Category Archives: On the road

Day 14 – La Rochelle & Ill de Re

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(55km)

Yesterday, when I wrote about day off, I meant I would stay in the same camp site, but didn’t mean I will  not cycle.

After such a hot day, it was a big surprise to wake up in the rain. I got a little bit annoyed as I had so many things I wanted to see and do in the area. After my late breakfast I put all my waterproofs on and headed for the town of La Rochelle which was a little further than I thought.

Please go away black cloud

Go away black cloud!

La Rochelle is very beautiful, maybe one of my best so far. Had loads of small alleys and old buildings with character, as well as an old port. Unfortunately I didn’t stay as much as I wanted, as I also wanted to cross to the island. I think it’s a place that I should revisit some time as it has so many things to offer.

By the post office at La Rochelle

By the post office at La Rochelle

La Rochelle port

La Rochelle port

To go to the island of Re, I had to cycle about 10km and cross another big bridge, which luckily had a dedicated cycle path, so things were kind of easy.

Crossing the bridge. Notice in which direction the wind blows again!

Crossing the bridge. Notice in which direction the wind blows again!

The 4km bridge

The 4km bridge as seen from the island

Again when I got to the island, I didn’t have to leave the cycle paths, as you can go to any little village on them. That’s why I saw numerous shops rending bikes. I didn’t want to cycle all the way to the west end of the island, as that was 30 kilometres away and didn’t fit with my day off. I visited La Flotte and Saint Martin De Re villages, both very beautiful.

Nice cycle path between the villages

Nice cycle path between the villages

The port at Saint Martin

The port at Saint Martin

An old remaining of a church

An old remaining of a church

In the afternoon I headed back to L’Houmeau to my camp site to do some more washing up and get some rest for tomorrow’s adventure.

Day 13 – Les Sambles to L’Houmeau

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(109km)
By 8.30am I was on the road, starting my day with a pain du chocolate and an unknown type of very sugary baguette that I managed to finish in two goes.
I continued cycling south and the scenery was pretty much the same all the way through. Widely spread coastal resort towns by the ocean with nothing special to see, apart from the occasional topless granny and her minuscule dog.

Decayed joyland

Decayed joyland

A little more interesting town I went through was Talmont Saint Hilaire which had more character and a castle from the 11th century.

11th century castle

11th century castle

It also had a big petrol station along with a car wash, where by using my perfect by now french, I managed to convince them to let me use their pressure water spray to clean my bike. After 12 days on the road through many dusty cycle paths, my bike was full of dirt and mud. After the wash, all the wierd sounds from the chain disappeared and the ride was once again smooth and more enjoyable.

The freshly washed bike, ready for a few more thousand kilometers.

The freshly washed bike, ready for a few more thousand kilometers.

As I approached La Tranche, I went into the supermarket for picnic supplies and to look once more for that stove I need. This time they had the two different types of gas tanks, but none of the burners. I had my lunch by the beach under a tiny patch of shade. At least the wind from the ocean kept me very cool. After lunch, book reading, a short siesta and an ice cream, I departed for the last part of today’s ride.

That's a big water tank and one of the interesting things of the day.

That's a big water tank and one of the interesting things of the day.

It was hot all day long, but I don’t mind while cycling as the air cools me down and as long as I drink pleanty of water everything is ok. For about 10km I was heading north and I noticed that I could effortlessly reach speeds of 40km/hr but that was of course because of the strong tail wind pushing me. Then there was a big U turn and about 25km in the opposite direction and for about 2 hours I was strugling to cycle over 15km/hr. The wind along with temperatures sometimes above 35, made it one of the toughest rides I’ve done so far in the trip. As a teenager I used to hate the wind because it was messing up my carefully styled hair before school. Now I hate when it is on my face as it makes my ride harder.

Fighting with the wind

Fighting with the wind

I guess with all that struggle I should have found a camp site on the way and call it a day. But what I wanted was to get as close as possible to La Rochelle, but not inside, as it will probable be a lot more expensive. Tomorrow I am taking the day off, so I’ll be close enough to go and visit the city and I will also have the opportunity to cross the bridge to the opposite island de Re. I also need the next map and a banana to celebrate.