To the Atlantic Ocean

To Lacanau-Océan

1 -3 July

A fabulous trackside garden out of Bordeaux

The developments out by the lake also affected our exit from Bordeaux, as the whole of the cycleway was closed for a number of kilometres and we had to follow deviation signs to get out. All went fairly well until the very last notice which directed us to the motorway. We knew THAT was wrong. Luckily a local also noticed what was wrong, when he saw us looking lost at the crossroads, and he motioned us to come over the road, turned the notice the right way round, and went on his way!

From there on the route was fairly straightforward, with a good surface and excellent markings. It followed another old train track, with the same features as before – long straight sections and very graduated inclines and descents. It was labelled like a road – the D801. We could easily have reached Lacanau Ocean in a day (about 60km) but there are only resort camping grounds there, so we stopped at Le Moutchic, slightly before the coast, which still seemed pretty resort-like but reasonably priced, good facilities and a good site. And right on the cycle path. We stayed there for two nights, ‘commuting’ in to Lacanau Ocean, the town where we reached the Atlantic Ocean, after more than 800km of riding. We found a bar called Chez L’Australien and had a Foster’s!

Chez L'Australien

We had iced Perrier here, it was so hot!

Villa Zénith

Villa Zénith

For our last night in the area we stopped at what is one of only a very few back-packers in France, called Villa Zenith. We had a 6 bedded-room to ourselves and access to a kitchen, garden, small social room and facilities, including charging our gear.  It gave us a good start up the coast the next morning and was yet another alternative accommodation.

First day

Second day...

Bordeaux

29-30 June

Crossing into the city of Bordeaux from the other side of the river, we noticed immediately an Ibis hotel, which we know has reasonable weekend rates and it was a Saturday. In cities, we don’t really like being camped out of town. You can waste a long time getting in and out of the city, you worry about the security of your possessions, and you don’t get the feel of the city at all, so well-priced hotels are our choice. Then we walk all over the place, with our bikes safely locked in whatever storage is offered by the hotel.

We did a lot of walking, even going as far as the camping ground from the tram stop (FAR too far in the heat! We managed to get a bus back to the tram stop but they are infrequent and you have to call them up for them to stop.) 






We liked the feel of the city with its long stretch of riverside, 
majestic monuments, parks, fountains. We went into the cathedral of St André to have a look, only to find it packed to capacity. It was the ordination of 6 priests, but there was standing-room only in the cathedral and we left them to it.

Bordeaux has clearly been developed in the last few decades. There are large open areas, a network of tramways, a riverside development including outlet shops in the old warehouses, extensive play areas for children, a massive skateboard park in three separate areas for different abilities, including a really complex set-up for the advanced skate-boarder or roller-blader. We saw both using the equipment.

Outside the city centre there is a lot of development in modern housing, with some very attractive housing complexes out by the lake, which itself is well-equipped for leisure activities. The whole area is well-serviced by the tramway and by a large commercial centre. In fact, because of this large centre it is not so easy to find some things in the city centre (such as the gas we need for our cooker).

Tramways have been developed in the last decade and work continues in this area, as in every other big city in France. Invariably there are roadworks, roadblocks, obstacles to manœuvre around, deviations from the blocked route and lots of noise. But there is clear progress and the trams are a delight to travel on, once you work out where to buy the tickets, which can be different for each city. The only consistent place is NOT on the tram. (Except from Lyon airport!)

Toulouse-Bordeaux Part 4

Days 9  - 11: Meilhan to Bordeaux

10km on next morning we had to leave the cycle path, which finishes abruptly for reasons unknown.

Our route took us north on quietish, undulating roads, north across La Garonne to La Réole, where we stopped for obligatory refreshments. We were approached by an Englishman called William who overheard us talking -he was staying locally and conversation revealed that he has a son who has lived in Wellington for quite some time. He invited us for supper and we said that if he could throw in a patch of ground for our tent we’d be delighted.

This meant a detour of a few kilometres through wonderful (=hilly) wine country, including some of the more famous Chateaux. Past an old mill, which is still extremely picturesque. We stopped to ask for directions at a small village, which turned out to have a well-preserved Romanesque church and the local we had stopped to talk to showed us around.

William, who lives in England, runs summer classes in France on sustainable living. When we arrived he was bottling ginger beer and the following morning they were planting beans. He works with a large patch of land planted in several gardens. We spent a lovely evening there and have promised to return the favour when he is in Wellington later in the year.

Once we reached Sauveterre, a lovely little fortified town with a fantastic pâtisserie (don’t you just LOVE biking?), there was a great voie verte to follow almost all the way to Bordeaux. It had once been a railway line, so there were extensive straight sections and only gentle rises and falls. Well sign-posted and lane-marked at intersections, it was the first well-developed cycle path we had come across, and even had a tunnel! It was fun riding past old stations, some of which had been converted into bars, cycle renting centres or restaurants. (A bar usually means a place we can sit outside with a drink, which may be an innocuous as water or as strong as a low alcohol beer.)

 

We had to go off the path again to find the camping ground at Créon, a pleasant enough place, with a snack bar where they let us charge our gear. Lots of lovely people there, and a few lovely dogs. We even met a family from Botswana, travelling with a large camper van. He couldn’t quite believe that we were biking around France. He talked about the diamond trade and found France expensive.

The voie verte finished just before we hit the Garonne again and the run into Bordeaux was along cycle paths on quiet roads. The Garonne is wide at this point and there were some very pretty views. Especially noticeable were enormous gates leading to mansions, which had belonged to the rich, who used to get to their houses by boat in the day.

Toulouse- Bordeaux - Part 3

Day 7 and 8: Meilhan-sur-Garonne

A lovely 43km run down from Buzet, with lots of crops coming into their own with the warmer weather and a surprise encounter with a Rembrandt early Christ, hanging in a village church en route.  A beautifully sunny day. Sadly more evidence of industries that are no more, with empty factories and rusting loading cranes protruding over the canal. Abandoned factories are part of the countryside through which the canals pass, wherever in France we ride.

In the middle of nowhere in particular, and somewhere about lunchtime, we stopped at Le Mas d’Agenais, a hilltop village (=bike to the top) with a long history, dating back to Gallo-Roman times. Today it has a beautiful grain market in the centre of the village, between the boulangerie and the charcuterie (lunch, remember?), a church built in the Romanesque style which was reconstructed by Violet le Duc in the 19^th century, and inside the church a Rembrandt dating from 1631, of Christ on the cross. Fairly staggering, really.

Arriving in Meilhan you find the campground down by the canal and the citadelle of Meilhan is on a spur above. It dates from the middle ages and was well-defended but ultimately destroyed, for the most part, between the 100 years war and the 19^th century. It commands a fantastic view of the plains below. With our bikes safely in the camping ground we were able to walk up the steps to the town and wander around. The pharmacist in this little town pronounced Rodney’s abrasions in no further need of care except for the cream that would prevent scarring. That was good news.

The camping ground had everything we needed, from hot showers to plenty of space, an Englishman who’d lived there for ages running the show, allowing us to charge our devices in the office, which doubled as small store and bar selling all necessities (coffee, sparkling water and beer on tap) and also to sit all day at one of his tables with the computer plugged in and free wifi, catching up with the blog. We stayed two nights – time to catch up on washing, too. As we sat there, we met and talked with all sorts of people – a family from Leeston, who knew Rodney’s Doak relations from Leeston (both our fathers were born within about 5km of Leeston), a grey-haired gentleman of 84, biking with his grand-daughter, parents biking with their young families, some pulled in chariots behind them. Frogs entertained us during the day but were further away at night. All the people in the camping ground were friendly. On the river and along the cycle paths, we met up with school trips for the end of term. A great place for both kayaking and cycling. Totally recommend this place!