Nantes & Mont St-Michel

Mon 4th Aug

A lazy rest day yesterday and a short 5 mile “leg turner” then a catch up with the notes for blogging.

Initially we planned an unloaded trip to St Nazaire. Didn’t happen. A late start then getting as far as Nantes where doing the tourist thing took over. I mean,  who’d expect to see an Elephant giving rides in Nantes? Well Petes pants did!

Anyway the plan has changed yet again, we’re now going to catch a train to Avranches and do the Tourist thing at Mont St-Michel, then onward&upwards to the Hook of Holland. Mainly cos we’re running out of time to catch the ferry back to Harwich so as to be in Norwich for Carls birthday.

Tue 5th Aug

Gentle droog into Nantes Gare SNF, a little bit of buggering about getting the bikes to the correct platform, but only because the French fat controller doesn’t know which platform the train will leave from until 20 mins beforehand, therefore everybody hangs around the info board, then its a mad rush to get to the platform. We’ve been very lucky with the Velo friendly trains so far and our luck continues! Slight issue of changing trains at Rennes so we wait on the platform we arrived at- hoping we wouldn’t have to change- until info boards announced relevant platform…..unlucky! Mad rush for platform 7. Ann went with the lift and I went with the escalator. Now I’ve had one or two dodgy moments on escalators with a fully loaded bike, so this time I thought deeply about what I was doing and wheeled the Surly on backwards ( this prevents the bike flipping up n over…..not good!) Hurrah,  it worked, and with the panniers braced against my leg and me holding seatpost said treader was going nowhere.

Whilst sitting back enjoying the journey I happened to discover the train stopped at Pontorson, which is the village closest to MSM…..result! So a quick 5mile tread toward MSM to the campsite I had selected when bugger me it was full…..in August? What? Is everyone on holiday? So 5 miles back to Pontorson to camping Halitosis. ….also full, but they’ll let us put our tent up besides the kiddies play area for only £20 per night…..not impressed and it started raining again. …oh joy.

After erection duties me n t’ boss headed into town in order to find some accommodation for the following night as we wanted to spend a full day at MSM in order to do it justice. We found a very nice Best Western called Hotel Montgomery, originally the home of count Montgomery, with parts of hotel built in 1600’s, on Pontorson high st and entered into negotiations. Initially we had a standard room for the following night, but after stepping outside and seeing big black clouds in t’sky we promptly went back to reception, renegotiated and secured a deluxe room for two nights. ……sod the camping! Back to campsite collect bags (but leave tent to air) back to hotel and move in. Not only is room huge but the huge bathroom has a huge spa bath…….boss is in heaven! This, we decided, was our wedding anniversary treat to ourselves.

The hotel receptionist also recommended a very very nice little restaurant just around the corner for scoff on the Rue de Tanis called “Le Relais Gascon” check out the moulles, with local cider…mmmmmm! (sorry Leslie!).

Being our anniversary we had a drink or two with our repaste

Apparently I can’t handle it anymore?

Just a little bit more!

Wednesday 31st July

Our new friends in the little tent were asking for info about the route Ann & I had taken the previous few days, so in the end I gave them the map we had been using. It was no good to us now (if I could read it anyway) as we were leaving the Verte Loire and heading on south (still following the Loire).
This left us map less, but a cunning plan was in force: small tent people had left their map on a mannequin (shop dummy)! It was just a matter of finding the right one

Not very helpful with directions....& yes, I am expecting questions on which ones the dummy!

Although both the Loire and its attendant canal were going in our direction, the canal path was un-rideable,  especially loaded as we are and there is no Verte, so we were on the roads again. Somewhat hilly and meandering, moving on and off (up off) the flood plain with monotonous regularity. Ann did not want to hear how it was good training for Tuscany!
At last we reached Roanne, our target for the day, and, as is our want, headed into the tourist information offices for….yep….information, maps etc etc.

The really nice English chap working there pulled together all the info he could, and also persuaded us (that’ll be me then, Ann was outside watching over the bikes) that we really wanted to stay at the campsite at Lac du Villerest. “Its only another 8ks” he said!
So off we toddled, stopping of at the supremarche for some basics.

Did I mention Lac du Villerest was formed by damming the Loire at the bottom of a geographical feature called Le Gorge Le Loire? Lovely scenery:-

Its a long drop down to the Loire

Of course that also means a bit of a climb. Pushing a cat 3 I reckon (don’t forget we’re fully loaded!) Ann did not want to hear about how it was good training for Tuscany!

So with a lot of chuntering and a major sweat on we got to the dam, the reason I missed the campsite sign was the tanning oil burning my eyes out of their socket.
And lo! Before us was a lake, held in at the sides by a Gorge…Mmm I thought, this next bits going to be hilly!
And look, theres the campsite

Its in the trees! Oh yes it is

I don't want to hear it's good training for Tuscany! !

Thursday 1st August

We’d managed to bash out a fair few miles over the last few days, and thst final climb after a long day, combined with the swimming pool at the campsite persuaded us that a rest day was in order. So we tanned at the pool and I did a bit of research on the next stage. The mistake I made was telling Ann it was going to be a hilly day. I reckon if I hadn’t mentioned it but just said something along the lines of “40ks tomorrow, that ok?”she wouldn’t have worried about it so much.

Friday 2nd August

Early start today, with breakfast being a 1/4  of last night’s pizza, with the promise of breakfast on the road.
So, out of camp, turn left over Dam, then 1st climb of the day, 600ft straight up-that got the lungs working!
At the top I was just getting my heart rate back into the 200’s when Ann said “don’t even mention. ….!
So turn right, a bit more of a climb, then we started going downhill, quite fast! for some time…. then around a corner and. ….bugger!
There’s a book I’m reading and really enjoying at the moment by Edwin somebody or other (I’ll reference him later) who was a national service donkey walloper (thats slang for a tank operator whose unit used to be Cavalry in the long distant past) who wrote “walking is only the lowest gear”
Lo gear engaged for at least a mile and a couple of 1000ft. I once went hill walking (adventure trg with 7 others…excellent swan, paid for by sponsership post Gulf 1) in  Northern Spain in a range called The Picos d’Europa, we decided it would be a good idea instead of taking the cable car, to walk up onto the plateau, then scramble up a peak over 2000m. That was easy compared to this!
Well, it can’t get any worse I thought. ….wrong…another “mother”

So 2hrs out, 8 k’s covered and Ann isn’t a happy teddy!
Fortunately the hills eased off (a bit) and we stopped for breakfast

Its amazing how reviving a cup of tea can be....and bread & honey!

Whilst having breakfast an elderly couple on their carbon fibre racers went past heading back up the hill we’d just come down at 40mph brakes squealing, which made us smile and decide if they can….so can we, and we’re harder cos we’ve got luggage, and a tent, and heavy bikes….so there!

The road got easier and more scenic so we stopped for photos-

Up river

Down river

Mr August come to fix the washing machine!

And look…a Château!

It was at this point, when Ann went to photograph the sign of the Château (La Roche) that she noticed on the bottom corner  “Alps-Rhone”  oops!

Along the way…just up the last hill, we stopped for café au laite and got talking to an English couple going t’other way who blithely said, “oh yes, we’re doing 120ks today” Well…..it might have been more down than up…but… no way hose`!
So weary but with a sence of accomplishment we arrived at Balbigny route Blue campsite, tent pitched, into town lunch scoffed and in the pool by 2!

Thar she blows Capn!