traffic on
the right join the four i'm on. Stuck in the middle, it's a nervous
few minutes as I make my way across to the relative safety of the hard
shoulder. Into the centre of Barcelona to wander round the maze of
narrow streets and fascinating shops between La Rambla and the
cathedral. Street musicians playing classical music around the
cathedral walls and steps . The absurdly ostentatious Palau de la
Musica Catalana. Fantastic stuff. Then the dreadfull journey out
trying to avoid crowded major roads and interchanges. Pannier mount
breaks as I hit unseen obstacle avoiding a speeding ambulance. Quick
jury rig with bungee hook and carry on. Eventually reach campsite at
El Masnou and go hunting for food. With everything that happened i'd
forgotten all about it. Even taking into account the bad bits it was a
superb day. Glad I didn't take the train.
Sun 1st mar
Head NE to Calella. Road busy and unpleasant so occasionally use cycle
path. This is separated from the road by the railway so you have to
stay on one or the other until a suitable crossing. No scenery worth
commenting on. Campsite very hilly but town 10 mins walk away which is
handy.
Mon 2nd -weds 4th march
Bad weather keeps me here so use opportunity to put photos on blog and
send a few emails.
Thu 5th mar
Weather ok so set off for Sant Feliu de Guixols. On the map the road
looks like something off a seismograph so am expecting weary legs by
end of day. Road into Lloret de Mar pretty easy then things get hilly
and twisty. Hard work but scenery superb with rugged inlets, secluded
coves and a turqoise sea. Stopping at one of the many viewpoints I
notice 2 other brits so say hello. End up chatting for quite a while
with Tony and his father, Robert. As they're stopping at a hotel for
19 euros a night all inclusive they're shocked when I tell them how
much I have to pay. They drive off and I carry on pedalling. A while
later they drive back and wave me down. Having just received
confirmation of a permanent mooring near Swanage in Dorset they came
back to tell me I could camp there if ever I was down that way rather
than pay exorbitant campsite prices. Exchange emails and set off
again. Reaching Sant Feliu after a good ride I call at tourist info to
find out where campsite I want is. They tell me it's been turned into
apartments. So much for my guidebook. Standing outside searching for
nearby alternatives a voice asks if I speak english. Looking up there
is a bloke on bike with panniers. Andrew from Australia had spent
christmas in France with family and was now spending 6 months touring
France and Spain by bike. Eventually tourist info search internet and
tell us of a campsite about 10k away. Both set off, find site, pitch
then go for stroll into town. As we are both touring lightweight (18kg
kit , 12-13kg bikes) it's interesting to compare the different ways
we've approached it. Find out, having just run in the Barcelona
marathon (his first) he's now cycling to Paris to run the marathon
there at beginning of April. Spend evening comparing kit and travel
experiences.
Fri 6th mar
Sunny but strong winds. Decide to stay put and do washing as running
out of clothes and sleeping bag liner beginning to crawl around tent
on its own. Andrew decides to carry on north. Exchange email and blog
details. Get washing done and lashed to washing line as wind is so
strong its flying horizontal. Dries in next to no time. Only have to
chase one pair of underpants across campsite. Walk into town to try
and find barber but no luck.
Sat 7th mar
Sunny but strong winds persist. Decide to go anyway. Into Palamos then
onto main C31 to Palafrugell. Headwind so strong i'm rarely out of
bottom 2 gears, head down struggling to pedal, wind roaring in my
ears. At times strong gusts punch me to a dead stop and leave me
grasping for balance until I can get moving again. On towards Pals.
Several times i'm blown off the road orinto it, fortunately without
damage. Reach Pals where there is a campsite and decide to bail out
as things are getting dangerous. They apologetically tell me they
can't charge less than 17 euros and insist on searching the internet
for a cheaper site. I try telling them I regard my life worth at least
17 euros but they won't have it and hand me details of another site.
As the suggested site is not in the direction I want to go I continue
on to my original destination. Eventually reach Montgo after one of
the most physically and mentally demanding journeys i've evermade. 6
hours of battling with headwinds to cover 50km. Find Andrew there.
He'd had exactly the same experience yesterday, also decided to bail
out at Pals but complained about paying 17 euros which is why they
assumed I wouldn't want to stay.
Sun 8th mar
Beautiful sunny day, no wind. Andrew decides to push on, I decide to
visit the ruins at Empuries 8km away. Walk into L'Escala, through the
old town then along coastal paths. It's sunday and everybody and their
dog are out enjoying the sunshine. The ruins are extensive, consisting
of an ancient greek port later taken over by the romans and extended
inland. Anyone with an interest in ancient history could spend several
hours here easily even though only 25% has been excavated so far. Well
worth the 3 euros entrance fee.
Mon 9th mar
Cloudy and warm. Set off for Llanca through fairly flat terrain.
Before long the mountains are on all three sides and wind picking up.
Past a grim looking monastery perched on a rocky outcrop then a long
descent into Llanca; I had not realised how high i'd climbed. Find
campsite at El Port de Llanca, pitch up and explore. Lots of folk
speaking french rather than spanish. The border is only 14km away.
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
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