Dave and his Bike

Southbound Again.

Day 5

I had a fantastic nights sleep, followed by a cup of tea in bed for the first time in a while. After a lovely breakfast of homemade produce I got on my way. Lynn and Jean-Luc have been great hosts as usual, and we must get together again soon. Thank you again for your hospitality.

Today was actually planned to be a day off. Rest my legs, catch up with some sleep, eat well, spend time with family. But no. Lisa & Mark have made such good progress that they have arrived at our rendezvous point a day early! Great effort from both of them, and when we met up 17km from Ceaux they looked fresh, and ready for the ride ahead.

We delayed ourselves by stopping for two cups of coffee, a chat about our ride experiences so far on this trip, and further discussion about today’s route. once under way, the cross-headwind seemed less impactive, probably because of the conversation and therefore not noticing it as much.

My first mistake was to recommend a voie verte, which was a little too verte: overgrown and unsurfaced. We ditched this idea, and headed back to the tarmac.

Not far down the road was Lencloître. I’d passed through yesterday heading north, and we now stopped going southbound for our lunch. The place was buzzing as it was market day in the big square in the town centre. We made some sandwiches and sat on a park bench watching the market being dismantled whilst loading up with calories, then headed off towards Naintré and eventually the river Vienne.

A small diversion before Naintré was a minor inconvenience, but other than that the navigation was pretty straightforward, helped greatly by Marks planning and use of his Garmin, which to be fair I can never be patient enough to bother with. My paper map gives me a good overview of things, and the two forms together work well.

Once we were following the river, time passed quickly as we chatted, and photo stops were forgotten. We soon crossed the bridge into Chauvigny and easily found our hotel for the night. It was an impressive looking building, and whilst the interior was rather dated, it was still clean and comfortable. The owner had quite a sense of humour and joked with us the whole time, to the point that I wasn’t sure when he was being serious.

Chauvigny is a medieval town of 7000 inhabitants, boasting a complex of five castle which are perched with a view over two valleys. By the time we had sorted ourselves out, and found something to eat and drink our enthusiasm to climb the hill and explore had waned somewhat. It was also 2200hrs, and sleep seemed like a better idea. I must return.

It had seemed like a long day, but we have all been cycling for several days now, so the fatigue is building up a bit. Hopefully we will feel a bit fresher tomorrow.

Distance so far: 450.43km

Day 6.

It had rained overnight. I was soon aware of this, as one minute after I woke up I was outside on my way to breakfast. We had arranged to meet at 0800hrs, and I woke up at 0759hrs. At least I wasn’t properly late.

Breakfast was good, and it had been worth getting out of bed. After a chat about routes, and a hasty look at distances and accommodation (an ongoing theme for cyclotourists), we recovered our bikes from the hotel garage and set off back over the bridge and southbound. We were still all feeling a bit jaded unfortunately, but it wore off a bit and the cycling was enjoyable (for me, and I hope the others too).

Route finding was a pretty simple matter all day – head south and follow the river. You would assume it to be quite flat. It is not. I don’t think we rode on the flat all day; it was either a climb or a descent, as we dropped to river level and climbed away again constantly. Some of the towns and villages we passed by or through I recognised from my northbound stage, but it’s amazing how different things look travelling in the opposite direction.

Our first stop was early (after about 17km) for coffee in Civaux. We ploughed on to L’Isle Jourdain for lunch (yes, Intermarché again) and sheltered in their foyer to avoid the first proper rain shower of the day.

Following cycle routes can have a tendency to wiggle around and add mileage. On this occasion it just took us down beautiful rural lanes and as close to the river as you can get without getting wet. Brilliant.

The chateau in St Germain de Confolens looked even more impressive from the other side of the river and on the bridge, providing us with a perfect photo opportunity.

The current chateau dates back to the 15th century, but a dungeon and other notable buildings have stood on its site since the 12th century. Pre-revolution it was privately owned; post-revolution it became public property and was dismantled (hence its condition), the ruins then being sold in 1900 to a parish priest, eventually returning to the ownership of the parish. It is quite an impressive and imposing structure.

Confolens was only another 4km down the road. Our B&B was easily found, with a helpful owner and excellent rooms – including a washing machine!

A walk to the ‘newer’ end of town found us in a bar for a beer. Back to the old town and we found an asiatic restaurant. The food was excellent. The best pad kra pao I’ve had outside Thailand.

It chucked it down whilst we ate. Mark got a bit damp on one side. We all experienced the drizzle on the way back to our accommodation.

Great day on the bike (despite the hills and headwinds). Looking forward to more of the same tomorrow.

Distance so far: 525.25km

Day 7

A comfy night, but my sleep was a bit disturbed by the after effects of the pad kra pao. I still felt reasonably refreshed though, and enjoyed the sociable breakfast.

Minor bike adjustments (mainly Mark) and we set off in overcast weather, with little threat of rain and the vague promise of a tailwind. It had rained overnight which had freshened things up nicely, and yet the roads had pretty much dried by the time we needed them.

The plan for the day was to head to an AirBnB in Champagnac-de-Belair, which Mark had sent a booking request to. So we headed south, immediately up a 4% drag out of town. We were anticipating a day of rolling countryside, and it didn’t disappoint. By the time we stopped for a coffee after 29km in Massignac we had already climbed over 500m.

The café was a community owned ‘café associatif’, meaning we had to join the association with a €1 membership fee in order to buy a coffee. Small price to pay, as it was a lovely experience. The cookies were very small though. At this point we also received a message from our host for the night, who couldn’t accommodate us. So a hasty bit of re-planning of route and search for a bed (or two) took place. We plumped for Brantôme and set off again after buying some bread, ham and cheese in the tiny village shop. The hills continued.

A few kilometres later we stopped to consume our purchases in the not-so-scenic setting of a bus shelter. The only place we could find with a bench to sit on.

Our next stop was at a small supermarket in Saint-Pardoux-La-Rivière to again refuel as the constant rise and fall in the road was taking its toll. That said, the last 4km down into the village had been a spectacular and rather quick descent. We hoped that since we were on the river Dronne and so was our destination, the last 19km would be relatively flat. It was. Fuelled by chocolate and other sugar based products, we maintained a relatively high pace (as far as cycle touring goes) and took turns pulling on the front to keep the speed up – with Lisa doing more than her fair share.

The Hotel Coligny appeared closed when we first arrived, but a couple of minutes after we made a phone call, a helpful young lady came to let us in and give us our room keys, and tell us that no breakfast was available.

It is lovely to be back in Brantôme. I have spent many happy times here with my family, and have lovely memories of being here with my parents, wife, children and friends over the last 40 years. This trip adds another one to the list.

After a stroll around the disappointingly quiet streets of the old town, we settled down to steak frites overlooking the river and historic scenery. Mark won’t be trying the grenadine flavoured shandy again I don’t think.

After a long day on the bike with plenty of climbing, an early night was in order. It was somewhat facilitated by the restaurant closing around us leaving no other option than to retire to our rooms, but not before a route check and plan of action for tomorrow had been decided upon.

Distance so far: 619.23km

Day 8.

The hotel wasn’t serving breakfast this morning. A relatively early start therefore meant that we could stop for a coffee and croissant in town before making headway for the day. A boulangerie on the outskirts of Brantôme provided our sustenance and shortly afterwards we started out in the general direction of Perigueux.

Our route soon took us onto a voie verte which consisted mainly of gravel, of varying qualities: some smooth and easily rideable; some rocky and decidedly risky. We all made it through those kilometres unscathed.

The main road that we joined into Perigueux was a bit busy, but required no navigation and took us straight to the historic centre, where after another coffee and a cookie we rode past the cathedral, stopping on the bridge to photograph it.

I’ve only ridden through Perigueux once before, and never found the cycle routes. This time we did. In general they are excellent, with the odd tree route issue causing concern. They are well signposted and well maintained. The downside was that in using them we didn’t pass any shops and were therefore unable to get provisions for lunch.

The climb away from the suburbs took us back into beautiful countryside and pretty villages, the first of which was Marsaneix. It had a small bar / tabac which served food and drink. Or so the adverts outside indicated, as it was closed for lunch until 1600hrs. We used their tables, chairs and shade to eat the bits and pieces floating around in our luggage: dry bread, muesli bars, snickers and haribo mainly. Not overly nourishing, but some calories all the same. The public toilets next to the church were at least open.

The climbs continued, and the sweet lunch diet appeared to have done Mark some good as he set a solid tempo and climbed strongly away from me, and to a degree Lisa. We soon emerged onto the main D710 road. I have ridden on it before and wasn’t particularly keen to do it again. However at the point we turned onto it I was aware that it was a 10km descent to Le Bugue. There was more traffic than we are used to, some of which was big lorries, but the smooth tarmac and speed made the experience worthwhile.

The old centre of Le Bugue is very pretty. We sat outside the Café de Paris and had a cold beer / cider served by the guy who grumpily insisted that the bikes stayed in the street, not in the courtyard. The same guy then booked us in to the Hôtel de Paris, and helpfully opened up a storeroom in which we could keep the bikes overnight. Who knows.

After a quick refresh, we headed out on foot, had a beer at the Bar de l’Union (sorry the kitchen is closed), and a great €17.70 menu (including wine) consisting of three courses tasty local cuisine. It made up for the lack of lunch. When the chairs and tables were being un-subtly put away (2100hrs) we left for an early night.

Home tomorrow. Jane may join us for coffee en-route.

Distance so far: 697km

Day 9.

My stomach wasn’t great overnight. My guess is that the cloudy beer we had, shouldn’t have been and was the end of the barrel. Not sure, but a few volcanic bathroom visits woke me intermittently from my slumber. By the morning I was refreshed enough to ride, and gambled on the fact the my digestive system had done its thing and would now behave itself. I was quite relieved that it’s not far home from here.

We opted not to give the hotel any more of our money, as the service wasn’t brilliant, and the rooms were decidedly average. The artisan boulangerie on the way out of town (the wrong way) provided pastry, coffee and just about enough seating for us, then we rode back through the centre and out on the road up the Vézère valley. It amused me (possibly because I’m a bit simple) that for one short stretch I was riding the same bit of road, in the same direction as when I was heading north, until Campagne when we filtered off. Then came the first climb of the day. This was the 8th consecutive day on the bike for M&L, and the terrain had got increasingly hillier throughout the trip. Every climb, no matter how small and steep could be felt in the legs, so the 6km ascent before the drop into Saint Cyprien was a morning wake up call.

Even though we had only covered about 20km, Saint Cyprien was an ideal spot for another coffee. The pretty buildings and streets are one of my regular stops and didn’t disappoint on this occasion as we sat by the fountain with our coffee.

The next stretch along the Dordogne rises and falls a little bit. My local knowledge of the short, sharp climb away from the river in Envaux was much appreciated, as the 16% section is just around a blind bend. Being in the wrong gear there could mean a grinding halt. Especially with panniers.

The views along the river are quite spectacular. I often ride this road, and never get bored with the chateaux all around me: Des Milandes, Fayrac and Beynac being the most visually stunning.

I was only another short stint as far as Castelnaud-la-Chapelle where we turned right, away from the river and along the Céou valley. But not until we had met Jane in Castelnaud for an orangina (no more caffeine required), and a lovely rendezvous.

I have lost count of the number of times I have ridden the final stretch. It is a beautiful valley ride to Daglan, then a false flat to Saint Pompon. The climb from there up to Campagnac can never be underestimated, and lulls you into a false sense of security if you are not careful. The varying 2 to 5% gradient culminates in a 9% section past the village. Just when you think it all over another 1km section (the worst bit) again hitting 9% finishes you off. We know it as ‘Jane’s nemesis’ as it took here a couple of years to get over it without stopping. I had mentioned this to M&L, but in the event they rode steadily over it, to then be greeted by a young deer crossing the road. It was quite a fitting end to the ride really. A flat finish would have been an anticlimax!

Both Mark and Lisa have been absolutely amazing on this ride. Lisa has never done anything like this before, but never complained, never ground to a halt, and rode away from us on the climbs. Mark has ridden harder and longer than this historically, but his accident took him to absolutely rock bottom. How he has progressed since then is incredible. Chapeau to them both.

Distance covered: 749.33 kilometres.