Day one : Douarenenez

30 miles

1855 ft climbed

It’s only the first day but Nick & I have already have had a couple of those pinch me moments that we tend to get on these NBJ Tours trips. We both feel so lucky that we are able to get out and ride to enjoy and see parts of the countries we visit that most people pass by without even noticing what they are missing. We are missing our compadre Chris but know that he is following us closely from back home in Hadlow.

This year we loaded up on Wednesday evening with Gill and her motorcycle joining the crew of Nick, Nigel, Monica and myself for a different overnight crossing of the channel from Portsmouth to Caen.

A super smooth crossing getting us to France for 6 am left Nigel to drive across Normandy and Brittany to our start at Pointe du Raz. Incredibly this is further west than Madrid so we did not get there until after 4 pm. It has to be said that included a few compulsory stops, for croissants, a Lidl shop, lunch and even a biscuit factory visit. Dom missed out on trying his family’s local galettes! This all meant that the trip in Broomey was starting to feel familiar and by the time we reached the Pointe du Raz we felt ready for action.

Arriving at the car park Nick and I togged up in our new tour jerseys having sun creamed ready for a ride in the 30+ degree heat.

Nick & I then left the Broomey crew and rode out to the end of the point. Having done Lands End, Finisterra we now were in Finistère- all mean the same thing.

Leaving the Pointe du Raz after getting our tour passports stamped, Nick and I just couldn’t believe how great it was cycling through pretty little villages, around harbours and sandy bays that were so reminiscent of Cornwall with a French flavour.

As ever there was very little traffic and the the village gardens were full of multi coloured Hydrangeas. We had never seen so many.

The next village we came to was St Tugen ( named after an Irish Saint) which had a pretty church in the centre which we decided to stop and have a look. Inside it was a superb late 1600’s painted wooded panelled church.

As we were leaving we chatted to the lady manning the souvenir table who explained how proud the villagers have always been of their chapel. She saw our tour shirts and admiring how far we are set to ride insisted on taking a photo of the pair of us for the church council’s president to go in the parish magazine. More fame/ infamy!

The next real pinch me moment followed us cycling out on a jetty at Audierne. As Nick was coming back from his artistic photo shoot I looked into the clear blue water and saw an octopus swimming across the bottom, something we’ve never seen before.

Leaving Audierne we then followed the estuary to Port- Croix watching the Little Egrets hunting crustaceans in the muddy waters as the tide was out.

We left Port-Croix up a gentle slope to the interior of the peninsula on an old railway track converted into a cycling greenway. The cycle paths and routes have been superbly marked and our only moan about this one was that it is know as the Youtar cycle path but much of it was no tar !

The last part of the route today was a mix of this old railway line and some small roads where the farmers would not allow access. We also had our first sight of some megalithic monuments that are famous in these parts.

The last stop at the gallery grave was only a few kilometres from the campsite which we found with Broomey waiting at the top of a hill ( as always) with cool beers ready for consumption. Interestingly although neither Nick nor I pushed ourselves today and did but 30 miles, we both used all our water it was that hot.

We were then spoiled for our first true meal of the trip, with Duck, potatoes and the infamous beetroot & apple salad followed by some good Kentish cherries brought from our local farm in Hadlow.

Another hot and hilly day awaits tomorrow but having had such a great start we can’t wait to get going again!

Keep tuned for more adventures.

Well it’s that time of year to get back onto the saddle and start a new adventure. This year is perhaps not as exotic as some of our most recent rides but it still promises to throw up some special moments and interesting locations.

As the title suggests we’ll be riding across France, starting at the wild and windswept Pointe du Raz in Brittany crossing the country south of Paris, through Le Mans, Sens and Troyes before heading north through Metz and arriving at our final destination in Luxembourg City where we are being hosted by Mark & Teresa Deveril.

As ever we are hoping that good weather will keep us in the saddle but we’ll not be too worried about going soft and taking to the camper if it turns nasty.

The route will include a mix of road and greenway cycle paths along old railways and alongside canals and rivers. No doubt we’ll have a few mini detours to check out the local produce and we aim to ride a lap ( as near as we can) of the Le Mans 24 hour circuit.

This year will see a changed and depleted team with only Nick and myself riding and perhaps Nigel getting his pedalling legs out now and again. Dom just couldn’t make it and sadly Chris, who has been an ever present team member since NBJ Tours started, is unwell and not able to join us. He will be with us virtually and has promised to try to complete some of the stages on his turbo trainer at home. I’m sure we’ll be hearing from him during our ride. We’ll certainly miss him and his card playing skills.

With Chris not in France with us we will have a part time new member who’s joining us for the first half of the tour until Le Mans.

Caroline & Nigel’s auntie Gill, who was once described as a “ mad, posh old bird” by one of her racing car students, will be joining us on her motorcycle. As a former professional racing driver ( including racing Le Mans Classic at night down the Mulsanne) national hunt jockey and general wheeler dealer we are expecting a few choice tales!

The trusty camper Broomey will as always be our home for the ten day tour, driven, by the chef de everything else, Nigel, under the watchful eye of chief medic, quartermaster and beetroot and apple salad preparation expert extraordinaire Monica. I’m sure they’ll be a few trips to Lidl and the odd patisserie on the way!

The adventure begins on Wednesday 18 June Keep a look out for the first instalment.

NBJ Tours has not been idle in the six months since our return from the Camino ride across Spain and France. I am pleased to announce that six months from today that once again Nick, Chris & Neil ( sadly without Dom) will be setting off on the next cycling adventure as ever ably supported by Nigel and Monica in trusty Broomey the camper.

2025 will see us start at the wild and windy Pointe du Raz in Brittany before then venturing across the middle of France and then finishing with a flourish in Luxembourg where we are hoping to catch up with my wife’s cousin Mark.

Whilst the route is pretty much mapped out we of course reserve the right to amend it. However there are plans to visit biscuit factories (again), try laps of motor racing tracks (again), even take in a vineyard (again), as well as checking out the chateaux and culture en route. One of the successes of our last tour was the completion of the pilgrim credencial (passport) as we rode along the Camino. The great thing about this is that it brought us into places, so we used to explore them even more than usual. We are going to try to replicate this by asking Tourist Offices in towns we ride through to stamp our very own rider credencial. Let’s see if they play ball.

Our other popular themed tour event, Challenge Monica, has yet to be decided for 2025, but after Lidls in Ireland and beers across Europe it may be local wines and cheeses in France although that may be a recipe for disaster!

You will also note I have been tidying up the website so if you are really bored you can now see each of the tour blogs in separate pages to relive our adventures.

In the next six months our old muscles and bones need to get fit again but we hope you all can join and follow our next adventures in June. Meanwhile have a great Christmas and here’s to another successful cycling New Year.

Now the dust has settled on our epic journey, at Roger’s request, I have put together a few thoughts and photos ( we took hundreds) of the stunning and varied wild flowers which genuinely amazed and enthralled us during the two weeks.

Of course as we cycled from windy coastal points, over mountains, across high dry plains and rolling countryside in spring we had the added benefit of these different habitats, but genuinely the variety and beauty all the way along was a real pleasure.

Before tackling the plants it is also worth looking at what other wildlife we saw or heard.

Birds

Of course we see more birds than other sorts of wildlife. As well as the Cuckoo on four days and Kites and Buzzards most days we think we did see some European Vultures as we approached the Pyrenees.

In Western Spain there were plenty of Storks and we took to counting the number of nests on church roofs and spires. I think the maximum was five on one church.

Nick became slightly obsessed with his Merlin ID birdsong identifier with the Serin, Blackcap, Chaffinch, Wren and Blackbird being the most heard.

Although you have to take some of the supposed birds identities with a pinch of salt ( I know these apps are not always correct) Nicks favourite quoted was the Zitting Cisticola. It turns out it’s another LBJ ( Little Brown Job) whose name is more interesting than its looks!

Mammals

These are always tricky to spot except for the roadkill and whilst we did see a couple of deer I think we get more of these around Tonbridge.

Our most impressive sightings were on a misty morning climbing out of Sarria in Galicia when we saw two Pine Martens run across the road in front of us. One stopping to check we successfully cycled past.

Reptiles & Amphibians

We only saw squashed frogs but very often heard their croaking during the day or at camp.

Whilst we did see many flat snakes and the usual hordes of small lizards scuttling in the crevices of walls. Nick says he almost ran a brown snake over whilst descending one of the railway voie vertes in France.

I also saw a large ( over a foot long) almost dayglow green lizard run across as I was struggling up the last hill in France. On looking it up it later it is very helpfully called a European Green lizard. Literal names make so much sense!

We did see many butterflies but not too many large or ultra colourful ones and pleasingly there weren’t too many mosquitoes about either!

Flowers and Shrubs

Clearly the number one was Broom as we saw its bright yellow everyday and smelt its scent too.

Perhaps the most beautiful flowers we saw were various varieties of Orchid which became more numerous as we neared the Pyrenees. We saw many types on our damp circuit of Ireland too so perhaps the wet spring in this part of Europe also helped the Orchids.

Easily the most numerous and found in stands along roadsides and particularly along the old railway lines we cycled were Pyramid Orchids.

Early on in Spain we spotted this similar coloured to the Pyramid Orchid but distinct species.

Spotting the Bee and Butterfly Orchids adjacent to one another in the foothills of the Pyrenees was stunning. However I did see them together again a couple of days later in France so wonder if they are unlikely bedfellows.

In trying to put this together I was struggling on how to categorise what we saw and make some logic to our sights especially where photos do not really show the true wonder of swathes of single or mixed colours that in normal times you would say should not be put together.

As you can see above the photos are ok but all I can say is that you have to see them in real life to get the proper impact of the swathes of colour in Big open fields.

When we got to the Massif Central it was noticeable that we came across very much more environment specific flowers and plants affected by the cooler temperatures, high altitude and limestone soils.

I was pleased we just got to see a few of the last of the wild Narcissus that can fill the high fields in this area after the wild daffodils have faded.

Plants can either be damp loving or stone hugging and we saw both of these types.

Of course we saw many of the common types of flowers we get back in the U.K. with many foxgloves, campions ( red, white and bladder) but trying to keep to the more exotic or unusual Dom & I spotted this which looked a bit like a foxglove.

Well it is a small yellow foxglove or Dead Men’s Thimbles, which seems appropriate as it remains full of poisonous digitalis.

I guess it was the sheer variety and different colours that made us all so aware of what we saw. We do have wild flowers in the U.K. but their numbers are lower and we tend to have many in clumps such as bluebells or oxeye daisies but all along the roadsides in Spain and France different species were vying with one another for superiority.

In amongst all these so called wild flowers we saw the ancestors of many of our coveted garden favourites.

There were many varieties of the legume (pea) family which were normally yellow or pink but are characterised by the shape of their flowers.

Obviously many of these plants had medicinal or herbal uses judging by their historical names.

Thyme, Fennel and mint were often by the roadside and their distinctive scents rose if crushed whenever we wandered onto the verges.

There were many other flowers too, including familiar ones such as forget me not, vipers bugloss, speedwell, daisies and buttercups to name a few, but I don’t just want to send a load of pictures. However what these do show are the variety colour size and shape of the wonders we saw.

Undoubtedly this was in part because we travelled in late spring/ early summer, next year we will either be riding in late June or early. September so may not get the same diversity.

Plants look great in gardens but when you see them in the wild naturally drifting and mixing together or creating red, blue, yellow, pink or white fields that is truly wonderous. You just have to get out there on your bike to go see it. ( or enjoy our magnificent bluebell woods)

I hope you enjoyed this extra edition, I’ll leave you with this photo of a truly magnificent Pyramid Orchid that would grace any garden and put most flowers in the shade- almost literally as it was so big!

See you next year.

Well that’s the end of another successful adventure. We cycled ( mostly) from the top corner of Spain to the middle of France and were met with a hero’s welcome.

The weekend did not stop and our fellow trail runners all successfully completed their runs across the very hilly terrain.

Special mentions have to go out to Dom “the machine” Boullé who completed his 80 km run the day after cycling there with us and to Lloyd who completed the 133km ultra with very second hand feet in over 27 hours.

Following the final event on the Sunday the two teams were invited to a celebratory reception and alfresco meal courtesy of the Le Puy Twinning Committee where we were all showered with gifts. A really fitting way to end what had been a great two weeks.

This has been another great adventure and it is worth trying to consider our highs and lows and those stand out moments.

If we look overall the whole team agreed that cycling in France beat cycling in Spain as there is more variety and choice when it comes to quiet lanes. Although Spanish drivers respect cyclists the way Spain just builds new roads over old does make it difficult to route from a to b on occasion.

One of the differences on this trip was because we were ( sort of) following the Camino we had some reason to visit many of the beautiful places en route to try to get our pilgrims passports stamped. This gave this trip a slightly different focus and it was quite fun to call into churches, cafes and tourist offices to get the credencial stamped.

I asked the team for some of their stand out moments and in no particular order or category here they are.

Best Day

This was a toss up of the two penultimate days running by the river Lot to and from Conques with quiet roads beautiful scenery and good weather. We also thought Conques was probably the prettiest town helped by the fact we were there before the hordes of tourists arrived.

Most memorable day

The longest muddiest day which took almost 12 hours when we got stuck in the mud and resorted to cleaning our bikes with our water bottles.

Worst day

The heat across the Spanish Plain when we had to negotiate across vast fields along rough tracks to get to our next stop. How we did not get a puncture then and then waited until the last day for our only mechanical mishap was a great relief.

Best Campsite

This depends on what you are looking for. The poshest with swimming pool and facilities was at La Trapera but perhaps the most stunning and atmospheric was in a field in the foothills of the Pyrenees with cowbells ringing.

Best Section

It may be the lap of the Navarra race track as that was a fun way to end the day. The section running over the overhanging rock face or the first of our two abandoned railway tracks that led through numerous tunnels and over viaducts between Bouzols and Espalion.

Worst Day

Obviously the day we couldn’t ride over the Pyrenees as the weather was so poor, but otherwise the two days pounding across the Spanish Plain with little to see in 35 degree heat. There is no desire amongst any of us to walk the Camino.

Happiest Person

Probably Uli, the German lady, we met cycling the other way on her own from the German border to Lisbon, where her husband would pick her up.

Funniest Moment

Clearly Nick provides most of these, although Nigel trying to play cards seriously after a can of 11% lager was certainly up there.

Dom declaring he wanted one of everything in the biscuit factory visit.

Probably though Nick’s efforts at trying to beat Chris’s pilgrimometer by starting a dog count, adding cats and then trying to include sheep and bison ( that he had not even seen ) caused the most hilarity.

Athlete of the trip

Dom “The Machine” Boullé was in an uncontested position although Nick the diesel train was the go to lead peloton rider.

Bird of the trip

Well it would be good to say the Cuckoo. However we did only hear it for four days so cannot really. Storks abounded in Spain nesting on anything tall we counted as many as five nests on the roof on one church.

Nick took to his Merlin bird app to listen to the birdsong and in Spain the most often heard was the Serin and in France the Blackcap.

But the bird we saw most of flying and diving above was the Red Kite much as we get now in the U.K.

Scent and Flowering Shrub of the Tour

Unquestionably the bright yellow broom which accompanied the trip from the first day until the last. We could often smell it before we saw its yellow brightening up the hillsides.

Flower of the Tour

The orchid. A bit like in Ireland where we saw many types. Here we had both variety of orchid and volume, certainly in the last few days in France where there were great stands of purple pyramid orchids on every roadside verge.

Meal of the Tour

This was close but the duck just won over the pork in mustard sauce.

Highjacking Nigel and Monica’s patisserie buying also produced some special local variations on the coffee stops. We will certainly miss having at least two pastries a day !!!

You still can’t beat Monica’s Beetroot and apple salad though!

Team of the Tour

Without question Nigel and Monica who provide support that most can only dream of with a smile and enthusiasm to beat.

Running out of the tour hub that is the camper, we keep trying to settle on a name but Thunderbird Two does seem appropriate as it comes to the rescue carrying various specialist pods.

What’s Next

Well this was to be the last tour but having been one of the most enjoyable and successful, plans are afoot to do it all again on some different roads with different priorities.

Watch this space and thank you for your support.

Aumont-Aubrac to Le Puy en Velay

60 miles. 4900 ft climbed

Sorry I am updating this blog a bit late as it has been a hectic few hours since our successful arrival in Le Puy on Friday.

We started our last day in Aumont- Aubrac where it was cool and overcast. As usual Nigel sorted out the porridge, tea and coffees and we set off early soon after 7.30 as we needed to get to Le Puy before 4. Dom had to sign on for his trail race by then and we knew there were two big climbs during the day.

The first climb took us up onto the Aubrac plateau in an area known as La Margaride which being at around 1300m above sea level was cool at this time of day so we all had long sleeves and for a while donned rain jackets to keep off the wind.

We had arranged a first early stop which was by the European Bison preservation park who kindly let us use there car park and even stamped our credencials! There was also a few wild narcissi in the fields as well as pretty violas on the roadside.

I decided on a minor amendment to the route as did not fancy any more rough off road tracks and we enjoyed and good down hill and running next to a river for some time. Unbelievably I then had our first puncture on the whole trip just 500m from meeting the camper for our final coffee stop near the top of our final big climb. As we were almost in sight of the camper Nigel hopped in his bike with the stirrup pump so as not to waste any co2 cartridges.

A short cycle from there up to Lac du Bouchet for a brief lunch stop before our final leg of the tour into Le Puy remained. I also prevented the welcoming committee of our expected arrival.

The last section I had planned to run all the way down the former railway from Costaros to Le Puy, now a voie verte, although it was not a fully paved one and the gravel was a bit deep for road bikes. However it did make up for it with a few tunnels and viaducts. The best one over 1 km long.

Just after existing this long tunnel however the next tunnel was closed for repairs until the summer holidays so once again a bit of rerouting meant going down into Le Puy on the main road for the final six miles. We navigated the traffic and then climbed up to the cathedral where Dom could sign on for his race with 45 minutes to spare.

We were met by family, friends and the twinning committee from Le Puy and hugs all around.

Our final act was then to go into the cathedral to get our credencials stamped in the Sacristy to confirm that we had completed our latest adventure.

The weekend starts for the dozen runners from Tonbridge (including Dom) on the Saturday and I will add some updates on that later as well as a reflection piece as usual.

But for now we have completed the Camino in reverse.

Conques to St Chely d’Aubrac

54.70miles 5110ft climbed

Today was cool in so many ways. It was certainly very cool first thing in the morning when we got up as it was only six degrees. We visited a number of very cool towns and villages. The tunnels we went through were very cool and everyone was very cool in deciding we had done enough cycling for the day so did not do the last 25 miles and piled into the camper to enjoy an incredible day. Here’s the story.

As we had arrived too late to get our credencials stamped yesterday we agreed to climb up to the pretty town of Conques as the tourist office was due to open at 9 am. After the climb up and finding the office. It said it did not open until 9.30. We couldn’t wait that long but when I tried the door it opened and although the lady was not too happy she did finally agree to stamp our credencials, but was very keen to point out that she was not open until 9.30! After we left I heard her very firmly lock the door.

We then spied Monica and Nigel so joined them in the pastry acquisition, with some special requests including prune pasties as well as the standard croissants and pains.

The route followed the river Dourdou switching sides beneath high valley sides, the lush fields still being planted out by hand. It must take several days to do a field of this size.

Continuing along this pretty river valley we finally started to reach its head. This involved a climb up to the village of La Rodelle which is perched on a narrow rocky prominentry.

Nigel had set the camper up in the rubbish recycling area overlooking the valley and there we enjoyed our earlier purchases from the patisserie in Conques.

The next segment of the day was the most fun and most unexpected. We left La Rodelle and agreed to meet just 25 miles up the road after a long downhill and just halfway up the big hill.

However the best laid plans do get disrupted. We knew that we would go through the pretty towns of Bouzols and Espalion, but did not count on the cycle track that connected them.

After cycling through Bouzols we joined the poorly marked and very lightly used cycle track. The next ten kilometres were some of the most fun and slow downhill cycling we have had. The surface was not really suitable for road bikes but it was ok and quite often we were running with long grass smacking our hands

We turned a corner and were then confronted by an unlit big black tunnel over half a kilometre long. Nick fearful of the effects of dark cycling asked Dom and Neil, Who both had lights to take the lead. He then found a switch on the tunnel side which turned them on anyway.

Not only were there five tunnels but we also had four viaducts to traverse. The railway that wound its way up to Bouzols from Espalion was built in 1903-5 but closed to passenger traffic before world war two and freight in 1980 and was more or less a constant 3% gradient.

Instead of taking 15 minutes or less to get down we took the best part of an hour looking at the sights and navigating our way. A call was therefore put out to Thunderbird 2 to bring our lunch stop forward a few miles.

We then made our way to get our credencials stamped in Espalion and crossed its famous bridge. The lady in the tourist office explained they were unable to fully advertise the cycle path because it did not meet full voie verte standards. What a shame as it is great.

So lunch was by the river at St Come d’Olt before we then left for the first of two mighty climbs. Although the air temperature Remained cold, any time in the sun made it much warmer. Nigel had agreed to meet us at the first summit following over 2000 feet climbing and we could then decide a plan

We met Nigel at the top and decided to go down to St Chely d’Aubrac where we managed a further stamp and were advised it takes an hour to drive to our destination so cycling would be at least three and it was already gone five. Calculating we would not finish until well after eight we piled into the camper for a cheats ride to the next camp site.

We saw great stands of pyramid orchids as well as the common spotted orchid and many butterflies. Nick spotted a huge snake (he said at least four feet long!) slithering across his path but was unsure its type and I saw a large foot long European green lizard run across in front of me whilst climbing that last hill. Roger, I’ll try to put together a flora and fauna special for you next week.

During the day Nick decided that if he were to be able to beat Chris’s pilgrimometer he would have to adopt a catanddogometer. Following seeing the cats above this led to the closest competition of the week with the lead changing hands a few times. However Chris’s pilgrims finally came out easy winners 66 to 39.

Dinner of merguez, mash and veggies had to be eaten inside as it was so cool at an altitude of over 1000 metres. It was followed as usual by ice cream and cards. Chris and Nick confirming their places as top and bottom of the scoresheet.

This was a very cool penultimate day for many reasons and we will be sad to end the latest trip. It will be a tough 65 miles remaining tomorrow so we aim to be up early and attacking those hills again to get to Le Puy on time so Dom can sign on for his 75km run.

Cahors to Conques

88 miles 3271ft climbed

We had just arrived inside the Delfour biscuit factory showroom ( http://www.biscuiteriedelfour.fr) and been shown around the various biscuits and cakes when Dom pronounced his desires. Now we’re unsure if he truly meant this but after being given a panier managed to fill it with as much as he could before deciding that was as much as he ought to take.

Suffice to say that the owners were very happy that Dom and the rest of us had come to visit. She told us that they started in 1920 making local versions of the Madeleine called Maryleines and the business still remains in the family four generations later running from the same farm using converted barns halfway up the hillside.

Going back to the start of the day we decided to go back into Cahors as we missed the defining image of the city. It’s famous bridge.

Not only did we see it and ride across Chris was able to start his pilgrimometer early. The total for the day getting to 39. Nicks dogometer started very slowly but did have a late burst to get to 24.

The extra run into Cahors added five miles to today’s total. We then ran out of town along the river Lot which we followed almost all day.

To get to the biscuit factory we had the most aggressive climb of the day allowing us this super view over the Lot. Whilst in a straight line our cycle today may have only been 50 odd miles the river meandered back and forth inbetween its gorge walls all day. Not only did this mean extra miles but with a strong northerly wind we would alternately get a head or tailwind.

After the biscuit factory visit we were able to enjoy a swift downhill before then running by the picturesque Lot.

We swung from right to left of the river trying to avoid the busier main road although whenever we did find ourselves on it for a mile or so a call went out to the Cabrera train to speed us along.

At one stage we joined a cycle path that was cut out of the rock face and this was another first for one of our trips. Mostly it was ok but there were a couple of rough sections where we had to be careful not to get pinch flats.

In addition there was no side to the path so when passing walkers extra care was required on the slippery stone. Moving out of the cut rock face we then had to dismount to get past a lorry working on the repairs to a lock gate.

The scenery was some of the prettiest of the tour so far with the limestone walls of the gorge cut out by the river.

Whilst I’ve not mentioned the roadside flowers much we have continued to see orchids everyday and had a few more unusual and lime specific plant specimens today.

Our lunch stop was beneath a small village and the rabbit that we saw yesterday was once again out on his bike about two miles beforehand to tease Nick again.

As we were gradually climbing all day the road was mostly slightly uphill but on a couple of occasions it looked as though we were cycling downhill because of the rock strata. Very strange.

Whilst some towns and villages were clearly lived in there were many abandoned properties ripe for conversion and we constantly crossed an abandoned railway which must have been one of the most scenic ever built.

Towards the end of the ride we turned off the larger Lot valley to get to Conques although we remained without a new stamp in our pilgrims passport because the two places we checked out had their tourist office closed today.

We did have a tea stop as it was not the warmest of days but the sun shone more often than not. Nick however did feel the need to put his arm warmers back on before setting off for the final leg which meant this became the second longest day of the tour.

Because it was cooler the pork chops with Monica’s creamed mustard sauce and asparagus & potatoes was a huge hit. Nick’s partial success at cards last night deserted him as Dom trounced the opposition this evening with Nick failing to bother the scoreboard. Such a difference to last year.

A super days cycling in comfortable conditions and fabulous scenery as well as a bit of a mixture on cycle path and road whilst climbing gently. We now have but two tough hilly days left to complete the trip.

Condom to Cahors

83 miles 4236 ft climbed

We were coming up the our tea stop which was perhaps a couple of miles away when Nick saw a cyclist turn round in front and start pedalling. Dangling a carrot like that is all it takes Nick to accelerate and try to catch that cyclist. Chris thought who’s Nick after as he quickly caught this cyclist and then ran alongside him. In fact he only found out who it was when Nick and Nigel turned into the car park next to the Mairie ! Unfortunately we don’t have a photo of Nigel’s brief escape onto two self propelled wheels and hope he doesn’t like it too much as we would lose our expert support driver.

Leaving the campsite at our standard time of 8.30 we went out over a lock and then into the town and had a Quick Look round its magnificent cathedral.

Running along a square out of town we saw the Tourist Information Office lady go in to open up and I was cheeky enough to ask if she would stamp our credencials, despite it being advertised not to open for another hour. She was only too happy to help. Just leaving town we saw the camper outside a patisserie so we dive bombed them to check out what we had for our coffee stop.

Swiftly turning off the main road there was a concern as the road turned into a muddy track. Although Chris had a minor stop all was well and the mud only was for 500m before it returned to tarmac as the last thing we wanted was a repeat of yesterday’s dramas.

The route then went up and down several river valleys passing small deserted towns and villages. Our favourite for this leg of the route was La Romieu which was an original pilgrim town in the Middle Ages and still boasted the original college and its cloister.

It was not warm for much of the day with showers around. Whilst we did cycle on wet roads a couple of times the water from above only gave the briefest of splatters – not enough to worry about or require rain jackets. The coffee stop was chilly but dry and we set off still on schedule for some more up a hill, down a hill and over the river riding.

The lunch stop was at Astaffort which appeared a poor town in need of money. Some fresh bread mated with yesterday’s excess bolognese went down well.

The next section was probably the most interesting and included the pretty village of Caudecoste and its wooden colonnade framed square.

Shortly after this we had a great off road section running alongside a canal for a few miles. The most extraordinary thing we saw were two fully bike pack laden chaps on unicycles going the other way. We just hoped they wouldn’t get a wobble on and fall in.

We also saw many orchards of plum and apples draped in anti bird netting as we are in the Pruneaux d’Agen DOP area.

Going through the town of Valence d’Agen where the market was closing and the tourist office closed, Dom decided to go in the fountain!

Coming up to the tea stop we then met Nigel on his bike and had a swift stop where Chris decided his bottom needed saving so stayed in the camper whist the other three of us continued up the river valley before enjoying a super 4 km descent towards Cahors. The only let down being that we then had a steep climb to avoid the main road and had to come into town another way.

Calling into Cahors to get our credencials stamped, the army were putting on some sort of parade as a helicopter landed in the town square and they appeared to be trying to devise a display in front of the top brass ad hoc whilst we were there for five minutes. I’m sure it will be fine but it looked like typical French organisation. Great idea but a bit last minute.com.

A short ride back to the campsite and a duck and chicory salad for dinner awaited so the cyclists as ever enjoyed a top evening.

As we had for once had a reasonably speedy day with fewer stops enjoying the quiet French roads we finished before 6 so there was time for extra cards where there were signs of improvement for Nick.

Only three days left to get to Le Puy and the weather forecast appears to be improving slightly.

Another good day where the final Pilgrimometer only got to 11 which was equal to Nick’s dog count.

I leave you with this picture of Chris being pinned down by the tips of the musketeers swords in Condom.

Pau to Condom

100 miles 5715 ft climbed

There are some days that are truly unforgettable and great. This will be one of those. Not only did we have a great day cycling in France across their smooth and quiet roads but starting the last leg from Eauze to Condom along a tarmaced converted railway cycle path, we expected a safe and easy finish to the day. We had just said how superb it was when we came across two sections just covered in thick sticky mud as above.

Luckily it was only these two early sections of the cycle path that were especially bad but after this we tried to clean up the bikes using out water bottles to spray the mud off

The rain we had over the mountains yesterday had been a much worse storm in this part of France and as can be seen above brought a number of trees down that had yet to be cleared . We also saw some landslides and closed roads where the road surface had been completely lifted by the water. So whilst we may have struggled a little on the mud the paved cycle path was probably still the best option especially as I was unable to use my small cog as it remained totally clogged up with thick oozy mud.

Note: Dom saw this film Bad Boys:Ride or Die about to be shown at the local cinema and thought it suitable to describe our efforts as after leaving camp this morning at 8.30 we only rocked into our new site at Condom at 8pm this evening.

This mud was far removed from our start near Pau where to escape the busy city we had to navigate some larger noisy roads before escaping to the quieter country lanes. As soon as we did everything calmed down and we started to enjoy the ride.

This section then found its way next to the Pau-Arnos racing track which looks a fun multi levelled circuit tucked away in the middle of farmland. We continued cycling up and down across the river valleys with often short and very steep ramps but enjoyed the good roads

Just before our on time coffee stop. we met this dog whose owner said he was too friendly. Leaving after coffee we saw our first pilgrims of the day near Arzacq-Arraziguet as we rejoined the pilgrims trail. Chris’s pilgrimometer got to 41 today. Nick didn’t want to be left out and decided to count dogs instead and got to 32. At one stage after just the morning session he had counted more dogs than humans as the small villages we cycled through were all deserted.

We also managed to get our credentials signed & stamped for the first time in France at the tourist office in the town. Our route then took us up and down through quiet countryside to get to Aire sur L’Adour where we saw a few more pilgrims but we unable to get our credentials stamped as it was lunchtime. Nigel, Monica and I had camped here on the previous trip but we had further to go this time.

Our lunch stop was tucked behind a church but that didn’t stop Monica hanging out her smalls. If needs must they say. As ever we tucked into our French bread sandwiches although it appeared that Dom who is our most powerful athlete then succumbed to a food coma and fell asleep just whilst sitting on a bench. Whilst this did not mean we think we could beat him it did show that he was trying harder than he made out. We therefore left later than anticipated for the next leg which we decide would be at Eauze.

Shortly after lunch we came to Nogaro where we chatted with a French teacher of English wearing his Gloucester rugby top. We got our stamps and then visited another motor racing circuit on the outskirts of town, although they would not allow us a cycle round! That’s four for the trip.

Although this next stage was not long it became longer as we came across a closed road. Luckily , just before attempting to go round the barriers as usual , a lady who lived next door to them explained that it was not passable even for cyclists as a car had fallen into a gap where the bridge should have been last night. Luckily both occupants escaped drowning. This involved us in a u turn and a longer way to the tea stop.

We did however manage our third stamp of the day in Eauze where a pilgrim berated Chris for not speaking French and explained he had been told to walk on the road because of the mud blocking paths. We should have understood better what he was going on about but we then joined Nigel and Monica for our tea stop.

Leaving Eauze we then joined the voie verte cycle path along an old railway line. Perhaps we should have guessed there may be issues because of the storms yesterday but until we hit these two patches of mud, mudslides, closed roads and fallen trees had not realised how bad this had been.

Whilst we were concerned at the effect of being clogged up with mud it did make us laugh to think how we had been slowed down. Some minor cleaning of the bikes by using leaves twigs and water to try to scrape and wash the mud off made some difference and at least enabled us to join a Cabrera train to complete the 14 miles to the campsite.

Nigel had been pre-warned to get the hose out and he manfully cleaned all the mud off the bikes whilst Monica sorted out a large spag bol for some very hungry cyclists who had completed 100 miles in some unusual circumstances.

On the trip to the supermarket today Nigel had thought a change to the Spanish beer we had been enjoying was due and found some cans of a brew that boasted 7, 8 and 11% strength. Suffice to say the cards were louder than normal this evening, sadly for Nick it made no difference to the result and he remained winless this tour so far.

The weather held good all day and was not too hot and enjoyed the better cycling on quiet and varied French roads. The detour and drama of the mud covered path eventually meant we finally got to a three figure distance for the only time this trip. A terrific fun filled long day in the saddle. The most enjoyable day of the tour so far.