Tjs recovery ride 5. The low countries and France

That’s better Pan d Rasion my touring food of choice (necessity;) I don’t do chocolate croissant options. Take it easy and enjoy the ride. C

Camped up in camping municipale la gringe but its a disaster. The bar is shut despite advertising happy hour at 5 pm.

I am bored now of riding down the coastal forests nice tho they are. Found the road for the Atlantic wall bunkers and one of the bunkers. 40 miles today

Atlantic wall bunkers

bar is shut despite advertising happy hour at 5 pm

Seems like the high season campsite staff left without taking the sign down 😭.
Hopefully the nearest supermarket isn’t too far away?

I think its just about to open. Chap said i could have a beer in 5 mins

Saved

I can smell chips as well

I am bored now of riding down the coastal forests nice tho they are

“Bumpy and demoralising” was how I described it a page back, only another 120km or so before the pine forest ends. 🙂 You get a respite through Andernos tomorrow but only if you ride along the sea front rather than the railway trail which runs through the forest behind the town. You’ll miss Arcachon and Dune de Pilat because of the fires. You’ve passed Lacanau which says you’ve decided not to take the railway trail Le Porge – Bordeaux.

At risk of demoralising you further you’ll have a headwind and 55% risk of getting a thunderstorm tomorrow. 😉

Edit: I see the bar is open now which has clearly improved morale.

I have had tailwinds virtually the entire ride since the first week or two which is amazing. A bit of rain would not go ammiss. Dagnamit I’ve been carrying a full set of waterproofs.

Ive a week in hand pretty much so all looking good

Lovely french couple on the campsite who i actually met 2 days ago as well charged my batteries for recharging my phone as they have an electric hook up even though they are riding non e bikes. Kindness of strangers again. Ill offer them coffee in the morning as its about the only thing i have to offer and i find it goes down well

Bad choice on the food front tho. Campsite restaurant was not good and they told me they had a good meal just outside tbe campsite

Rained heavily in the night which woke me up tho i did go back to sleep. Finally woke aftr 8 am which is very rare for me. The fellow cyclists next to me packed up and left and as they did the heavens opened again. Im hiding in my tent.

Coffee has been drunk but a slow start today

Good job im not in a hurry.😎🙄🤣

Rain in a tent is a nice sound, as long as you trust the tent

Im not feeling it at all today. Legs are heavy and motivation low.

Oh well. I might be a bit dehydrated and electrolytes low i guess. I doubt many miles today

Barely 40 miles today. Ive come inland a bit. Camped at Salles in the parc natural regional des landes de Gascogne.

Afternoon tea

Shit shit shit

I just tore my tent putting it up. Clumsy with the pole and put a tear thru it. 2 inch 3 corner tear

I have silnet goo and tenacious tape. Hopefully that can make a repair. Have to wait until its dry to try.

Bumwillypoo

Bad luck TJ. Does Zen application of tape whilst contemplating the above pastries help?
They look totally delicious.
As for tape repairs it’ll be fine. A mate repaired his macpac tent with local sellotape in Mongolia and it was fine for years.
Still a bugger though.
Is there are bar nearby for ‘sod it I need a beer o’clock?’.
40 miles is pretty good for an indifferent day! Just think of it as eeking out extra time in croissant land before crossing the border to land of pinchos and tapas.

Ta

Repair looks ok

👍

Sounds like you deserve beer / chips / tapas now.
At least you won’t get back home thinking why did I carry that tape for 2000 miles or so.

Doh!
That’s what duct tape is for, now go and get chips and beer.

So you’ve picked up a couple of tarts and had an accident with your pole?

Yup.

Now in the bar where its karaoke night. The gods are against me

Duct tape wont stick to silnylon. Tenacious tape seems to tho.

This must be the most french campsite i have ever been on. Its fabulous. Even the old folk are effotlessly cool and the younger lot are almost italianate in the levels of cool.

All generations mixing. I can even smell gauloise for the first time this trip

I think im the only brit around

Tenacious Tape is awesome. I’ve used it on both a Thermarest and a tent. I have some in my rucksack permanently.

Maybe i should ask them if they have ” flower of scotland” on the karaoke

@onehundredthidiot – what a coincidence that you too were on the same beach with that ladybird swarm. They crunched underfoot and got into one’s hair and clothing.
We lived on the same diet as TJ – Cheese, bread, pastries and nectarines. Maybe sardines and tomatoes for dinner.

It rained in the night and the tape repair held.😎👍

I’ve just realised I have no plan at all for today. Oops. Better think of one. Supposed i had better look at some maps. Its all good tho. I have 2 weeks before the first of the meetups with pals and its barely a weeks riding away so i will have some time to chill en route.

The only fly in the ointment is the climbing. Ive been riding in flatlands since Calderdale a month and a thousand miles ago.

Both sets of folk im going to be meeting are going to be in the hills south of Bilbao not actually in the city so lots of lovely climbing to do.🙄

I think what i will do is get into the area then relax for a few days or i might go back down to the coast for a few days.

As ever all very vague. Its the TJ way😎🤣🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️🙃

This is a brilliant read, I settle down with it at the same time as making my morning coffee. I wish I had a luscious french tart in front of me though.

Thanks TJ, I know the purpose of your trip (in part at least) but reading it makes me happy, so thanks for that.

200 miles to go with 7000 ft of climbing🙄

Id better make another pot of coffee

Just think back to the morning you left here all those weeks ago. And then the hills won’t seem quite so ominous. Take care TJ and enjoy every km.

I can’t even make a coherent plan this morning. Heading south east on an old railway but in 5 miles im going to cut back south west.

Huge thunderhead clouds arou d and my waterproofs are packed away deep in my bag. Oh well.

I lost a ripe nectarine this morning. It fell out of the mesh bag im carrying them in.

Still any day on a bike is a good day

You’re in what you’ll probably remember as the least interesting part of your trip TJ, the roads are long straight, demoralising and dangerous. The coastal cycle route is just as demoralising but has the merit of being safe. All I can suggest is seeking out small roads that don’t link the major settlements.

When you break out of the forest just before Bayonne you exchange people flying along the long staight roads through the pines for irritated urban drivers. The Basque coast between Bayonne and St Seb is highly populated and hectic, if you take that route it’s best to take the cycle route around the coast to Hendaye, the roads are awful. In Spain the Camino bike route goes up and down a lot but the alternative main roads are not bike friendly.

The other posibility is going through the mountains, for example making a bee line for St Jean Pied de Port and over to Pampelone following el Camino Frances bike route to Estella. It goes over the Col de Ronceveau but the total climbing isn’t any more than the constant up and down along the coast.

Godd luck whichever way you go and stay alert when being overtaken on those long straights, it’s the part of your journey you’re most likely to be run off the road. 🙁

Ta

Ive got some cycleways to pick up in a bit and gonna head back down to the coast on them.

Coming inland didn’t change the acenery much

+1 for st jean pied de port. It is a beautiful climb and you get bragging rights for getting over a “proper” Pyrennean col.
Maybe we could all vote for the route you take?

Maybe we could all vote for the route you take?

Yeah right. This bunch of comedians has already sent me over loads of hills. Gospel pass mutter moan grumble

Long way for a short cut today. Im only about 30 miles from where i camped last night. Matters not one jot.

Im back on the eurovelo route near Gastes right on a lake. Ever such a nice place i have to say.

Im bored of riding traffic free routes thru forest now and going inland made not one whit of difference hence back to the coast.

Still. I have a rather nice pint of belgian beer in hand right now.

A bit of history for you:

There might still be oil production platforms in the lake.

I have a rather nice pint of belgian beer in hand right now

Perhaps it’s hot hands after a day’s riding that causes them to evaporate so fast?

I have found talking to other tourers really interesting. A few days ago i met a woman who had chucked her job and bought a midrange gazelle bike, some cheap panniers and a cheap tent and just set off. No overthinking it. Tonight a chap who proudly told me his bike cost 40 euros so if he gets fed up he can just chuck it in a hedge and he doesn’t have to worry about it being stolen

I find it really life affirming to meet these folk who get the simplicity of bike touring

Wind and rain forecast towards the end of the week, maybe an idea to stock up on duct tape if you happen upon any diy stores.

Breakfast