A Ferry Crossing

Today we had a Ferry trip across from Le Verdon to Royan. By taking the ferry we have saved ourselves the trip around the Bordeaux area- we have cycled it in the past and it can be a bit manic if you are on a bike. As we crossed the estuary we seemed to be leaving the clear blue skys behind and moving under more cloudy skys. Tonight we are in Pont l' abbe-D'arnoult about 80 miles from last nights stop. We have had some wind and rain which moved in overnight but we have been lucky so far during the day. The change in temperatures over night is now very noticeable. Gone are the hot days and nights of Spain and Southern France. The weather now is a bit like May or June in the UK. I have managed to come up with a nut and bolt in my portable bits collection to secure John's pannier rack properly so with a bit of luck that problem should be sorted. Planning on a bit of a shorter day tomorrow- somewhere in the region of 50 miles- it all depends on the weather now. Thinking about it the weather in one form or another has been a major factor throughout this road trip.

Short day's riding - 48 miles.

Yes today was a 48 mile day. We have now arrived in Lacanau which seems to be a village on a crossroads. Not a lot here- but it does have a campsite and a cake shop. What more does one need. The weather still good but it is now getting colder at night. John is starting to suffer at night with the colder nights and is finding out that you should not purchase a cheap supermarket special bag. One of the first things he intends to buy when he gets back to the UK is a decent bag. John has also been having problems with one of his pannier rack securing bolts. It keeps working loose. I don't think that it will fall out but we are keeping our eye on it. We realise that as we make our way north the weather will start to become more unsettled and that will feel odd after all the intense heat we had as we crossed Spain. Gibraltar is over 1075 miles behind us now. Tomorrow we will just push on and we hope to cross from Le Verdon to Royan on the ferry. We will just see where we get to. . . The best way to cycle not having a fixed daily destination- where ever we decide to stop will be our destination.

Arrived at Arcachon

Although we had planned a short day today we ended up doing full 91 miles. The slightly cooler weather was a joy to cycle in. Added to that were the superb cycle tracks that we were able to use for the second half of todays ride. ( See photo) . Needless to say we are pretty much tired out so it WILL be a much shorter day tomorrow. This part of France is great with the Atlantic coast on our left and the smell of pine trees hanging heavy in the air. Unlike Spain there are campsites everywhere and they are much better than the 'building sites' that we have had to camp in when we crossed Spain. There are now clouds in the sky and rain is forecast. We will now turn in for an early night.

Another rest day.

After yesterdays exertions we have had a lazy day. Down to the beach and drinking coffee all day- just watching the world go by. We have decided that we will start to do shorter days. We have so much time in hand after tearing across Spain at double quick time due to the heat that we have calculated that we can afford to reduce our daily mileage and still keep to our target time. We reckon that we can now reduce our daily mileage to about 50 a day- this will enable us to see some places along the route- have less tiring days- and still finish on time. It is certainly cooler here in France, Perhaps with the reduced temperatures and the shorter distances we will actually start to enjoy this ride. Make no mistake, Spain was tough. The first day up to Ronda set the mark for the rest of the trip across Spain. The heat was totally energy sapping and I really don't want to experience anything like that again. Looking at it with my positive head on, it is amazing that I have been able to deal with it considering that just one year ago I had only just finished radiotherapy for cancer. It just goes to show what the human body is capable of. For those of you that like statistics here are just a few: Total Mileage so far 801.43 Average speed so far 12.78 mph Although the average seems low , when you consider the heat and gradients across Spain I am reasonably pleased.

Viva le France.

At last - we are in France. It seems a lifetime on the road but we are here. The route up the western edge of the Pyrenees was not as hard as the route up to Ronda on day one. Today even had some respite in the gradients and that plus the very slightly cooler weather made for a better day. We have at last got some nice green grass on which to pitch our tents. The site in Ondres is really nice. It is just up the road from Biarritz and has a bit of class about it- mind you after some of the building sites being passed off as campsites that we had to stay on in Spain anything is an improvement. John and I are so tired even after our rest day in Pamplona that we are going to award ourselves another day off tomorrow. John is finding his nights quite tough as since his thermarest exploded he is effectively sleeping on the ground and he always seems to find the lumpy bits of ground to pitch his tent. We obviously have various tales to tell about this trip that I have not mentioned yet, but dont worry all will be told on our trip review that will be posted throughout October. Various items of kit have failed such as Johns mattress - other items have been a real success and I know that some of you always like to read the kit reviews. The bikes - other than minor things- have been fine. The picture shows John taking a rest on today's ascent. Again we have lots more photos which will be posted on this Blog next month after our return to the UK.

A day in Pamplona.

Our day started with chores. Bike checks - clothes washing and general sorting out. We took the bus from near the site into the city. The bus was a bendy bus and was very state of the art. We visited the main church and the bull ring and then we sat in the main square for lunch. After all the hot dusty miles we have completed so far this is total luxury. After looking at the streets where the bull run takes place in July each year we caught the bendy bus back to the site. Tonight we sat in the bar planning tomorrows stage. We had planned to cross the western edge of the pyrenees by way of the Col d' Ispeguy but because of the heat and how tired we are we have decided to make the crossing by Telleria and into France near Ainhoa taking a diversion to see the Gorramendi at 1074 metres . We feel that with panniers back and front it might be a slightly more sensible route- not that anything about this road trip is sensible and that includes us. With a lot of effort on our part and a bit of luck we should be in France this time tomorrow . If you are sat at home putting on weight and getting fatter and fatter and becoming more unfit with the passing of the years you should try a trip like this. You would not regret it and the memories will stay with you always. So many people have said to us that they would love to do something similar- if you are thinking that you would like to give it a go do it now - don't let the routine of daily life get in the way because if you do you will always stay at home. If you can help to improve the lives of those less fortunate than you by trying to raise funds for a charity of your choice as you cycle along then its a win win adventure in my book!

Pamplona.

Today was another hot day. The picture shows the campsite just north of the city. Lots of other cyclists camping here as you can see. There is also a bar and a pool- oh what luxury! We deserve this after more than a week of travelling on the road. Tomorrow is our rest day and it has not come a minute too soon. We are both very tired and plan an early night. Will try and post more tomorrow. Night all!