Jour six – La plume de ma tante
Ok so at the risk of sounding like every single day is becoming exactly like every other “oh my giddy tante” it was cold last night….I mean proper taters! Getting up is a huge challenge in itself and worthy of many many pounds of sponsorship!
Once we are up and packed it’s just after 8am and we head off just as the sun starts to rise…
We are now in the most beautiful countryside and we cycle on through what we discover later is the Parc Naturel de Perigord Limousin …..it is stunning!
After about 10 miles into the day we come across the “voie verte” cycle route, it’s an old disused railway line converted into a cycle and pedestrian path….
….and it makes for a speedy and relatively easy start to the day.
The route stops at the town of Chalus where we take the opportunity to take a break and have second breakfast in the old station….
.…..and our first attempt at a proper selfie resplendent in our Winstons Wishes cycle tops (thanks Ray!)
Important point I need to share with you which I had completely forgotten about…..our route for today was supposed to take us pretty much due south to the very pretty town of Brantome and then East to Hautefort….a triangle if you will and a distance of around 75 miles. As anyone with a basic grip of trigonometry will know actually the shortest route is not A to B to C or in this case Rochechuart to Brantome to Hautefort….it’s just Rochechuart to Hautefort! So that is what we decide we will do. It’s a bit of a cheat in terms of sticking strictly to the France en Velo route but our challenge is to get to Monte Carlo so it is not a long discussion….let’s go straight to Hautefort!
In the event it is a wise decision because stunning scenery it seems comes at a price….it is seriously, seriously hilly now unlike anything we have tackled so far and the going is slow and very tough.
The more astute amongst you will have noticed the clear blue skies in the photos and yes it is seriously hot which also saps our energy making the day unbelievably challenging.
After what seems like an eternity we arrive in Hautefort and lunch in the shadow of the amazing chateau…
….and decide that since it is only 2pm and we have covered 52 miles perhaps we could press on and take some miles out of tomorrow which on paper is even harder than today. It’s a brave decision but we all agree it’s the right one.
A little while later we look back down the valley to see the even more impressive rear view of the chateau……
…..our new aim today is to get to a camp site we have googled and looks open in Saint Leon sur Vezere a further 25 miles away.
It is exhausting work physically and mentally but we keep pushing forward. Marc even finds time to try out for the Playgirl centrefold (even if he does come off a bit Freemans catalogue)…
For me personally the last 3 or 4 miles are pretty much the end ….I am deep in the red and I have absolutely no energy left to give!
It has been 78 miles, 7 hours of cycling, over 6000 feet of climbing, carrying over 15kg of panniers, burning 8000 plus calories and I am in my 50’s (and basically so is Marc although he is still in denial)….it feels like a massive achievement!
Thank heavens the campsite is an absolute joy with an onsite bar and restaurant…..cue the largest beers I have ever seen!
One more day in the saddle until the rest day and frankly it cannot come soon enough. I also get a break from the blog tomorrow as Dan and Marc are in the hot seat.