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Cycling France 2017

September - October 2017
A 36-day adventure by Cindy and Daryl Read more
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  • TravelerCycling France 2017
    Day 13

    Mortagne-au-Perche to Alencon. 43 km

    September 17, 2017 ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Voir Verte ride, on the dedicated path, the whole way today - not too shabby. Only 43 km but enough for these bikers. Picnic lunch in a community park this time, but church steeple still in view 🤑.

    Good call to stop early in a slightly larger town, as 5 km out we get our first flat tire. Cindy's tire. Back one...of course. Good news is it isn't raining. And we patch it up pronto. (A bit of the Royal 'we' in there but I certainly helped and took good notes for next time 🙃).

    Alencon on a Sunday - locked down, shuttered up. Walked for half an hour to find no open restaurants and only one open bar - which we tried with good success 🍻. Did finally happen on to a car show - Ferraris and the like.

    Nice town. Government offices get all the old heritage buildings.    Read more

  • TravelerCycling France 2017
    Day 14

    Alencon to Bagnoles-de-L'Orne. 56 km

    September 18, 2017 in France ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    Today we found the hills!!! 56 km and it was up and down virtually the whole way. Good for what ails ya! But not so good for the knees 😲. We think that'll be the worst of it 🤞.

    Lovely sunshine all morning 🌞 and tho it cooled, the rain never materialized. We stopped to put on, and take off layers 26 times (or so it seemed). Lots of riding thru forests today...very nice.

    A flock of small sheep joined us for lunch.
    Chateau Carrouges very impressive tho we didn't go inside. Lots of those on the Loire later ☺️.

    Staying in Bagnoles de La"Orne. Thermal baths are its claim to fame...a French Baden-Baden but doesn't hold a candle. Pretty phoney really. Totally different from anywhere else we've been. Happy with our hotel tho... not so much with our dinner. Had the house specialty...smoked sausage on a spit (more like smoked s**t on a stick) 😛. So not all French food gets a 👍.    Read more

  • TravelerCycling France 2017
    1
    11
    Day 15

    Bagnoles - St Hilaire du Harcouet. 66 km

    September 19, 2017 in France ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Best day yet. Tout parfait!

    Weather was sunny, riding was easy - flat and off road, beautiful area, quintessentially French towns, fellow cyclists to talk to and quaint gite to stay in. Dinner much better too 😄.

    Finally some company on the veloscenie... as we get closer to Le Mont St Michel abbey. We kept leap-frogging a group of six cyclists from France. Three had electric bikes and were looking for a place to recharge. By the time we get ours the technology should be better 😁.

    A break at Domfront was ideal...cafe in the square in front of the church. Medieval buildings, crooked laneways. Lunch at one of many picnic tables along the way. Rich, rich agriculture. Loaded fruit trees. Cattle every 5 minutes - felt like buddies along the path 😃. The forest ride awesome.

    A bit challenging finding our gite without a specific address but a warm welcome when we got here. Accommodation has worked out great. Only once called to find no room available. Might be different on the Loire....

    A demain 😘.    Read more

  • TravelerCycling France 2017
    1
    Day 17

    Veloscenie..✔️St Hilaire-Pontorson 51 km

    September 21, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    477 km and 9 days of riding and we conquered the Veloscenie 🚴🚴‍♀️. The first leg of our bike tour. Feel especially proud of the 'expert' section with all the hills but most enjoyed the 'family' portions 😄.

    We had a leisurely ride today, taking time to stop and tour Ducey. Not a lot to write home about there but their little walk tried hard to convince us otherwise 🤔. Bit of lipstick on a pig but the flower beds and baskets were great and the 'cafe long' delicious as always.

    Now to find a baguette for lunch. As usual, most of the stores are closed up tight...don't know how these places make it! And everything closes between 12:30 and 2, so it's a race to find the boulangerie. Have to be a detective 🕵️...see someone walking down the street with a baguette 🥖 then figure out where they're coming from. Success! So we have our usual lunch, today beside the local chateau which is...closed 😛.

    Here in Pontorson now, just outside Le Mont St. Michel which we'll visit tomorrow. Staying at the best western (a popular chain here too). An impressive building from the 1600's.

    A few days off the bike now as we tour Le Mont St Michel and take a side trip north (no spoiler alerts... stay tuned) 😃.    Read more

  • TravelerCycling France 2017
    Day 18

    Pontorson to Mont st Michel rtn. 21 km

    September 22, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    ...if you haven't yet been to Le Mont Saint Michel. C'est magnifique!

    Quite mind-boggling how they managed to build a whole little town on a piece of granite in the middle of the bay. Monks on top in the abbey, then the knights, then workers and pilgrims on the bottom. And they did a good job because the mont was never conquered during the 100 years war, despite a 30 year siege!

    We wondered how they got all the equipment and materials up here until we came to 'le roue grand' Six prisoners would walk inside this big wheel and supplies got hoisted up by a pulley. I wouldn't have minded a ride up that way...the old stairs got pretty steep near the top 😄.

    We arrived at the abbey just as mass was beginning and were treated to the nuns' angelic singing - wonderful. Intricate architecture and amazing engineering at every turn. Although they're set up to handle 3 million tourists a year with a dyke walkway and bridge, some still make the traditional pilgrim's trek across the flats at low tide.

    Over the years the bay began to silt up from human interference, so they quite recently installed a dam at the mouth of the river. They release the dammed water regularly to help flush the sediments out to sea, thus keeping Le Mont an island!

    Capped the evening with the local Normandie brandy (made from apples) - called Calvados. En Sante!    Read more

  • TravelerCycling France 2017
    Day 19

    Friday... must be Bayeux

    September 23, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    A little train trip north, putting bicycles on and off with ease, and we're in the cute town of Bayeux near the D-day beaches.

    You know you're in tourist zone when everyone's French accent is as bad as yours. Quite a difference from the little French villages we've been in so far.

    Home of the Bayeux tapestry. Another incredible feat. Almost 70 m long chronicling the battle of Hastings in 1066 when William the Conqueror became King of England. Daryl remembers learning in school that Harold (who broke his oath to William and crowned himself king) got an arrow in the eye. Sweet justice. Because of that lesson Daryl has never appointed himself King of Englsnd. 👑

    Walk of the town also on the agenda. The cathedral here is amazing. Ok...it's not on a granite island... but it's right up there with Mont St Michel and Chartres. Who knew we'd still be impressed with cathedrals 2-1/2 weeks in?    Read more

  • TravelerCycling France 2017
    Day 20

    D-Day

    September 24, 2017 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    A full day tour of Juno Beach and surrounding area focused on Canadian involvement in D-Day...the beginning of the end of WW II.

    Was a beautiful day, so hard to imagine the ships, bombardments, artillery, equipment, troops, killing, confusion on the beaches 73 years ago. Quite the strategy and coordinated effort among the Allies. Saw Juno beach (where the Canadians landed), German bunkers, Abbatiale St. Etienne in Caen where William the conqueror is buried, Canadian cemetery (very beautiful and well-kept), museum...all very good. The Canadians and the Brits brought bicycles with them to cover ground quickly and quietly once on shore!

    Back in Bayeux we wandered thru a little market, people-watched while we had a biere at a cafe, then picked up stuff for supper. For the first time we had dinner at our chambres-hotes that had a common kitchen area. Nice to have a break from going out.

    And a very cool coincidence today. Got talking to a woman on the tour. Her husband was in the forces... so was my Dad.

    Woman: Were you ever in Centralia?
    Me: Yes, for 2 years.
    Woman: I went to Exeter for high school.
    Me: I was in elementary school at the time.
    Woman: We lived in Mt. Carmel.
    Me: Really? Us too!

    (Mt. Carmel is a farming hamlet with just 13 houses on the main street).

    Woman: What's your name?
    Me: Majocha
    Woman: My sister used to babysit you! You had twins in the family.

    Unbelievable!! It was sooooo cool talking to her about the village and the people there...she knew them all. Including the 'spooky' house we used to run past 😯. Her father farmed and also drove machinery on the base and Dad remembers him too! Such a small world!    Read more

  • TravelerCycling France 2017
    Day 20

    Bayeux to Nantes

    September 24, 2017 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Bayeux - what a cute town. Very walkable, medieval buildings, lots of history, lots of services. One of the few places in Normandie to escape ruin during the war. Enjoyed a leisurely morning checking it out some more. Battle of Normandie museum, Charles de Gaulle park (every town in France has some memorial to de Gaulle), old buildings, winding streets.

    Train to Nantes, with a change in Rennes. We're getting good at this...finding our platform, the little elevators that barely fit one bike and panniers, getting on and off the trains before they take off.

    Big pedestrian centre ville with countless restaurants and shops. Bustling on a Sunday night.. quite the change from a week ago in little Alencon.

    Nantes chateau just up the street. Loire Valley...here we come!    Read more

  • TravelerCycling France 2017
    1
    Day 21

    Nantes to Montjean sur Loire. 69 km

    September 25, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    A bit of everything for our first day on the Loire. A hopeful start with a nice pathway right beside the mighty River as we cycled out of Nantes. Then...il pleut 🌧️. We took refuge under trees 🌳 a couple of times to wait for the lighter rain. But the worst was the path . Narrow, muddy, bumpy, below the train tracks. Grit in my brakes and gears...not happy about that. I jumped each time the train whistle blew thinking I was in the way 🤤.

    After that we enjoyed lunch at a restaurant that was in the right place at the right time. So after the worst bit of riding yet, we had the best value beer and lunch. There you go...it all works out.

    Much better riding in the afternoon. Especially an idyllic piece along a back channel. The Loire itself is pretty brown looking. Think the best is yet to come.

    Stayed in a small town - Montjean Sur Loire. Very small. Church, grocery store and not a lot else. Booked a chambres-hotes thru booking.com that turned out to be at the very top of the town. Once we made it up up up (pushing our bikes of course!) it's a very cool old manor with super views. Actually written up in the guide books with a history of being a castle then a monastery back in the day.

    69 km today despite the rain delays, so will sleep well.    Read more

  • TravelerCycling France 2017
    Day 23

    Montjean-sur-Loire to Boussiere. 70 km.

    September 27, 2017 in France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Another 70 km. Another manoir. Ho-hum..😏. Tho with a little bit of adventure.

    Great variety on our ride today and all good paths. Still lots of farmland, forest patches. The Euro-velo took us thru lots of small towns today... very cool riding thru their narrow winding streets. Riding up along the dykes for a good part of the time. And of course along la Loire or a side channel.

    Late getaway after chatting to our hostess Mlyne who's an artist. She wants to spend more time in her craft but the manor keeps her pretty busy. And we think there's always stuff to do around our place! It's for sale...I have her card if you're interested 😊.

    Late coffee with a sampling of the local fromage. It's lunchtime for the workers...their usual 2-1/2 hours for une biere (ou deux), dejeuner-midi, et le nap. A different pace of life.

    Picnic lunch - with wine and more cheese - beside la Loire. Then...what's this?...Get out the lunettes de soleil 🌞! Sun at the back feels great! Pass through the town of Savonnieres, that produces some of the best dry white wine in the world. Duly noted 🤔.

    All going according to plan. Reach the town of St Mathurin Sur Loire at 4:30 pm, stock up at the epicerie and find a chambre. Well...not so fast. Only 2 (small) places right in the town and both full. Phone from the tourist info to others in the area...tout complet or get an answering machine which of course I can't understand. Uh-oh...here it comes 😯. The biker's fear come true!

    Now 5:30 pm and still time to get to the larger town of Saumur - 35 km away - but need to boot it to arrive before dark. So boot it we do, keeping our eyes open for chambres-d'hotes along the way.

    See a sign and take the road a la droite. Can't see any place, so why not ask the locals? Oh yah...we don't speak their language 🙄. (A bit surprised at how little English is spoken in what is a pretty major tourist area). Back to the main road. See another sign a ways ahead and turn a la droite aussi. But just how far up this road is this chambre....no idea. Back to the main road. A little more time wasted 😯.

    45 minutes later - Voila! La Boussiniere chambres-d'hotes. In the middle of nowhere (tho not much is too far around here...just lots farther on a bike!). Another very cool manor up on the hill, built in 1626. Just one other set of guests...c'est tout. So lots of places to stay...you just have to know where to find them 🙄. We now have places booked for the next 4 nights 🤣.    Read more

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