Day 10
Tuesday 8th September
Kms travelled: 110
Kms left: 310
As we leave our lodgings it is dark and drizzling but we need to catch the first ferry across the Gironde. Arrive at the port wet but happy, as we buy our tickets, the rain stops
On the ferry we meet 4 other elderly cyclists who are also heading for Spain, so hopefully we can still be doing this in 10 years time. We’re already thinking of Spring 2028 as we’ve travelled so far in Summer and Autumn.
We land, get a coffee and head off in the drizzle again. There is a great cycle route marked down the coast, following an old railway line. It has the promise of a good day
.
We deviate slightly off the route for a break by the ocean by Montalivet. There are surfers everywhere, some cool dudes and some wannabe cool dudes. There’s a street with bars and street shacks selling different food. We’re already full after breakfast and on a 100k day so we press on.
The track is through a pine forest, long and straight, 6k then 6.5k then more and more…it’s getting monotonous and very boring. At one point we decide to change onto a road rather than the cycle route, the road is the same but with really fast traffic so we switch back.
Just when we think the day can’t get any worse, it does….the trees are all burnt, for miles and miles. There are also dozens of desimated houses from last months fires. It is still raining.
We’re booked in to a teepee tonight, thinking its on a campsite, we arrive at a mini petting farm. Jasmine greets us enthusiastically. It’s owned by her and her husband, they live in a caravan. The site is a bit like Smugglers festival without the people as we are the only guests, us and a cacophony of animals in pens. 15 day old ducklings follow their new mother around in a comic fashion then snuggle underneath her for bedtime.
