Day 18: Libourne to Bordeaux - 62km

Well the cycle-touring had to come to this - the last day.
The weather is pretty threatening today. Quite cool and storms. The sky looks blue, the direction we are not going and very dark grey the way we have to head.
Getting out of Libourne was much easier than getting in and soon we were out amongst the vineyards. Actually were were still within Libourne when we can the the first Chateau!
Being Sunday morning it was pretty quiet in the roads so the riding was good. We soon realised that we were going to pass just behind the storm in front, so our spirits were high.

We were not sure how we would go for food today as it was a Sunday and we were only going through small villages, so our plan was to stock at the first place we saw open. At St-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens we stopped and bought a few pastries to put in our bag and thought we'd chance our luck one more time for lunch. This paid off. As we came down to the Dordogne, for the last time, we came to a great little town of Branne. We spotted a contemporary looking patisserie so we were a bit nervous - funny how 'modern' just did not seem to be 'French' anymore. However, it turned out to be a great little shop. Fantastic macaroons. One of them was like a cake, about 30 cms in diameter. Coffee'd and caked we headed off to the next boulangerie (about 200 metres away) to get some baguette sandwiches to take with us. This place was really alive for a Sunday morning. There was a stall set up with the weekly seafood and lots of locals around.

Oh yes, back to the riding. Up the hill and we were heading towards the bike path into Bordeaux. This is a rail trail converted to a cycling path. The piste cyclable Roger Lapebie. It starts in Sauveterre-de-Guyenne and finishes in Bordeaux about 59 kms away. You can still see the stations as you pass. Some have been converted to restaurants and other uses. At La Sauve the station has been converted to the Office de Tourisme and a cycling depo (Point relais vélo). Roger Lapebie was a legendary French cyclist who won the Tour de France in 1937 when he controversially used bike with a derailleur to change gears (they had not been used before).

After cycling over 2000km in France and about 24 km from the finish, we got our one and only puncture. As we got it fixed and were getting back on the bike we got hit by a rain squall and wind. It was sprinting (as much as you can on a fully loaded tandem) for about 1km and we were back in front of the shower.

Bordeaux loomed, and after one minor navigation correction we were crossing the bridge into Bordeaux just as another rain squall hit. These showers came with quite a bit of wind. We headed to the station - Saint Jean, for end of ride photos and celebrations.
It's been a great adventure

Now it's bike packing and the TGV back to Paris for two more nights and the LONG return home.

Day 17: Saint-Émilion to Libourne

This weekend is a big weekend in the region and so accommodation has been tough to get. We ended up going for Plan D and heading to Libourne. This is a bit of a larger town not too far from Bordeaux.

We booked into a good hotel to get a good bed for Elizabeth's back as it's starting to play up.

Coming out of St-Émilion we followed a route suggested by the tourist office for a while, but as they has trouble with their lefts and rights, we ended up abandoning the thought and made our own route. More great scenery, more vines, more sticky roads. We even passed a Menhir, one of the ancient standing stones just out of Libourne. You can find a lot more of these in north-west France - and in Asterix books.

We went for a walk through the town and stumbled across a local fashion parade.

The weather is colder and slightly drizzly, so an afternoon rest was in order.

Tomorrow takes us to Bordeaux and the end of our cycling. Hopefully the weather will be ok and we'll pick up a good cycling track that leads into Bordeaux.

Day 16: cruising the Chateaux, vineyards and villages of St-Émilion

Just a really cruisy day as we start to draw this holiday to a close.

We rode the back streets and lanes of the Saint-Émilion area. Past magnificent Chateaux, wind mills, churches, tractors pulling trailers loaded with grapes and workers in the fields harvesting. At one stage the road was so thick with the juice of the grapes you could hear the tyres sticking to the road.

We would have liked to stay another night in Saint-Émilion as it is a big celebration of the harvest tomorrow night and the town has been booked out for some time. Oh well.

The afternoon brought the sipping of Champagne and Grand Cru vin rouge. Not a bad way to round out the afternoon.

For dinner we went to a pizza restaurant under the Kings Tower. In their wine list they had a Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1961 @ €4800 a bottle. Probably would not go with our pizza.

Day 15: Bourg to St Emilion

No tolls for us!

Today we passed many Chateaux. Some grand and magnificent, some just Chateau in the wine sense. Just like we passed vines that were old and gnarly, middle of the road and ones that were just planted.

Today's ride was undulating, through the small villages and lanes into Libourne, quite a large city for lunch. But still the Office de Tourisme was closed for a couple of hours for lunch.

On to St Emilion. This is the area of significant Chateaux. We went through Pomerol, the most expensive wine real-estate in the world. The grapes still looked like grapes to me!

The harvest was on in a number of places and grapes were to be found spilt on the side of the road.

St Emilion is a beautiful place, heritage listed in 1999. We will spend tomorrow night here as well, though in a different hotel - it's all we could get.

Day 14: Pauillac to Bouges

Well some days are simply tougher than other days on the bike.

We woke to a cool, crisp Bordeauxian morning. The sort that starts to move the grape leaves from a deep luscious green to fiery red. After a good French breakfast we set off back down the Estuaire de la Gironde (Gironde estuary) with a gentle tailwind. (tailwinds are always gentle and headwinds - furious)

We passed magnificent Châteaux, one after the other. Our timing here was great as it is the vintage and the harvest has started. We saw workers, like ants, move through the vines. We also saw them on the side of the road, bused in, with smiles on their faces waiting for the word to start picking.

We were crossing the estuary today so headed to Lamarque to catch the ferry to Blaye. The ferry was about 50 mins late so we just waited and rested and listened to the reggae music coming from the cafe. The ferry that arrived was packed with a coach and quite a few camper vans. Once it was unloaded the cars, a motor bike and ourselves were quickly loaded and off. €3:60 each and €1.60 for the bike.

No sailing this afternoon!

Our research had said that there was very little accommodation in Bourg so we booked a B&B from the Office de Tourisme at Blaye. It turned out to be a quaint, rustic or whatever adjective conveys a basic place to sleep. The lady was very friendly and the shower was good.

Much of the second half of today was along side the estuary. Occasionally we wandered into the vineyards. We saw where the mighty Dordogne River converges with the Gironde River. A good way to round out last weeks riding.

Off to explore Bourg.

Bourg is a great little sleepy village on the edge of the Dordogne River. It used to be on the Gironde, hence it's full name Bourg-sur-Gironde, however over time the rivers have moved!

For our afternoon Rosé we went to a little bar down near the harbour. €2.80 for two Rosés. Now that was cheap. The friendly lady in the hotel suggested where to eat dinner, actually she was telling us the only place to eat dinner. Fortunately it was great.

Some enquiries have suggested we may have some difficulty with accommodation at St Emilion. We really want to visit there so we've booked in for Friday night. This will through our plans out the window, so we'll have to male it up again from here.

Day 13: Pauillac loop 30km

Actually, the day started with a easy ride from the hotel, along the river into the main part of Bordeaux and the to the train station.

We stocked up our lunch then headed to find the platform. For the first time we got there with no steps to go down. The train was a two car RER that had plenty of room for the tandem.

Pleasant enough trip and soon we wee looking for a hotel in Pauillac. Pauillac is right on the river, which is pretty broad at this point and has a sleepy, laid back feel.

After changing into our bike gear we were off to explore. Past Château Mouton-Rothchild and Château Lafite Rothchild. We stopped to look at the Château Cos d'Estournel as the were bringing in the grapes from the harvest. We stopped to do some wine tasting and sampled some wines from l'AOC Saint-Estèphe and l'AOC Haut-Médoc. Interestingly, they use American oak as well as the French oak is so expensive. The place we stopped at was a cooperative of a couple of smaller growers.

Back down the hill to the river and we saw fields of the most beautiful wildflowers. Also on the banks of the Gironde River there are wooden carrelets - basically wooded sheds with fishing nets hanging from them which they drop into the river.

Back to town and to the Maison de Tourisme to check out the ferry times for tomorrow. Fortunately we did. Effectively only one option -11:30 or 3:00pm which would be far to late.

Travel day today: relocating to the Bordeaux area

Today is a travel day. We're on the 10:38 train from Cahors to M and then on to Bordeaux. The RER train was really simple in the end. We found a long narrow spot and the tandem fitted there, though with a groan and shrug from the train guard.

Changing platforms is always such a hassle at French stations. Steps everywhere.

The second train ended up ok as well, apart from the fact that everyone wanted to enter via the one door for velos - even though it was supposed to be reservations only.

Bordeaux appears to be a great city. After getting our hotel we headed into the town. Elizabeth found the shops. Wandered around foe a while and the walked by the river back to our hotel. Bordeaux has a good tram service and you can catch the tram from the station - Gare St Jean to the city centre without issue.

I thought I would finally try the duck marget for dinner. I think I'll become a vegetarian. It was a very expensive plate of chips.

We stay at the IBIS, and it was the quietest hotel we have stayed at in France I think. Breakfast was also very good and there was no issue leaving the two suitcases for the week. We'll stay here for one night before heading back to Paris and the trip home.

As I was working out the routes for this weeks riding I realized that we are one day short of what we really would have liked for this section. Anyway, we'll plan it as we go and see what happens.

Day 11: Tour de Faure to Cahors 37 kms

Just a short day today meandering along the Lot River. This was good as the night last night was really hot and humid. Storms are predicted for this morning. It was so humid last night none of our washing dried at all. These last two days have been a great way to close out this chapter of our touring. Today was very scenic with great views of St Cirq Lapopie to start with, then the river and the road winding close together. We road for a short while with a guy from the Netherlands on a recumbent who was on his way home. He expected to be home in about a week. Looked like a very strong rider so I'm sure he will make it. He has ridden from Darwin to Alice Springs.

St-Géry had markets on, so we stopped and brought some fruit and nuts. They have great fruit in France. It is beautifully ripe to eat when you buy it. Great for cycle touring. I believe the French a more in the habit of buying what they need for now and coming back and buying more when they need it.

At Arcambal we headed up the hill and along a little back road for one last view of the magnificent Lot River. Simply stunning.

Coming into Cahors had the feeling that we were coming home and finishing this part of the adventure. We knew the layout of the town and we did not have to look for accommodation as we already had it booked.

We booked the train to Bordeaux and a hotel for tomorrow night, and after the washing was done, we're just having a bit of a rest and planning the next adventure.

Day 11: Figeac to St Cirq , no - Tour de Faure 62 kms

Our daily packing!

Great day's riding

Now if you had to choose an ideal days riding, this would be very close to that day.

We followed the Célé River down the valley. Virtually no climbing, beautiful villages, great scenery. It was just a delight.

Lunch places though were hard to find. We stopped at one restaurant at St Supice but it was closed until tomorrow. They had just returned from their summer vacation. They were not sure of anything that would be open in the direction we were going. Resigned to making do with what we had onboard, we ate our fruit and were about to head off when they came back and said that they would make us an omelet with salad.

This was great, but again like yesterday, it just did not cut it for me I need a pretty high carbo lunch it seems. Actually if you look at what I ate on PBP, I probably just need a lot of food. Energy drink on board, and we were off again.

We finally got to see a field of sunflowers in bloom. They are such a magnificent sight. So far all the fields we had seen were 'spent'

The climb up to St Cirq Lapopie was hot, but not too bad. The bad thing was that when we got to the top we found out that the town was 'complet' - full, no room in the inn. Eight years ago, after my first PBP I came here but it was pouring rain so I did not climb up to St Cirq Lapopie but stayed in Tour de Faure below. This time we ended up in the same hotel. At least this time we got to St Cirq Lapopie. It's a magnificent place.

Only one day left riding in this area of the Dordogne/Lot. Back to Cahors tomorrow. It's been a fantastic place to ride. A bit hilly, but the hills add to the character and at times give great views.

Day 10: St Céré to Figeac. - 48 kms

A short day in kilometres, but it's all up or down today.

We started with a tough 6 km climb. Fortunately we got away pretty early as it was going to be a hot day. The other good thing about many of the climbs we have done so far on this trip it that they have been largely shaded by trees. It really makes a difference. Today there was pretty well no flat, or flatish, at all. Either a stiff climb are a great descent.

At one point coming up the long ascent we stopped for a breather and photos a local bounced up on his unladed road bike, offered to take a picture, took it and quickly headed off back up the hill.

Coming through Leyme, we fell for the trap of leaving the first boulangerie go past us (it was downhill at the time). It turned out that it was the only one in the village. We didn't go back up the hill to stock up.

Lacapelle-Marival looked to be an interesting place. We could not find what we wanted to eat for lunch and we were pointed in the direction of the local restaurant. With no words spoken, food began to appear. Seems like we lined up for 'lunch'. Fortunately it was roast chicken. You could end up with anything in these parts. A couple of hours later (this was a French lunch) we were off again up the hill. For me, the French lunch was not good cycling food and I was soon out of energy. Into my pack for one of my reserve energy gels. This did the trick and we were off again.

On one of the long downhills sections they had just resurfaced the road. This would have been great, except they covered it with heaps of loose gravel. Sometimes we had to go slower that we would have if we were climbing it!

All in all, today was great riding. Some of it true ridge riding with great ling views on either side of the road. Again we rode through different countryside. Today was quite lush and green

Day 10: we just simply took a rest day today - St Céré

Because this is a holiday, we thought that we would take one today. This was one of our planned rest days, so we just wandered around town, had lunch in the park, read our books and went through photos of the trip. Afternoon Rosé has just gone down and we'll think about dinner a bit later.

All in preparation for what is expected to be our toughest day of climbing tomorrow. We start with a 6 km difficult climb out of St Céré and then there are a few other significant climbs before reaching Figeac. Temperature tomorrow is supposed to be up again, so we'll need to get an early start.

Day 9: Rocamadour to St Céré - 45 kms

A shorter day today, although the first 15 km are uphill, as we had planned to visit Gouffre de Padirac and we figured that would take a while (though we didn't expect it to take as long as it did)

It was a cooler day today with some showers expected this afternoon, so there was no delay in heading off. UP the hill from Rocamodour then steadily climbing till Padirac. We just made it to Gouffre de Padirac before it started to shower. Apart from the waiting (for the tickets and for a boat) this is a great stop. It is a underground river and caves. You can head down stairs or take an evaluator and then get into a boat and head along an underground river. At one point you get out and walk and view the great limestone formations. This description does not do it justice at all but as you cannot take photos you'll have to check out the website.

After the caves we had light misty rain for a period. This introduced a change in mood for the countryside. Still great riding conditions though. We were riding through the heart of Quercy today. Quite different countryside to what we've experienced over the last couple of days.

Down the hillside through the little village of Magnagues and onto the beautiful village of Carennac. This gave us a chance to renew our friendship with the Dordogne River. Coming down the hill I was really glad for the front hub drag brake. It was pretty steep.

We entered St Céré with the impressive view of a ruined Chateau (Saint-Laurent-les-Tours) on a hilltop with a storm brewing behind it. Glad we were stopping at St Céré.

Day 8: Sarlat to Rocamadour - 59km

You know, there are some days where the riding is just so good. Today was one of those.

Down hills, river valleys, castles, great views, even some decent climbing.

After swinging down the hill from Sarlat, we turned east along some quieter roads beside the Dordogne River. Minor ups and downs, but they just added to the scenery and the views. There were great views of a number of chateaux, including Montfort. Whenever we stop to take pictures I'm sure our bike has as many pictures taken of it as well. Tandems are not all that common, especially ones with 20" wheels.

At Domme, we were talking to an Irish couple who were complaining that there was not enough river riding in the area. We've spent they last 5 or 6 days largely just riding the rivers. It's been great riding though at times a little hilly, especially if you have to change valleys.

The riding today took us along the "Route de la Noix". The route of the nut. Walnut trees everywhere. Actually, we would not have known what they were if it were not for stopping under one the other day for a rest.

Rocamadour is certainly a town to behold. Built on the cliff-face with the church literally half way up the cliff. There was not a lot of choice for dinner. The really noisy hotel restaurant, or a nice quiet crepe place, with a terrace overlooking the valley. You can guess which one we chose. Shorter day tomorrow, which is probably good as Elizabeth is pretty tired tonight.

Day 7: More rain brought another rest day: Salat

Rain greated us again this morning so we decided to call another rest day. Originally we had planned a rest day here as there is so much to wander and see. So it was not a major change to alter the plans. Simply an email to Hotel Terminus at Cahors to move our return date back one day. at least i hope its that simple.

Elizabeth started the day with shopping and bought a top and a belt. Then it was time for morning tea. Elizabeth's fruit tart contained

Strawberries
Red current
Raspberry
Kiwi fruit
Pineapple
Black grapes
White grapes
Apricot,
And something else we were not sure of (a good thing).

My Religious just contained... Chocolate mousse, and plenty of it.

The day brightened up so we used it to explore the old town, refresh my French mobile data (more of a challenge than we expected) and simply have a rest. The climbing has been a bit more taxing than expected. We have had pretty regular 2-3km climbs, some up to 14%. Tomorrow bounces along for most of the day with a 5km climb to finish things off.

Day 6: Les Eyzies to Sarlat le Canéda - the long way -63 kms

Today's ride really broke into two sections. Firstly, we followed the Vézère River up to Montignac - mostly along the river banks, then we turned around and headed for Salat-la-Canéda - mostly hilly, country riding.

We stopped at La Rogue St Christophe a series of terraces that have been occupied as a natural fortress for almost 50 millennia. That's a long time! We also decided to have lunch here before we headed off on the rest of the day's journey. We saw another couple - Danish I think on a very heavy tandem towing a very heavily laden trailer. Made us seem like lightweights. :)

Chateau de Losse is situated right on the banks of the Vézère and when we got there kids were canoeing right below the chateau.

Turning at the pretty village of Montignac - which seemed to be dressed up for a festival, we darted the climbing and descending. Beautiful riding, though it was strenuous at times. We stopped for a coffee recharge at a hotel at La Chapelle-Aubareil. The owner's daughter is in Australia and so he had quite a bit of Australian memorabilia in the bar. He was pretty pleased. Just after this, the heavens opened. Maybe 10 mins more and we would have outrun it as we were just coming to a 10km downhill section.

Things were going ok until Elizabeth spotted a 10km to Les Eyzies sign. Yes we had come the long way - it's about the journey, not the destination. Riding along we saw many of the sncient stone sheperd's huts this area is known for. At one stage we stopped for a rest and noticed we were under a walnut tree - so we ate walnuts.

By the time we got to Sarlat we were wet, tired and starving. Took a little to find a hotel but when we did we showered and headed in search of food. It did not matter that it was 'too early'. There were sure to be some English people eating early :)

We had been having problems with the plastic bars end caps on Elizabeth's stoker bars falling out. We found a solution, French champagne corks

Day 5: A rest day at Les Eyzies

Originally we were going to ride today, but with the change in plan at the beginning we have now ridden four pretty good days. I'm still recovering from PBP only a week ago and Elizabeth is just getting into the swing of riding day after day again. It's important that we don't burn out.

Les Eyzies is a great place to have a rest. Beautiful, quiet, great hotel. So rest we did. Though before lunch Elizabeth had done some wine tasting and bought some ear-rings.

Day 4: A Vézère/Dordogne loop - 63kms

Leaving the panniers at the hotel we headed off along the Vézère River. We detoured up the the little village of St Cinq before dropping down via a dirt track to Le Bugue. I remember this place from my last trip here in 2003. I remembered having lunch down by the river.

After topping up our coffee and getting some supplies for lunch it was again riding the undulating road beside the Vézère River until reaching the village of Limeuil.

Limeuil is one of the 'Les plus beaux villages de France'. There are many examples of these villages in the Perigord region. It's one of the things that makes this area so great to cycle. Limeuil has been operating as a centre of economic and transport since the middle ages. It is on the join of the Vézère and the Dordogne rivers so has a very impressive outlook with the two bridges.

Our next stop was the 12th century Romanesque church at Trémolat. During troubled times, the whole village would shelter within the fortification of the church.

After crossing the Dordogne river, we headed up a shaded valley to the Abbaye du Cadouin. Another old and impressive church. A bit more climbing to do, then it was follow the rivers and find the flattest way home. Enough climbing for today. So the weather has been hot but not humid. Fortunately many of the climbs have been largely in the shade.

Day 3: Domme to Les Eyzies du Tayak - 38kms

Today was always going to be a shorter day, with a few hills thrown in.

So down the hill from Domme and before the legs could really warm up, we were climbing up to St Cybranet. This was a long slow hill for us on the tandem but we settled into a rhythm and kept going. The downhill run took us to Castelnaud-la-Chapelle. There is a pretty impressive chateau here, so after a morning coffee we decided to ride up the hill and inspect. Again, worth the climb. Within the Chateau they have a bit of armory and weaponry. While in Paris, we went through the Hotel des Invalides where there was a very impressive range of armor, weapons and other things. This helped put the chateau into perspective even more.

We then found ourselves cruising beside the Dordogne River and past the imposing structure of the chateau at Beynac-et-Cazenac. The hundred year war was certainly good for the 21st century tourist trade. I'm sure that they would not have even conceived that at the time.

St-Cyprien saw us turn 'inland' towards our afternoon destination of Les Eysies-de-Tayac. We were moving from history to pre-history. Standing between us and this destination however, was another descent hill. Pick a gear, ride, and when you needed a break, stop and take a photograph.

We found a great hotel on the river and settled in. Our original plan was to say here for two nights and do another loop ride tomorrow. This was to turn into three nights with a rest day.

Day 2: Cahors to Domme - 68 kms

This was our first day of fully loaded touring on the Bike Friday tandem. After a few minor adjustments to the panniers so Elizabeth's heels did not hit the panniers, we were off. Climbing back up the hill to Mercuès initially. At least this time the traffic was less.

Even though we were only at the start of the ride we decided to grab some 'sandwiches' (baguettes with filling - sort of like a foot long Subway only better) and take them in the panniers just in case. This proved to be a really good decision as we did not find any open shops for some time.

We generally followed the small D12 up through the villages of St Dennis-Catus, Peyrilles and Concorès before cutting across to the D46 to take us up to Domme. At L'Abbaye-Nouvelle, despite the name, the was a large ruin of a Église. Quite spectacular in the middle of no where.

We stopped at a bar at Cenac-et St Julien for an ice-cream as it was pretty hot before the climb up to Domme. Someone said that this was a gradual climb - it wasn't, at least not from the direction we came from. However, like all good climbs, there were great views from the top.

The Bastide town of Domme with a 13th century Prison des Templiers and great views of the surroounding Dordogne countryside.

All in all, a great days riding.