Tuesday Bordeaux to royan

Somebody up there doesn't like me - I am convinced.
It rained all night and the t shirt I washed and hung out to dry at Raissac is still wet as is the travel towel which has never dried. It was interesting packing up in the rain but I managed to keep the dry things dryish. I realised that my luck had changed when I stopped for a coffee, shortly after I set off, to work out a route around Bordeaux As I entered the cafe I plucked up my courage and offered everyone my hand and wished them "bonjour".  The French worker who had three coffees lined up ready to drink offered to help me plot my route around bordeaux. He went to his van to get a better map and then wrote out a list of the places I should look out for. Fantastic. Thank you.


It rained all morning but when it rains there tends to be no wind so it is not all downside.. My galoshes were excellent keeping my feet warm and dry. Once out of Bordeaux I was immediately into the grand chateaux of the Medoc - names you have heard of Rothschild, Margaux etc.

The rain stopped and the wind picked up in my face again and I was starting to feel sorry for myself when I came upon a party of American cyclists on some kind of "cycling for softies " type tour. I passed them all going up a hill and when I asked them where they had started from They said it was  it was Macau (about 20kms) At the bottom of the next hill when I stopped to take a photo they were being collected in a van. It kept me going all afternoon despite a strong headwind.

When I got to the boat the relativity of it all was brought home. I met three French people of at least my age who were setting out on a forty day 4000km tour of France. We chatted on the boat and exchanged photographer duties and it became obvious that they are real cycle tourers whilst I am just playing at it.





They were very nice and admired my Brooks B17 saddle but weren't too impressed with the rest of the gear. I wished them "bonne route" and "Bon courage" which  they reciprocated and then they turned up in the same campsite about half an hour later- but I got there first by getting a map from tourist information.