Breast Cancer Care

For all you happy readers who may wish to support our efforts for the charity Breast Cancer Care, please  follow the link to Marie's "Justgiving" site. Many thanks

http://www.justgiving.com/Marie-Davies8

It's Not Raceday

Thursday 10. 04. 2014

Roncesvalles – Puento la Reina via Pamplona!   78kms   620m

Munched our way through a hearty breakfast after a much less traumatic night for Mr. Grumpy, who found himself with nothing to grump about …ah, except the absence of a wifi connection. But as nobody else had one, it was obviously a general fault  -  thank goodness!

What - No Bulls

If we thought Pamplona would be an easy ride, we were not that wrong. Having made my purchase of a book of maps for the bike route, we had neither of us realised that a green line running through Pamplona was, in actual fact a cycle path! We did work it out pretty quickly when we reached the outskirts and what a bonus it turned out to be. Seven kilometres of no cars just the odd pedestrian to try and avoid and the odd hound. And, it finished at the correct bridge just several metres!..... below the church. As we scraped together a lunch from our diminishing resources, Al reminded me that this was the town famous for its bull running. Thankfully this was not raceday. Getting onto the town had proved so straight forward that we were lulled into a sense of false security – getting out was altogether different but eye opening.

We diligently followed the shells which some generous soul had incorporated into the road, and passed through the old, the wealthy and the poverty stricken. But, we did emerge on the other side and then momentarily (just for an hour or so) misplaced ourselves. Our cycling brothers came to our aid (eventually) and after a bit of a detour, we were back en route.  After another f……ing climb, it was all downhill to Puento la Reina, a bath and an excellent and well priced meal. (13 euros for 3 courses and all the wine or beer you could drink!!! – Ed.)

Have turned an interesting shade of pink below my shorts and sleeves. Never occurred to me it would be hot and sunny! Dooh! 

1112 metres

Wednesday  09. 04. 2014

Palais – St. Jean-Pied-de-Port  - Roncesvalles   61 kms  1112m

Poor old Mr. Grumpy had a fright of a night of fighting with his sleeping bag which does its level best to throttle him and bind is legs. And apparently the bed was very unforgiving. I, on the hand had a very pleasant night. Our little hostess was anxious that we should eat our breakfast pdq as the hostel was supposed to be empty by 09.00. As breakfast consisted of a few slices of bread and jam and a coffee, we did indeed make short work of it.

Our first pause of the day was at St.Jean etc which was positively bustling with pilgrims!  Obviously the place to be seen and from which to start you journey. We just found it all a bit pretentious and difficult to search out those things we wanted – like maps! We have a habit of suddenly finding ourselves bereft of navigational aids. However, lovely hostess of the morning had provided an address for the Pelegrins Boutique!, where I not only found the appropriate maps but we had more passport stamping! I mumbled something to the man in the shop about having to cross the Pyrenees and with a knowledgeable smile he assured me that “yes, it was a long climb but gradual and only ever about 5%.” What a load of cobblers! It was long, that much was accurate, and except for the ever increasing 10% gradients, so was the gradual climb! Suffice to say we finally reached the top! With your undoubted intelligence, dear reader, I am sure I need not expound on our sense of relief.

Our  start is beyond the far horizon

A couple of kilometres downhill and we reached our hostel and a very welcome beer and a bed with sheets!

(I can’t believe she hasn’t mentioned the 1112 metre of ascent! I think that’s close to our record in 1 day –Ed.)

Hairdressers!!!

Tuesday  08.04.2014 Hagetmau – St. Palais

65 kms    725m (min!)

Phew, and phew again. What a day! If we thought we were upping and downing on Friday and Saturday, that was just the warm up! However, we certainly feel a sense of satisfaction and also a little more confidence in that the Pyrenees will not defeat us, even if we do have to do a bit of walking – or even quite a lot of walking. Actually walking does not in any way describe the activity of pushing a bike and Herman or Sherman up a climb! Nonetheless, in mitigation, the weather has been dry and cool with only a slight wind which was behind us – a very novel experience. Old nostril wind will undoubtedly make a come-back at some stage.

One of the great advantages of either walking or pedalling very slowly uphill, is the opportunity to observe nature in the verges. Why we try to tame our gardens to the extent that we do (or some of us anyway) seems almost an insult the natural flora. There are just hundreds of beautiful plants of all shapes and colours which thrive in spite of the traffic. Marvellous!

In case, dear reader, you are interested in my general observations, which I have to admit is a displacement activity, I am bemused by the proliferation of hairdressers in even the tiddliest villages which have no other form of life! Must be a lot of hair around.

We have also seen and, even explored in some cases, an awful lot of churches; to be expected really in view of the fact that this is a pilgrim route. I suspect the church photos will end the way of our mountain shots- “Where was that?” 

Well another day has almost ended and we are ensconced on a delightful hostel for pilgrims or folk who are following this route. It’s an old Franciscan monastery looked after by a delightful little lady. For a room and breakfast it is a bargain at 24 Euros!

 We are looking forward to our night’s rest and giving my elephant time to rejuvenate. He has taken a bit of a bashing today. I suspect the same will be true of tomorrow. Bonne nuit!

Sauveterre-de-bearn

Passport stamping – a new hobby

No Bikes Allowed?

Retions – Hagetmau    65kms   (quite a bit of height gained. Enough to have me pushing)

Well what a day and it all started so well.  Alan had managed to post the blog which I hope was okay because my intellect and definitely my ability to punctuate decreases with wine and time and there was no time this morning to go through it and check.

Anyway, back to today. Whaa…. It would appear that the maps with which we have been provided are so out of date that a major motorway has come into existence and has not been acknowledged as a ‘maybe’! However, the day commenced with a good breakfast and cheery au revoir from our hosts and an uneventful ride through Roquefort and out the other side. At this point things got a bit iffy. Our map indicated a route following the D932. No worries, we found it but we are still not sure that we should have been riding along it. It was unquestionably a clearway and a dual carriageway and we were riding on the hard shoulder (memories of Sicily!). No jobs worth appeared so on we went as we could find no suitable alternative. The experience is not to be recommended. The speed limit was 110 kms / hr which is interpreted by the motorist as at least 20 kms/hr faster. So pootling along at about 15 – 20 kms/hr being overtaken by racing cars was not a lot of fun.

If we thought that was bad (you may have noted dear reader that there are a lot of moans in this blog) when we entered Mont de Marsan our map failed completely and we were obliged to walk along one way streets, get thoroughly lost, walk a few more one way streets and finally re- emerge on the far side of town onto yet more dual carriageway!  It was quick (the dual carriageway) but nerve racking and temperatures were increasing with the hour so we reached Sever in something of a lather. Sever town was attainable only after climbing a hill which could not be ridden with Herman and Sherman and pushing was only just accomplishable. Did get more stamps in the passports though. You see, every cloud and all that…………..

Hagetmau was our target for the day and only required one more push (very worried about the Pyrenees!) and we finally arrived hot and sweaty and in need of good shower. After several fruitless attempts to rouse any hoteliers we finally made a bad phone connections with one of them who, although half-shut – the story of our lives – was able to provide a room but no food. We found the food once we had eradicated the bodily odours. All is now tranquil and I am off to my bed. So until tomorrow, when we have been encouragingly told we will reach the foothills of the mountains, I bid you adieu.

(Sudacrem is being used copiously and Mary is hitting the Nightnurse to allay the effects of a heavy cold. The Pyrenees could be a difficult couple of days! – Ed.)

A Flat Bit!

Sunday 06.04.2014    

 Monsegur – near Retions     86kms 420m

 It had rained overnight but had the good sense to clear up as we roused ourselves for a fourth day in the saddle. To facilitate our departure, we were required to push both the bikes and the trailers through the full length of the bar under the scrutiny of the regulars who had arrived for their coffee laced or otherwise I don’t know. We had nearly reached the door when one of the regulars recognised the flag and exclaimed that his wife was Welsh! They just get everywhere.

At least leaving Monsegur was downhill but the euphoria lasted only a short while before the inevitable ups and downs. Today though, they were much reduced and by lunch time we had reached Les Landes and almost flat terrain. As you would expect this route takes in a lot of churches but Bazas sported a particularly magnificent example and , in fact the entire town was worthy of exploration. It was also decision time!

If our guide book was to be believed, there was little in the way of accommodation over the next thirty or so kilometres. Mmmm… the weather is warm but the tent is not a great choice! So, as it is Sunday and the roads are bereft of lorries, we took a chance on the main road which would save time. It did, but at some cost. Memories of Sweden emerged as we bowled along through endless trees in an almost straight line. Efficient but without romance. Despite our best efforts, the chambre d’hote we had targeted had ‘nothing – rien’. Onward! Why do roads always become so bumpy when legs and lungs want nothing more than to abandon all hope?  The only other mention in the great guide book was a hostellerie on the main road which had lots of space and a restaurant so our cheese and bread will live to see another day. 

Saturday  05.04.2014  

Mussidan – Montsegur        65kms    581m

It is still not quite light at seven o’clock  but the birds are wittering and twittering so it feels like morning. By eight we had joined our hostess in the ‘kitchen’ where breakfast lay in wait along with our hostess. Plenty to eat and all accompanied by a constant chatter in French requiring unusual levels of concentration so early in the day. Having received our complicated instructions for locking up and ensuring the dog did not escape during our departure, we finally deposited the keys in the round green box and set off on day three.

It has to be said that if it had not been April, I would have been unsurprised to see snow – it was very, very cold and foggy, but Mr. Optimism assured me that it would warm up. Correct as ever and after about 10 kms I needed to use a hedge and also reduce my layers!

Today was another day of continuous ups and downs or, to be posh, peaks and troughs, and not insignificant inclines, hence the rather disappointing mileage. The weather continued to improve and we ate our lunch outside yet another shut church, on a bench in the sunshine which was a real pleasure. Mind you, we are not doing well on getting our cards stamped as everywhere has closed doors!

The final climb into Monsegur clinched the decision to overnight in the town. Located a bar with chambre d’hote and very nice it is too even if the wifi is somewhat inadequate. This is a real Deborah and Brendan place with lots of shabby chic and good taste and probably, most importantly, inexpensive! (and a bar downstairs bren - ed) Tomorrow looks much the same from a pedalling point of view so heads down and off we go again.

A More ModestAffair

Friday   04. 04. 2014

Sorges – Mussidan  65kms  310 m.

The hotel concierge promised us sunshine! France Meteo had it right! – wet and windy, improving in the afternoon. Having frozen to death yesterday I took the precaution of donning multiple layers with the obvious outcome -too hot! The weather was not entirely to blame as the morning was another continuous series of ups and downs which under normal circumstances (ie. bike sans trailers) would have been a dawdle. Still, it wasn’t raining all the time and the wind was almost positive.

Navigating through Perigueux was something of a challenge but as we had some prior knowledge of the town and had a vague idea of where we were trying to go, it could have been much worse. Following a few red dots on a copied 1:100000 map is not to be recommended! A continuous flow of overtaking cars only increases the panic. However, we emerged on the other side of the town on the correct road and without having a great falling out! Hoorah! (If we thought Euro Velo was badly signposted, the Compostela bicycle route is entirely bereft of any signs). Good job Master Navigator is always on the case! AND the weather did improve – a bit.

Following last evening’s indulgence, tonight is a much more modest affair. Bread and cheese washed down with the inevitable bottle of wine purchased at great expense from Intermarche and a very comfortable, friendly and moderately priced chambre d’hote.  A demain.    

We're Off Again (in the rain)

Thursday 03.04.2014

Home – Sorges   Nearly 80kms    631m

For those of you who know this area will, no doubt, be wondering how it took us nearly 80kms to reach Sorges from home. Easy – the route that the Pilgrims obviously took meanders up hill and down dale and from east to west and not once follows the river valley (which I would consider the sensible choice, but then who am I to argue.) I suspect this will be a continuing feature of this ride!

We had delayed our departure by a day as we were somewhat jaded after our journey to Santiago to deliver the car to the airport car park! On Wednesday morning we were congratulating ourselves on our decision, as it was blowing a hooley! But the saints were having a laugh because, this morning, it was not blowing but pouring with rain and temperatures had plummeted. Undaunted we were saddled up by 09.30 and began the short climb from the house to the railway line in Oradour. It is only two kilometres but it was still a bit of a huff and puff! As we eased into our rhythm, sure enough, we began to roll along. However, as is normal to our journeying, after some twenty kilometres my bladder was overfull (I know - too much information). We stopped at the café/bar in Bussiere Gallant Gare where I asked very politely in my very best French if I could use the toilet. Now, bear in mind that I was very wet, very cold and busting for a pee and for the first time in France my request was refused! Do not frequent said bar! Nought for it but to cross legs and find a convenience in the railway station which posed no problem.

Suitably relieved, the ride continued up and down and more up and down and yet more up and down but was very pretty even in the rain which did not cease. As temperatures continued to drop, by lunch time we were very cold and in need of extra clothing. (More like Norway than France but no nostril wind – must be grateful for small, actually quite large, mercies). 

Our reward for completing our first day was an overnight in an hotel with a fabulous, if far too large, meal and a pretty hefty bill! We’ll be pedalling very hard tomorrow and without the need for calories.

A Pilgrimage!

Surprise, surprise! You could be forgiven for feeling abandoned, dear reader, but read on and you will find this is not so. The title of this entry may provide a tiny clue as to our next Old Bones venture.

It is still something of a mystery as to where these ideas originate but, it seems that once the seed is planted, growth is almost inevitable. So despite appearances, we have continued to sort of train through a very wet winter while contemplating a foray in spring. I am reliably informed that Spring is now official although the view from my window does nothing to corroborate this theory. (Not warm and raining!)

A pilgrim route, which this is, may not seem an obvious choice in view of our lack of religious beliefs but the road it follows is likely to be interesting and expand our knowledge of the importance of this way. We are unlikely to experience an epiphany I think, but Northern Spain has always had its attractions for us – the wild Atlantic ocean, the Picos mountains and family holidays  – none of which we will encounter on the path of St. James! But the memories will be nearby.

Oradour sur Vayres to Santiago de Compostella is a relatively modest undertaking but Old Bones are still getting older! (a pathetic excuse). As the Master Mind has been carrying out most of the research- well, all of it really – I am blissfully unaware of the distance or the severity or otherwise of the proposed journey. (around 1,500kms!!! –ed.)  So safe in my ignorance, I shall mount my bike and pedal off!

In the meantime, it has come of something of a surprise that, having made no ride of any significance last year, we have spent a lot of time relearning the logistics required for several weeks in the saddle: fortunately Mr. Organised has retained the information from the previous trips and has spent much time revisiting his beloved lists. I do not mock! Without them, we would still be scuttling around, scratching our heads. So far, so good. Bikes are running well, trailers are serviced and packed and, thus far, all bones are in good shape! Please touch as much wood as you can find!

The actual mounting our bikes from the front gate and committing to the ride will happen next Wednesday as we are using this interim period to drive to Santiago and leave the car in a car park near the airport and return home by air. Thus, in theory, when we arrive in Santiago in a few weeks’ time, the car will be waiting to transport us back home. Great in theory, hope it all works in practice!

Hopefully, the next posting on the blog will be from somewhere in France in about a week’s time. This does rather depend on how well legs and lungs have adapted to pedalling all day with Herman and Sherman trailing behind! Still, poking a few keys on the computer shouldn’t make too many demands on physical resources.

We look forward to your joining us on our trek and, as ever, will welcome your comments, however they are conveyed. Until next week!

NB: Earlier this year Jim, the father of our son in law, died after a long fight with cancer. In response, we are hoping that this ride may raise some sponsorship for cancer charities. Marie will be facilitating this aspect so please look out for further information should you wish to make a donation.