Check in here for our progress, or lack thereof, as we attempt to cross the Pyranees then France on our tandem. The first post will hopefully appear on 24th July.
We slept on our bed with no covers in our static caravan. Not because it was hot. In fact, it was cold. But the ferocious staff only gave us one sheet and two pillow cases. It's an odd feeling, going to bed fully clothed in your 'day' clothes but without the security of a sheet. Just a sheet. That's all you need as a barrier between you and the outside world. In spite of such an extreme bed situation, we slept. Every now and again, we would wake up and find something else to put on but we slept. Because we had passed no shops for miles the previous day, we had no food or drinks so when the alarm went off at 7am, we had no choice but to have a drink of water (no alternative beverages being available), get into our wet, cold clothes (we had washed them the night before) load up the tandem and go. But not before the lady in white appeared and demanded €10 with menaces for kindly lending us the inadequate bedding. It wasn't the easiest first few miles. No breakfast, n...
I heard lots of watery sounds at about 6am and decided that either one of our hosts was having a vigorous shower or it was chucking it with rain. Alas, it was the latter. But no matter for a while because first we had breakfast to look forward to. There was a door which joined our accommodation to their half of the house which they kept locked but said they would unlock it for breakfast at 8, so that we could go through to the dining room. At about thirty seconds to 8, we heard the key turn in the lock. Breakfast was excellent and we sat in a magnificent room to eat it. The size of the wardrobes alone was something to marvel at. The French still take their wardrobes seriously (quite right too) and it didn't stretch the imagination much to consider finding a lion or a witch in this particular structure. Our hosts were lovely. By far the most welcoming so far and happy to communicate despite the fact that all conversation was in French. In the end, though, we had to set off in...
We've done some stuff over the last few weeks but getting up at 5:30 and setting off in the pitch dark was a new one. (Don't forget, we are an hour later in France) We needed to catch the ferry from St. Malo at 8am so there was no choice but to set off from my parents at unearthly O'clock. After hurried hugs and goodbyes, we set off down their track. They live in the middle of nowhere so it was very black. We just took each pothole as it happened. So did the tandem, of course. The tandem has been amazing over this trip. One puncture and a few cable adjustments and tyre reinflates, as you'd expect. We set off like coiled springs. Probably the combination of knowing we had a boat to catch and having a whole day off cycling, the day before! We arrived fifteen minutes before the gates opened for the port and first spent some time talking to a neighbouring motorist then to two men who turned up on the bike lane behind us. We had plenty of time to compare notes. They had spe...
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