"Everybody is normal until you get to know them"
In which Sid and Doris visit the submarine pens and eventually cycle past Medoc chateaux and Pauillac port on the Gironde.We continued down the river, past the elegant stone houses now much further from the bank than when they were built. The river is big. Say what you like about the french, they do a good river. And with it…
Read moreIn which Sid and Doris visit Chateau Roquetaillade on their way to Bordeaux, a very fine city. Musing on whether we were still being Epic enough we felt that we were not doing and seeing the things, and in danger of turning this into a Delivery Ride. So we set out for Bordeaux (which is not short of Things)…
Read moreFor quite a long time in the middle of the trip we didn’t need to think about other cyclists, because there weren’t any. But now we are in the richer (and dare I observe, flatter) areas of southern France, the numbers are starting to build up. They come in the following categories:– Men (always) in full club kit whooshing past…
Read moreIn which Sid and Doris start out along the Garonne canals before striking out up hill, down dale, but mostly across country to the Gironde.We are at peak French holiday season and today is the Friday between a Bank Holiday and the weekend so hotels are as much a limiting factor as our legs. Bazas is broadly in the right…
Read moreIn which Sid and Doris have a ride along the Garonne and its lateral canal. Today is the Feast of the Assumption, when virgin Mary was told she was to be mother of Jesus. This is a Bank Holiday in France, and in common with Bank Holidays everywhere associated with poor weather. In fact today has been perfect for us:…
Read moreIn which we fall out of love with the Pyrenees and think about Brittany instead.We have been really struggling to work out how to get over the Pyrenees. Armed with a large map of the area (approximately double bed-sized) we can see a range of choices. From the left:– go round the west end, which will drop us onto the…
Read moreIn which Sid and Doris ride along the Tarn to an even older hotel, a former abbey. The Hotel du Pont, where we started the day, was founded by a soldier coming back from Napoleon’s Russian campaigns (after 1812 then) and setting up a restaurant where people waited for the (bac, a rowing boat) ferry across the Tarn. It has…
Read moreIn which Sid and Doris canoe down the Tarn and think about a new route home.Up late. We think we are putting on weight and we are not riding today so breakfast is a fairly civilised event, memorable for the pasteque and orange confiture. And they put out some of their creamy cheeses. This is a two hearth and three…
Read moreI know you have been waiting for these eagerly. Recently we have had a bit of a language mismatch, starting with the famous “Y Viva Sardinia”. I’m going down the road againY viva SardiniaAnd I’m getting the Costa Smelda planeY viva SardiniaAnd I’m cycling to the Cote d’AzurY viva SardiniaAnd I’m drinking mohitos by the scoreSardinia more and moreSardinia more…
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