DAY 11: PAREMPUYRE - BOMMES: 69km
WEDNESDAY 23 JULY

We were up at 7am as usual and retrieved the tandem from the breakfast room where the owner had suggested we park it. Unfortunately breakfast was again disappointing - just a small amount of bread and croissants.

We had breakfast outside for the first time on the trip

We were just north of Bordeaux and we hadn't yet decided how we were going to get through the city. We were discussing this with the owner who told us that there was a path which started at the docks and went all the way along the river and through the middle of Bordeaux. This was really good news as we had wanted to see Bordeaux and it would've been a long detour around. We left feeling positive about the route having made a decision.

We followed the busy main road into Bordeaux with its rush hour traffic. As we approached the commercial centre there were also a lot of lorries and vans around and it was not that pleasant - especially as there were a lot of roundabouts to negotiate. Just when it was getting really busy we managed to find a small road signed off a roundabout to the docks and followed it through the docks where we found the cycle path that we had been told about.

This was a real find



Not only was it traffic free route but it was beautiful



Bordeaux looked stunning

Although we were tempted to look around Bordeaux we decided that we would come back on another occasion for the day to explore as we had a long day's cycling still ahead of us - not to mention a loaded tandem.

We headed away from the river towards the station and stopped for a drink in a bar

We decided not to eat in Bordeaux but to carry on a bit further in the hope that we would find a better value lunch away from the city centre - we also wanted to get the journey out of the city done as we were slightly concerned about it.

We set the Garmin to automatic routing and it took us through some nice residential streets and suburbs. It was a lot easier than we had imagined it was going to be.

What a find - how could we refuse?



They even had a terrace over looking a man-made lake

We had a really enjoyable lunch - and we filled up on rice and vegetables and lots of visits to the ice cream and dessert buffet. It made a change from the food we had been eating on the trip and it was actually really nice looking over the man-made lake, even though it had a motorway junction behind it! We left feeling set up for the afternoon's ride which took us back onto country lanes.

We passed a lovely marshy area as we got back onto the lanes

We stopped to have a look for wildlife but didn't stay for long. Partly as we had just had our long lunch stop and wanted to get going and partly as there were a group of local youths playing on their scooters up and down the road and although they were totally ignoring us, for the first, and only, time on the ride I just felt that maybe we should be moving on. I'm pleased that at this point I hadn't remembered the warning I read on a cycle forum about youths on mopeds pushing cyclists off their bikes in order to rob them!

The afternoon's scenery was very varied. We went through some nice villages on undulating lanes.

We rode past some vineyards



It was nice in the shade

We were both really thirsty as it was very hot (the bike computer was registering 38 degrees) but we couldn't find a bar or a shop open. Eventually we came to La Brede where there was a tabac open and we bought some large bottles of water. Rob wasn't feeling too well (I think it was a combination of dehydration and the chinese) and at one point I was concerned that he wouldn't be able to continue but he began to feel better once he had drunk a few litres of water.

We sat at a closed cafe's table until we were asked to move



Time to get going again



We were stopping every few minutes for more water



It was incredibly hot

The last few kms were hard work as it was quite hilly and we just wanted to get to our chambre d'hotes. When I had been looking for places to stay I had found Peyraguey Maison Rouge and had a good feeling about it and we weren't disappointed. The website hadn't done it justice - it was so tranquil and in a beautiful setting.

Set right in the middle of the vines with very welcoming hosts was just what we needed



Our lovely room was above the garage



We had our own little terrace overlooking the house and vines

Rob very kindly offered to cycle down to the village to get something for our picnic tea as we hadn't passed any shops en route. I headed for the shower and then for the pool.

What a view from the pool

When Rob returned from the shops he joined me by the pool and we stayed there until gone 9pm sunbathing and swimming as it was still amazingly hot. Our hosts and the other guests (who we think were friends of theirs) had gone out for the evening and so we had the whole place to ourselves - it was just like being in a rented gite.

We set up our picnic table so we could watch the sun set over the vines

It was a perfect way to end the day after the heat we had endured. It was hard to believe that tomorrow would be our penultimate day.