Introduction

This blog describes a cycle ride across France from the Channel to the Mediterannean in September 2018, a trip that had been on the 'list of things to do' for a while. I had lined up an unsuspecting accomplice for the trip, but unfortunately he had to drop out at the last minute due to family illness so I made the journey tout seul.

The route for most of the trip was based on the book 'France en Velo' which describes a route on minor roads from St. Malo to Nice - about 1000 miles.

I reckoned that it would take me about three weeks to get to Nice, so I planned a shorter version that headed south from the Lot valley to hit the Mediterranean much further west at Sète. That was around 700 miles which would take about two weeks. This was the route I followed.

My bike for this trip was a 12 year-old tourer with a titanium frame and a few carbon bits (seat post and forks) as a concession to modernity. To allow for the rider's old age the bike was fitted with an extra-low granny gear - 28-tooth inner chain ring and 32-tooth sprocket - essential equipment for the hills of West Dorset as well as for long distance touring.

For this trip I did invest in some new tyres (Conti Gatorskin) - a proved to be good investment as i didn't have a single puncture.  The combination of new bib shorts (Lusso Carbon) and my trusty old-school Brooks leather saddle seemed to keep me fairly comfotable over a fortnight of cycling. 

I kept a diary during the trip and took lots of photographs, but my IT skills do not extend to compiling this sort of thing on a smartphone, so the blog was prepared later when I had access to a PC with a proper keyboard and screen. 

 

Day 1. St Malo to Dol-de-Bretagne

La Manche

An easy day to start - cycle to Moreton, train to Poole and the 10 am ferry to St Malo with a short stop in Guernsey to change boats. The weather was prefect - barely a cloud in the sky, no wind and a flat calm sea.

St Malo

After a photo stop by the beach I headed out of town in a vaguely easterly direction but soon found myself on a fast dual carriageway, a far cry from the quiet rural roads that I was hoping for. Lesson learned  - after that I always turned on Viewranger with OpenCycle Map and tracked the ride from the start, so that I could quickly find my exact location.

I soon found my way onto minor roads where I was flagged down by a random bloke in a small van. He must have had a load of freebie water bottles left over from some cycling event and insisted I took one. (And very useful it turned out to be when the weather hotted up further south.) 

After that it was an easy ride along the coast and inland to my hotel in the middle of Dol. Every hotel on this trip had somewhere secure to store my bike overnight - I wonder if that would be the case back home?

On the coast with Mont St Michel just visible in the distance.

 

Distance today - 36 km.

Day 2. Dol-de-Bretagne to Vitré

"Vous allez a Nice?"
That was the greeting when I stopped for a coffee in the small village of Coglès on the first full day. I obviously wasn't the first British cycle tourist to stop here. I explained that I was not going to Nice, but maybe to the Med if things went well.

My planned lunch stop was in Fougères after about 60 km, but the resaurants in the lower town were all heaving and had no space. I soon found out why. There was some sort of bike race finishing in the town, and when I rode up the steep hill to the upper town the road was lined with barriers like a Tour de France finish and with banners counting down the distance to the top.  I somehow escaped into the back streets and a small restaurant for a lunch of cuisse de canard and frites. 

Maybe that lunch was a mistake, as the final 30 km to Vitré felt like hard going and I resolved to try a different refuelling strategy in future. My hotel is geared up for cyclists - the host is a genial old lady wearing a dress with red polka dots like the king of the mountains jersey in the Tour de France. After she had showed me the garage to store the bike, and I had teased her about the dress, she presented me  with a 1.5 litre bottle of mineral water and instructed me to drink the lot to avoid dehydration.

Vitré is a pleasant town to stroll round with numerous floral displays to justify its 3 star rating as a Ville Fleurie. Three different people mistook me for a local and asked the way... a pity that I was no help.

Distance today - 92 km.   Distance from St Malo  - 128 km.

Day 3. Vitré to Monjean-sur-Loire

Tricot Graffiti

The day started with an easy and quick ride on back roads to Craon (the hotel lady corrected my attempt at pronunciation - it only has one syllable) after 40 km.  I sat down outside a café in the market square, ordered a large coffee, asked about cakes and was sent to the bakers opposite.  An enormous almond croissant looked to be a good choice for the alternative refuelling strategy.  Next stop was Segré where I got lost in a maze of new roads outside town before I eventually got to its very picturesque centre ville complete with chateau above the river, although the bikini-clad lady sat astride a pink hippo seemed rather out of place.

I thought about a lunch stop but the croissant was still working so I kept going on minor roads to the west of the France en Vélo route, which passed through several villages that I hoped would have a café. No such luck. Perhaps we Brits have a rose-tinted view of rural France, imagining that every small village has a boulangerie and a café full of old men sipping brandy and reading L'Equipe. In reality, half the houses are holiday homes and everyone shops in the nearest hypermarket so most villages are deserted.  I had to dig into my emergency sweet rations for extra fuel before I eventually crossed the Loire at Montjean and found the hotel right by the river. 

Montjean was a pleasant spot for a pre-dinner stroll, with a fine church on top of a hill overlooking the river, lots of mildly eccentric sculpture, and some fine examples of tricot graffiti (guerrilla knitting). I was impressed that they had managed to include both the French national animals in the sculpture collection.

As to why there is a British phone box by the Loire - I've no idea but, just like back home, it was being used as a book exchange.

Distance today - 104 km.                   Distance from St Malo 232 km.

Day 4. Monjean-sur-Loire to Fontevraud l'Abbaye

La Loire à Vélo
This was the only day of the trip where I met lots of other cyclists, as I was mostly following parts of La Loire à Vélo, an 800km cycle route from Nevers to St Nazaire. A large peloton of French cyclists were staying in the hotel and heading off downstream to Nantes, and I spent some time chatting to a Dutch group as we pottered along. There are a few cycle paths, but it's mostly on quiet minor roads near to the river.

I kept by the river rather than following the book's route through Brissac Quincé, and after passing through Saumur a short climb led up through the vineyards to  the small town of Fontevraud l'Abbaye and this rather posh hotel in the main square next to the abbey. I sat outside nursing a pre-dinner beer reflecting that all was well with the world - the sun was shining and I had done over 300 km with no rain, no strong winds, and no punctures.

Distance today - 96 km.                   Distance from St Malo 328 km.

Day 5. Fontevraud-l'Abbaye to Parthenay

Tournesols et Vignes

The book's route south from Fontevraud looked to follow a dead straight fast road for 20 km, so I chose to make my own way on minor roads just to the west, through a succesion of sunflower fields (mostly seed heads at this time of year) and vineyards. The roads were almost deserted - in the 40 km before lunch I was overtaken by a grand total of four cars.

The empty roads gave me a chance to practise some selfie photography - I eventually worked out a technique that involved setting up the camera on a small tripod on a post or wall and putting it in time-lapse mode to take a picture every second for 30 seconds. That gave me enough time to trigger the shutter, ride down the road, make a quick U-turn, and ride back into camera shot. The first two pictures were taken with that method, although a conventional selfie with the camera at arms length involved much less faff.

In this empty quarter cafes were in very short supply. I was hopeful of finding somewhere in this town (Airvault) but at 2pm in rural France, tout est fermé, so I had to content myself with taking photos of this rather fine market building.

One of the best things about the France en Vélo book is that each stage finishes at an attractive town where there is always something of interest to see on your pre-prandial stroll. Parthenay is no exception, with its hilltop citadel, medieval streets, and this splendid example of trompe l'oeil.

One of the four main pilgrim routes from France to Santiago de Compostella passes through Parthenay (I'm staying in the Hotel Saint Jacques), entering the town through a fortified gateway and following this street with its well preserved half-timbered houses.

Distance today - 75 km.                   Distance from St Malo 403 km.

Day 6. Parthenay to L'Isle Jourdain

La Vienne
My progress across France can be measured in terms of the five major rivers that are crossed en route. Today's ride ended by crossing the Vienne - two down, three to go.

It was long day through gentle rolling countryside, small towns and sleepy villages in the departments of Deux Sèvres and Vienne.  Hot weather was forecast so I was away by 8.30, with stops in Lusignan for bread, cakes and coffee and then at Vivonne where the town was buzzing with the Saturday market and I was glad to be able to restock with water.

The little village of Chateau Larcher (in the photo) with its castle was a good spot for a picnic stop and then it was just a question of keeping going in the afternoon heat.

The way into L'isle Jourdain takes you under this rather fine railway viaduct over the river Vienne - the last train left years ago and it's now used for saut en elastique (bungee jumping).

 
If I knew then what I know now I could have cycled across the viaduct as my B&B was near the far end, but then I would have missed out on this photo oppportunity from the road bridge.

My chambre d'hôte was this elegant mansion run by an expat British couple, a great find with the facilities and ambience of a posh country house hotel for a fraction of the price. I cooled off with a swim in the pool, chatted with the owners over an apéro, then strolled the short distance into town for a simple but excellent meal of salade de chèvre, steak-frites and tarte aux pommes. I could get used to this cycle touring lark.

Distance today - 103 km.                   Distance from St Malo 506 km.

Day 7. L'Isle Jourdain to Rochechouart

Bonne Dimanche

Today was planned as a short day so that I could finish in time for lunch and avoid starvation, as I knew from bitter experience that everywhere in rural France is closed on Sunday evening. 

I rode back over the Vienne, taking the viaduct this time, where I persuaded a passing dog walker to take this photo, then followed the Vienne valley to Confolens for coffee in a busy cafe where everyone else was indulging in the usual French Sunday morning ritual of checking their lottery tickets.  

The route then crossed the Vienne on this bridge, passed through Chirac (the first of two villages on this trip that share a name with a French president) and took me to Rochechouart just before 1.00.  My hotel was very busy with Sunday lunch in full swing, but fortunately I had rung up to reserve a table for 1.30 so I had time for a quick shower before a superb 4-course lunch with half a bottle of cabernet franc from the Loire vineyards that I had cycled through a couple of days before.

After a siesta there was a chance to explore the town, now almost completely deserted. I had only heard of Rochechouart as a station on the Paris métro, but it has three claims to fame - a splendid chateau with pepperpot towers, a church with a spire almost as crooked as Chesterfield, and the site of a huge meteorite impact about 200 million years ago.

 

Distance today - 60 km.                   Distance from St Malo 566 km.

Day 8. Rochechouart to Excideuil

La France Profonde

From Rochechouart the France en Vélo book takes a zig-zag route to the Dordogne through the tourist meccas of Brantôme, Les Eyzies and Sarlat. As I had already visited these places, I chose to take a more direct route for the next two days to reach the Dordogne at Souillac. 

Google maps is very useful for route planning as it shows both the height gain and a profile, and I used its suggestions to work out a route along minor roads through Châlus and Thiviers to Excideuil. La France Profonde doesn't get much deeper than this. 

The terrain had been gradually getting more lumpy each day, and today's route went up to 400 metres in a couple of places, but light relief was provided by what the French call a voie verte along the disused railway line from Oradour-sur-Vayres to Châlus.  Note the difference from most converted railway tracks in the UK - smooth tarmac rather than rough gravel.

I arrived in Excideuil around 3.30, found my hotel (in the photo) only to discover that it was closed on Monday lunchtime and would not open until 5.00. Rats. I whiled away the time by finding a park where I could lay in the shade and read the papers on my phone before going back to the hotel for a much needed shower followed by an al fresco dinner on the terrace outside.

Distance today - 84 km.                   Distance from St Malo 650 km.

Day 9. Excideuil to Souillac

"Bon Courage!"

That was my farewell message from the girl in the hotel as I left this morning. I suspected that some courage would indeed be needed as the route included three significant climbs and another very hot day was forecast. 

I was glad of the early morning cool on the first ascent of 150 metres out of Excideuil but all of that height gain and more was lost on the descent to rejoin the France en Vélo book just before Hautefort. As the name implies it's on top of another hill which proved more of a struggle up to the villlage which boasted an excellent boulangerie and this imposing chateau.

The continuation along a high ridge gave some fine views but I was finding it hard going and in danger of bonking out until a few sweets gave a welcome sugar rush before an exhilarating long downhill to the Vézère valley at Le-Lardin-Saint-Lazare where I stopped for coffee and more supplies.

The book route now heads off west but I took a more direct way - a long grind in the heat up to the col between the Vézère and Dordogne valleys at over 300m, before another fine 15 km downhill ride to Souillac, entering town under a magnificent curved viaduct that carries the Paris-Toulouse railway down to the Dordogne.

My elegant hotel in the centre of the old town opposite this belfry was an oasis of cool in the heat. I took a brief stroll round town in search of drinks and ice cream, the many English voices reminding me that I was back on the tourist trail.

Distance today - 78 km.                   Distance from St Malo 728 km.

Day 10. Souillac to Figeac

La Canicule 

The heatwave looked set to continue so I made an early start, crossing the Dordogne (major river number 3) on a small bridge at Pinsac. The France en Vélo route now heads uphill to the tourist magnet of Rocamadour, but it seemed to involve some unnecessary extra ascents and I had been to Rocamadour last year, so I followed Mr Google's suggested route - which still had plenty of uphill - along forest tracks and minor roads for a coffee and food stop at the small town of Gramat.

Crossing the Dordogne

My supplies included a big bottle of mineral water, very necessary on a hot day like this, which I wedged onto the rack on the back of the bike. Except that it fell off on the first bump in the road out of town, requiring a rapid dismount and dash after the bottle as it rolled downhill, much to the amusement of passing drivers.

Riding through Espedaillac

The route is now mostly downhill to the Célé valley at Figeac, but I had picked up a leaflet that listed outdoor swimming spots, and saw that a small diversion might give a chance for a dip. So I took a route further west through Teilhac and Espédaillac to Espagnac-Sainte-Eulalie where it was just about possible to swim for a few strokes under this bridge and the chance to cool off was very welcome.

From here it was an easy 20 km along the Célé valley to Figeac, with a stop at a nice cafe next to the river, where the other patrons were walkers heading in the opposite direction, following another of the Santiago pilgrim routes which started in Le Puy en Velay.

Most French motorists folow this advice, unlike back home.

I soon found my hotel by the river and settled into the usual post ride routine - shower and rest, wander round the town (which has lots of fine medieval architecture) and seek out a restaurant (or in this case, just follow the advice of the patronne who directed me to an excellent place round the corner).

Figeac. My hotel is the building on the far side of the bridge.

The main square in Figeac

Distance today - 85 km.                   Distance from St Malo 813 km.

Day 11. Figeac to Espalion

Le Lot

I had been looking forward to this day riding up the Lot valley and it did not disappoint - mostly easy cycling on quiet roads with beautiful views at every turn.  The other good news was that the weather was cooler and far more comfortable for riding.

The only hard work came early with two hills and over 300 m of ascent out of the Célé valley followed by a superb fast descent down a wide road with sweeping curves to the Lot valley at Pont d'Agrès.  From here there was an easy ride following the river for almost 40 km to Entraygues, with the wooded valley looking quite atmospheric in the morning mist.

As the name implies, Entraygues is at the confluence of two rivers (where the Truyère joins the Lot) but the ancient bridge over the Truyère was closed for renovation, and the dreaded 'Route Barrée' sign necessitated a 2 km déviation to cross the river on a dam, though maybe the diversion was just to make sure that I rode past the local donkey field.

In town I stocked up with food, spotted this excellent piece of trompe l'oeil that disguised an electricity sub-station, and enjoyed a picnic in a park between the castle and the river.

After lunch the sun came out and the scenery got even better as I continued along more quiet roads to the picture perfect village of Estaing - one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France and home of president number two - apparently Giscard (still going in his 90s) owns the chateau that dominates the village. At the photo-opportunity on the way into Estaing I got chatting to a British cycling couple who were out on a day ride but told me that they had done an organised trip from St Malo to Nice earlier in the summer. We discussed my plan to finish at Sète and they told me that I was missing out the best bit of St Malo to Nice. Now there's an excuse to come back.

After a drinks break in Estaing I rolled on to Espalion with its elegant old bridge and discovered the hard way that my chambre d'hôte outside the town was up a ridiculously steep hill where I had to resort to a GOAP (get off and push) for the first time on this trip. Fortunately it was on the route for tomorrow. 
 

I got a very warm welcome and the host insisted that I used her washing machine rather than rinsing my sweaty clothes by hand.  And tea-making facilities in the room were a rare treat. She also insisted that I phoned her after dinner so she could drive down into town and give me a lift to save me having to stagger back up the hill. Memo to self if I ever do this again – stay in more chambres d’hôtes and fewer hotels..

Distance today - 91 k            Distance from St Malo - 904 k

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