Distance cycled since Modbury 268 miles
It's hard to believe that we only left a week ago. We seem to have done so much and had so many new experiences.....and got so wet!
The last 2 days staying under canvas were enough and we're both looking forward to a hotel again. Our barbecue last night was disappointing but not Rob's fault. The disposable barbecue itself had less heat output than the matches we bought to light it. At one point the steaks were so rare that a good vet could have had the animal back on its feet!
After the semi-panic of worrying about where to stay when we arrived in Seignosse, I booked tonight's accommodation last night via a combination of booking.com and telephone enquiry and we're staying at the Hotel Atlantique on the seafront at Mimizan Plage (70 euros for B and B, for us both......oh, and there'll be a little tourist tax add-on). I've been assured that the bikes can be kept in a secure room overnight, which is our main concern. Again, like most hotels now, they have free wi-fi.
Using booking.com to check availability was our second choice after tourist information offices but I think it, and telephone follow-up, will have to be our default now. Our experience at Seignosse suggested that arrival at the tourist office in mid- to late-afternoon is too late in the day to be sure of their finding us accommodation plus secure bike parking. Booking 1 day ahead is not ideal as it means that we do have to predict progress and, if we're making better time than we thought, could mean that we have to curtail our day when we could have pressed on. Nevertheless, this is better than having nowhere suitable to stay and/or leaving the bikes at risk, and with the change to flat(ter) terrain, we will hopefully be able to better predict what sort of mileage is achievable over the next few days. Also, knowing that we have a hotel safely booked at least means that we can cycle for longer if we've been overly optimistic. We'll see.....
After a night of intermittent and noisy rain (and therefore just 3 hours sleep for me because of it - I'll take a tablet tonight), we left Seignosse at 8.45am. It was freezing and along with my usual jersey and shorts, I wore leg warmers, arm warmers and a wind-proof jacket. Rob doesn't feel the cold as much as me but still had a jacket on. Only my jacket came off during the day as the temperature varied between just 14 and 18C but it did remain dry. We even had a bit of sunshine, but we were cycling into a fresh N/NW headwind all day which kept me cold (the now bearded Captain Marvel again didn't feel it too much - I think I'm becoming a wimp!)
The north-south cycle path just 200 metres or so from the campsite is signposted as "Velodysee" and this is also known as the Eurovelo1 (EV1). This is the long-distance cycle route from southern Europe, along the French Atlantic coast, through Roscoff (but via Bordeaux and Brest which we will miss) to Barnstaple and beyond. We followed the path nearly all day today and it was fabulous. It only opened last year so the tarmac is fresh and smooth. What it will be like in a few years time, when tree roots have affected it, will be interesting. It runs largely parallel to the coast, a few hundred metres inland, through pine forests and heathland. It meanders a little but is traffic free in all but a few sections where it runs through small towns or villages. It enabled Rob and I to cycle side by side and chat for the first time for ages. Of course this was the cue for a cycle club run to come hurtling towards us at the next blind bend!
We reached Leon at 10.45 and had a coffee and chocolate eclair break. 1pm saw us at Cap de l'Homy (if Ian Sprott is reading this he will know exactly where we were as his family and ours used to caravan separately nearby in the 90s), and we reached our destination, Mimizan Plage, at 3pm.
The hotel looks to be comfortable and the bikes are safely stored in the rear basment garage cum laundry.
We then followed the usual routine of shower, laundry wash, stroll around the town to check places for dinner later and now the blog and correspondence.
Thanks to Rob H, Jenni, Sarah, Rob W and Steve for your comments. As I said to Rob H by e-mail, Rob's chain issue seems resolved. (Why is half the world called Rob?)
Today, one of my bottle cages broke (really, what's the 99p Store coming to?) but I fixed it with a cable tie. Then the bike slewed over under the weight of the panniers when I stopped at one point, knocking the back brake slightly out of adjustment, but this was remedied. If our mechanical problems are limited to things like this, we'll both be pleased.
Photographs:
Our hotel tonight, the Atlantique
A typical length of Velodysee cycle path
The Velodysee is certainly a great concept....if it goes all the way to Barnstaple do you intend to be on that for the remainder of the trip, accepting that you need to dip in and out for accommodation?
ReplyDeleteDo you know anything of the route e.g. has is been created from disused railways track? Could do with more of those all over Europe.
Pleased to hear that you have found another hotel rather than tents....much more civilized. Maybe the constant changing of beds is not helping with the sleep issue too - it takes time to get used to a bed and of course with a variety of different mattress qualities and pillows etc it can create restlessness I guess.
Take care....