After watching the rugby in Angoulême, our planned route has to change due to the bad storms settling over degrees area.
We cycle to Mussidan, having a day off, walking in the woodland and exploring the town with its tragic WW2 history, before cycling on to Duras.
We stop in the pretty town of Sainte Foy La Grande, hiding from a cloudburst in the town’s vaulted square.
Then we spend 3 nights in Duras, cycling between the storms to Eymet and Marmande.
Even with the changing plans, we have a wonderful time pedalling along the backroads and quiet lanes of The Dordogne & Lot et Garonne
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Welcome to postcards from Provence and part four of our 1200 kometer cycle ride from Devon back to the south of France. After a glorious afternoon in Angulen and the rugby which was fantastic, we set off again the next morning pedalling out of the town and it was uphill. The roads though were really quiet and some of them so straight it was like being on a little roller coaster. We kept going up. The sky kept getting darker, but we pedled on quite happily, just enjoying the scenery as we headed into the door. Some sites though stopped us in our tracks, such as this incredible shadow known as the Vessai Shae, the chat jala nursery. All we could do was stop and stare. was built or extended by two brothers into the 1970s with a 220 m facade. Incredible. But we had to leave it and pedal on in and out of rain showers before finding the most gorgeous cat to say hello to. In fact, it was so gorgeous we both had to say hello and he was very happy. But then the rain started. We puffed on our clothes while stood by the legendary fountain like many fountains across France with magical powers and a lot of fables attached to it. But the water was incredibly clear. We stopped in a village for breakfast and another just to listen to the bells. [Music] [Applause] before heading on again towards our evening stop at Musidan. It was a lovely ride through, although to be honest, we were getting tired. [Music] We stopped in this small town for lunch and then pedled on into the afternoon. Happily, the sun came out and this light dappling through was beautiful. Finally, we arrived in Musidan for a day off, which was much needed. We started the day with coffee before heading out for a walk, leaving the bikes behind for the day. A stormy day, but walking through the woodlands was just lovely and just what we needed. It’s a fascinating town with a tragic history attached to World War II, but definitely worth exploring. [Music] As we arrived back, the heavens opened again. But the next morning, we started with porridge and set off with blue skies showing. We pedled off into the door villages with beautiful roofs and pretty churches. [Music] Saying hello to the horses. Because of the changing weather and the constant threat of storms which were really raging in the area, our plans had changed. So instead of heading towards Berserk, we were going towards San Foer Grand and taking a different route down towards Bordeaux. It was a shame, but actually this was still a very beautiful ride. And the bracken was golden and bright orange as we cycled through the woodlands. Our plans may have had to have changed, but the riding certainly hadn’t. It was still absolutely glorious. [Music] We passed beautiful housesing [Music] lakes which seems to be a big business in this area. Heading towards the door [Music] which we crossed and then took the quiet roads through along the riverside passing through vineyards. more incredible houses and just enjoying the peace of these quiet roads. We stopped by the river admiring the view and then putotted into San Foer Grand where we sat by the river and had some lunch watching the storm that was coming. We thought it was passing away to one side, but unfortunately not. And we took shelter whilst it absolutely poured down. It was bouncing waist high off the pavements. But we were dry under the arches and then potted on. The sun came out. We stopped for a train and carried on back into the countryside through the vineyards. The storm that had passed us off to one side now. It was as if it had never happened. The roads were dry and it was a beautiful afternoon. [Music] as we made our way through to the next stop at Giraffe, a pretty little village on a hilltop with a beautiful little castle. With the weather closing in, we decided to stay here for a couple of nights and just enjoyed riding whilst the sunshine. The first ride was out to Ame, stopping at a place we’d visited 2 years ago on our ride down to Provence. saying hello to the cows and stopping in this incredibly pretty place for a second breakfast, of course, [Music] we sat in the cafe and watched the world pass by. Quite amazed at the amount of English being spoken, we pedled out under the bunting [Music] and watched the birds starting to fly south. We seem to be chasing them down the country. It was a lovely ride through. [Music] This grain store was amazing and we just enjoyed pottering through the countryside. A really lovely area to cycle around even though we weren’t expecting to be there. More signs of autumn with Sinclan and the afternoon we spent walking just exploring the tracks around the village. The grapes definitely ready for harvest. And then the next day another ride. We chased our shadows, [Music] passing through huge hazelnut groves [Music] and plum orchards, a real sign of the area. It was a beautiful ride with incredible views. [Music] We were in no hurry, so we could just enjoy them. We were right thinking that the harvest was just about to start. As we pedal towards Morand, we found the first signs of it. A little family domain starting their harvest. We stopped for second breakfast in Marmont and then pedled back, passing through vast areas of sunflower fields that would have been glorious just a few weeks ago. We stopped to chat to the donkeys [Music] before pottering on again and stopping for some figs. They were utterly delicious. An evening walk around Uras, a last look at the castle, and then we’ll be on again tomorrow for the final step towards Bordeaux, and then a train before heading to Aikes and home. Thanks for following. We hope you enjoy traveling with us.