The view from my tent

The drunken's house

I had my triple breakfast and started my way to the beggining of the col which was just a couple of kilometers away from the village.

Col d'Aubisque welcome sign

The climb was 16km from the base and took me a little more than 2 hours. As usual every kilometer there was a sign for the remaining distance, the altitude and the average gradient at that kilometer. Bit by bit I was gaining altitude and the scenery was gradually changing. Half way through the clouds had completely covered the sky and the tops were on and off inside them. Most of the route was within a wild forests, with rivers, small waterfalls and pleanty of streams that got smaller and smaller as I was getting higher.

Cycling within the clouds

Sheep at high altitude

Above 1500 meters, it was a completely different world. The temperature was keep dropping and for periods of time I was cycling withing dense clouds. On the way I saw dozens of cyclists going up and down and everyone was encouraging each other. I finally made it to the top and I was completely soaked by the sweat and the humidity. When I stoped cycling, I started getting cooler and cooler very fast and by the time I took a couple of photos, I started freezing. Luckily there was a refuge/restaurant just at the side with about 20 bikes parked outside and seemed reasonable to go in. There I had a plate of warm food by the fireplace.

I came from the right and heading to the left

The bicycles of the giants

My award!

In the refuge, I met a swiss couple that were also touring. Michi ans Silvia had already done about 10 cols in Pyrenees and the Alps. They’ve taken a year off work and after Europe they are flying to south America to cycle around the continent.

The wall of fame

When I managed to get some warmth and calories, I put my waterproofs to stop the chill and started making my way down to the other side. The decent didn’t require much effort, but apart from being dangerous, I didn’t want to go above 30km/h as the cold air was becoming unbearable. There were times I was breaking and peddaling at the same time, to keep my legs moving.

Going down again.

One for the several rivers

The next col of the day

I went down about 500 meters, I started ascending again to the next col du Soulor. I didn’t stay there long and I continued my descent. On the way down it was easier to admire the scenery and stop for photos. After the fast descent of 20 kilometers, I stopped at Argeles Gazost to see what my options are. In the tourist office, I met another touring couple that I had already seen at the col and as they were heading at the same direction with me, we ended up cycling together to Luz Saint Sauveur and checking into the same camp site. Philip and Julia are spending a week cycling around Pyrenees and they will do as many cols as they have time for.

Philip and Julia leading the way

Hi, my name is cool!

I had a quick stop for a lunch snack at Luvie-Juzon in a very nice location by the river. The village it self is very small and quite, with nice old houses.

I started cycling again and it didn’t take that long to get to Laruns where it was my primary destination and I knew there were camp sites. It was around 2am and my dilemma was whether to stay there or attempt the high col which was 18km away plus another 18km for the next village of Aucun. The problem was that I wasn’t sure if there are camp sites over there as it belongs to a different county and the tourist office didn’t have information about. I decided not to risk it and I checked in to one of the several camp sites of Laruns. To be honest I didn’t regret it at all. Laruns is a very nice little village at 525meters, surrounded by incredible mountains and only has bout 1000 inhabitants. The camp site I chose is right next to the river, which I can hear from my tent. A very nice contrast after the horrible camp site in Pau, where the only thing I could hear was cars.

After my shower and washing up, I went into the main square of Laruns to have a look. There I met a Portuguese couple and they were touring as well. Actually Pedro and Catia just finished their trip and they were heading back home in a Spanish city, where they live at the moment just on the other side of the mountains. We exchanged some stories and experience and they offered me valuable information about the cols I wanted to attempt as well as others that I should go through. They’ve done several trips in the area so they know it very well.

Today was really my day off and I didn’t do much. I woke up, did my laundry and had a massive sandwich for breakfast, with that sausage I am eating for the past 3 days and I am really sick of.

I cycled the 5km to the town center and started wondering around. Most of the city is relatively newly build and without much interest. I walked down the Pyrenees boulevard, which has a nice view of the mountains, but unfortunately the day was a little hazy, so they were not visible at all. On this road there are plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy the view. It also leads to the highlight of the city which is Pau’s spectacular castle by the river. This is also the area with the most interest, as the neighborhood still has old medieval buildings.

Plenty of cafes in one of the plazas

The Pyrenees Boulevard, but unfortunately it wasn't clear enough to see Pyrenees

Pau's Castle seen from its gardens

The courtyard inside the castle

The back entrance

Alleys next to the castle

And even more cafes

After my sightseeing, I spend a few hours inside the city’s cultural center where there is free and fast wifi! That’s very good, considering two days ago I payed  €4 for an hour in a dark internet cafe, without wifi, using a French layout keyboard which made me type as slow as my grandmother. The guy not only didn’t let me plug my laptop into his network, he didn’t even let me charge it in case his fuses go down!

The cultural/exhibition center with the free wifi. Not bad eh?

Approaching Navarrenx

The main gate

The view of the river by the walls

The houses inside the fortress

I started pedaling again to the next city of Mourenex, where I didn’t find anything interesting to make me stop apart from a self service car wash. It was time again to clean the bike and remember that my gears and chain are nickel and not black. After the wash I put some fresh lubricant and the ride was once again as smooth as when I first bought the bike.

Hi, my name is kitsch!

The road from there onwards, was running parallel to the Pau river, which means it was entirely flat and easy for my legs. I got to Pau early enough to go via the tourist office for a local map and a supermarket for supplies.

Last view of the Atlantic ocean

I started my day very excited, not only because I had a second breakfast by the ocean, but because I was about to face the mountains of Perenees. Of course I was uncertain if I could make it or not, so I didn’t plan for a specific destination, but I had only marked on the map several towns with campsites.

Mountains here I come!

Even being so close to the sea, just after 10 kilometers in the mainland the slope of the road started becoming noticeable steeper. Also the fact that I was constantly seeing groups of cyclists going up and down, made it obvious that I was going the right way. I’d like to note that the majority of these cyclists, were at their middle age. No wonder why I’ve never seen any of these electric/lazy chairs in France. Minutes later I saw the first cycling sign which indicates the name of the col I was going to, the altitude, distance and the grade of the road at that point. 10-15 minutes later I made it to my first top! Col Saint Ignace is only 169m and the grade doesn’t go above 5%, but I think it was ok for my first climb.

My first col

After my short break for a fruit and a PR photo, I continued to the nearby village of Sare. Sare along with Ainhoa and La Bastide Clairence are villages that I had read that are very interesting to visit. All three were very small, with similar architecture and character. Nice houses with coloured beams and windows, within a fantastic landscape, full of trees and streams of water. The first one had an open market and I kind of regretted that I had already bought my lunch, as there were some stalls with delicious looking products.

The open market at Sare

Ainhoa

Ainhoa

I went to the second village of Ainhoa via Spain. Yes I did cross the invisible borders for about ten kilometers and then back in again. It wasn’t really necessary, but I thought why not, just so I say I’ve made it there as well.

The shop at the right is in Spain

Sortly after my break for food refuel, I continued to La Bastide Clairence and after that I faced the last part of the ride which was to get to Saint Palais that had a camp site. Through out the whole day I cycled through some amazing landscapes full of trees, streams and rivers. It really paid of the effort of cycling up the slopes.

Going down before going up again

If you want to avoid slopes, follow rivers or rail tracks

The view from one of the tops

Apart from the first col, I did go up and down the slopes several times. So after managing to cycle 95 kilometers, one thing was certain that I was exhausted and very hungry. I pitched my tent, had a shower and washed my clothes in fast forward and then cooked my self a hefty portion of pasta with sausages, fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic and cheese, which by now has already been digested.

Again the night was a little humid, so none of my loundry tryied out and once again I had to attatch them to the back of the bike and let them dry on the way. Until mid-day there was overcast, but soon after, the clouds moved away for another hot day.
I wasn’t up for much cycling, I just wanted to get the Biarritz and the towns around it, which are located at the furthest north-west corner of France, next the Atlantic ocean and the Spanish borders.
Biarritz is a high class resort. The coast if build up with big, old and posh hotels, restaurants, villas and castles. Within the beaches, there are a few huge rocks and some of them have been turned into small islands connected by foot bridges.

Overlooking one of the beaches at Biarritz

My lunch spot

Nice little house...

After a short break in Biarritz, I move to Saint Jean De Luz, which is also a very beautiful town, but a lot more grounded. Its center is pedestrianized and has maintained all the nice old buildings, giving it a very nice character and atmosphere. Since these towns are so close to Spain, I saw many bars and restaurants serving Spanish food and drinks.
Looking for camp sites in the area, I decided on one is in Urrugne, a village just a couple of kilometers south of Saint Jean De Luz, since it was the closest to the center. I checked in early, pitched my tent and cook something to eat before going back to the towns for more wondering around. Urragne is also a very pretty village, with again old buildings on the main road in front of the port. I am tempted to stay an extra day here.

The light house of Urrugne small port

The front road at Urrugne

Saint Jean du Luz port, with the Pyrenees at the background

The alleys at Saint Jean de Luz

Nice building by the sea front

The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes, was a very strong chemical type smell. Then I remembered the big paper factory I saw the day before as I was entering the town. I wanted to get away as soon as possible, but even if I was up for an early start, it was very humid during the night which meant wet tent and undried clothes. I had to wait about an hour for the sun to warm things up and let me pack my things.

Snail attack on my tent and the bike

After buying a few supplies, I headed back to the forest for another 40km on beautiful cycle tracks. The scenery was pretty much the same with yesterday. Dense pine forest and the occasional view of the sandy beaches. The only difference was the heat which today was unbearable, going up to 35.

Yet another cycle path within the forest

It was very hot at the time

At around midday, I was feeling way to hot, so I invaded a camp site to refill my bottles and throw some water on me on my face. I decided to go to the beach and look for something to eat, but out of my bad luck everything just closed. I find it a little strange that restaurants close at 2pm?

I moved on and on the way I ate all the fruits I bought in the morning plus my emergency almonds. The heat was still unbearable. I decided to leave the cycle track and go faster to the next town and about an hour later I found the relief of a pizza and a cold soft drink.

My plan was to get to Biarritz and maybe get the next day off to take the time and see the city. I passed through Hossegor which is another surfers town and look preaty cool, but I decided to make it to my destination. Unfortunatelly half way through I gave up because of the heat. I found a camp site and went straight in and kind of regreated not staying in the Hossegor, as where I am at the moment there are only a camp sites, a beach and buzzing mosquitos.

I woke up and went up the dune one more time to admire the scenery. I find it hard to believe that I payed 7 euros for a camping in such a place, while I am certain that the one in the town of Arcachon would have been at least 12 for its useless swimming pool and petit dog hair salon.

I departed and almost instantly I found my self on a cycling path within the surrounding forest. I spend about 95% of todays cycling time on cycling paths, half of them within beautiful pine forests. The whole area of south west France is covered in very dense forests, so today about 50 kilometers of my trip was within them. The paths are never straight so I ended up cycling a lot more than taking the normal road, but it was well worth it. The feeling of cycling in such a vast forest for so many hours, was remarkable.

After some climbing of some hills I came to the next highlight of the day which was the lakes that are within these forests.They are very big and connected to the sea via canals, so they are full of boats and small resorts.

My day finished in Mimizan, which is yet another resort by the ocean. This one though, even if it doesn’t look old, it looks a lot cuter and looked after. I looked around for a restaurant to eat and in the end I jumped into a Greek tavern as I was graving some grilled meat. The moment I sat down and talked to the guy who was running it, I realized that he wasn’t Greek at all, so there goes my language practice for my repatriation. At least he played Zorbas once in the stereo.

I woke up a little late, took my time to make my tea with my brand new stone and had a massive breakfast of a whole baguette, 8 slices of salami and 200g of cheese. I said goodbye to the English cyclists and made my way to the center of Bordeaux to visit the tourist office for camp sites and directions. That was a very wise idea, as they show me the way and I got out of the city in no time and without any problems this time.
I headed west, once more to meet the ocean and the coastal city of Arcachon. To ride was a little bit boring, as the road for about 30km is completely straight, without much variation in the scenery. Also it seems that on the west of Bordeaux there aren’t any vineyards, apart from a couple of chateaux and a about a dozen of vines in one of the entry roundabouts of the city, letting the visitors know what this city is all about.

Vines as a landmark on the entry roundabout of the city

Bath-trees grow in Bordeaux as well

Arcachon is another big resort, with nice beaches packed with well done cooked bathers. I got there relatively early, so I was debating whether to stay there or go further south to see the dunes of Pilat. I had done my homework with the campsites, so I knew there is one in the city and a few more further out. I went to the local tourist office to ask exactly where they are and for an opinion on what to do.

Me: I know there is a campsite in the city and a few other by the dunes. Which one do you recomend?
Tourist office lady: Ahh… I am not allowed to tell you.
Me: How come?
TOL: We can’t favor one over the other. But if I could, I would say the one in Arcachon.
Me: Why?
TOL: Because it is the local one and it belongs to our department.
Me: hmmmm…

I cycled around the long beach of the city and I though I should go to the local one and call it a day, since it was very hot and I was getting a little tires. On the way, as I was looking at the map, an old couple asked me where I wanted to go, told them about the camp site and also asked for their opinion about the local one versus the ones in the dunes. They agreed the local one was better. As I was approaching to the camp site which by the way is not close to the sea, the same thing happend again, but with a younger man this time. I asked him the same question and he said the local is very good and close to the city, the others are 10km away but next to the dunes. So it’s up to what I wanted, luxary versus nice scenery. I thought about it for a minute and made the right choice of taking the extra ride to the dunes.
I knew these are the biggest sand dunes in Europe, but when I first saw them I said WOW!!! I was cycling within the forest and when I located the first camp site, I saw the massive dunes as its backdrop, and they were casting their shadow on the entire site. I quickly made my choice of the camp site and an emplacement just next to the dune boundary, thinking that I should better be as close as possible to the beach.

Where I pitched my tent

After I pitched my tent and before having a shower I went to have a look. It took me about 5 exhausting minutes to go up the dune and another 15 to go over it and down to the water. Apparently their maximum height is about 110 meters and 3 kilometers long. It’s probable the most spectacular scenery I’ve seen so far in the trip.

Going up the dune

On the top of the dune, looking to the forest

At the top

Parapente

Going up again

I also took this great opportunity to enjoy my first swim of the summer. You see I am a little peculiar about where I am swimming, even if I was craving it all these days as I was sweating next to the ocean. In general I avoid busy beaches, because that’s where you can smell the coconut suncream, hear screaming babies, find douzens of cigarettes under your towel and floating tambon in the water.

Compare the beach at Arcachon...

...with this one!

I was expecting the water a little warmer for such a hot day, but I guess that’s the ocean, or me who has lost touch with the sea. Anyway, after my swim I let my self dry out in the sun and walked up and down the massive dunes once more, to go back to the tent and cook my dinner.

I had already decided from the day before that I would spend at least a day in Bordeaux. So I woke up when I was ready to, took my time, chatted a little more with the English cyclists and then made my way to the town center.

It is indeed a very beautiful city, with the big river of Garonne crossing it and dozens of pedestrianized streets in the center full of old buildings. I spend most of the day wondering around the center, getting lost in the alleys and looking into the nice shops. It’s always very interesting to go back to a lively and busy city after spending so much time by my self in the country side.

The city had plenty of those gates

Many alleys like this one

Saint Andre Cathedral

The typical French outdoor cafes and restaurants

Tourists in the mist

Being in a big city was a good opportunity for me to buy a couple of things I needed. I bought the next two maps and I finally managed to buy a stove and several supplies, with which I made my first warm dinner that will make my mom proud.

Maps to go all around the globe

My first tent-made dinner

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