Long and hot...

This about sums up the day! We set off at 8.00am and got a good start, although we had to add 3 miles to the route just to cross from one side of the harbour to the other. There was an excellent separated bike route along the coast, although the runners using it could have done with being a bit more aware of the fact that they were on a cycle path! Anyway we made good time down to La Tranche sur Mer, which was a seething mass of humanity and almost impossible to cycle through. Some of the cyclists were moving so slowly that it was a miracle they didn't fall off their bikes and don't get me started on the pedestrians....

We stopped there (after 32 miles) for a drink and some food. I eventually forced my way through the crowds to a boulangerie where I got 2 cold drinks and 2 squillion calorie custard slices to keep us going - as well as a baguette for lunch. We then fought our way out and continued down the coast until the route disappeared down a rough track saying 11km to a town that I could see from the map was only about 3 miles away. As the day was already shaping up to be both long and hot we headed up the road and rejoined the route inland in the flatlands, strangely reminiscent of the Somerset levels. Some more rough track followed, but we barely noticed as we had our eyes glued to the endless fields of sunflowers - sadly past their best as most of the heads had turned down.

We made our big mistake by deciding to follow the signed route to La Rochelle, rather than the on- road route I had marked back in England. We seemed to be going in circles and eventually found ourselves riding on a rough dirt track by a canal. After a few miles of this we abandoned and got off on the next road we came to, eventually getting back to about half a Mile of where we had been 1.5 hours earlier. After that all was fine until we hit the outskirts of La Rochelle, traffic everywhere and no road names that we could see. We asked directions a couple of times, but I suspect something got lost in translation. We eventually made it to the hotel after 80 miles, not sure how we did it and a bit worried about ever finding our way out again.....

We then had to try and fathom out yet another type of shower ( how many ways can there be for mixing hot and cold water and ejecting it through a shower-head?). I think I am about ready to write a thesis on the subject. We were able to eat outside and watch the (whole?) world go by in La Rochelle - it was still stiflingly hot at 9.00 pm and the forecast is for it to get hotter over the next couple of days. At least this hotel is air conditioned. 

We have now completed 600 miles, my thighs are monstrous and we have eaten our body weight in French bread and bananas. We have missed the giant tombola (whatever that might involve), the magic show and more circuses than you could shake a stick at. Perhaps our luck will change tomorrow! Pictures include the sunflowers, signs we were following and a stray cyclists