Friday 1 October 2010

Day 6 ~ 1 October

La Jarne (Nr La Rochelle) to Fontbedeau (Nr Royan) – 45 miles

Not great mileage today, partly due to the nightmare of getting through/around Rochefort combined with a lung sapping headwind on dead straight roads with little protection.

The day had started on the campsite with rain but this had cleared by the time we had re-crossed the bridge to get back to the mainland. There was also the complication of catching the ferry from Royan across the Gironde to Pointe de Grave. There are only about 4 ferries a day at this time of year and with the crossing taking some 45 minutes we couldn’t afford to miss the one at 3 in the afternoon. This ferry saves a massive amount of driving to the next river crossing so the connection was vital.

A lot of meandering was required to then find a non existent supermarket young Smith claimed to have found on the internet prior to leaving blighty and then having to backtrack some 10 miles to find one open. Eventually all sorted and we managed to find our site (Camp du Soleil) at Montelivet-les-Bains ~ just down the road from the other site pictured whose obvious charms we somehow avoided!

Mind isn’t it great to be sitting outside at 7 in the evening in shorts and t-shirts eating barbecued food!

During one of the lads diversions in trying to get through Rochefort they did come across this old bridge (possibly railway) which only they could cross with its plywood flooring.


Basically a day to have knocked off some miles on empty roads with very few people around.







2 comments:

  1. Hello Vince

    Dylan liked the photo of the ferry and the bridge! Hope you are ok and that you are enjoying your adventure.

    Camping in September, you are a brave man!

    Sarah x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Still haven't seen a sign of even a gentle slope.
    If I'd have known that you were going for a downhill jolly I might have been tempted to join you.
    Come on Andy lets have some photos of them suffering!

    ReplyDelete

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