DAY 12: BOMMES - BOUGLON: 56.5km
THURSDAY 24 JULY

This was our penultimate day. We both woke up feeling really tired. The 7am starts were beginning to take their toll and I wished we could stay where we were for a rest day. I think the heat of the previous day had really taken it out of us and although it was disappointing I think it was just as well that the day had dawned overcast.

We ate a nice breakfast in the company of the other guests and our hosts. Everyone was very interested in our trip and we were sent off with their good wishes as we descended the hill through the vines towards Langon.

We followed a lane through woodland bordering a river



until we met the Canal Lateral de Garonne



We were on the home straight - literally



One more Department to go



We found a nice friendly restaurant at Meihan for lunch



The food was basic but good

After a nice relaxing lunch it was time to get going. We hadn't gone very far when Rob decided that we needed to put some more air in the front tyre.

This resulted in puncture number 5



We continued along the canal - it was very peaceful

We didn't cycle as fast as we thought we would on the canal as we were both feeling a bit tired. It was rather overcast which was a shame as there was a swimming pool waiting at the end of the day - and this was the one day that we had a lot of shade on our route if had been hot.

We headed away from the canal towards our chambre d'hotes

The route had looked quite hilly on the map but it really wasn't that bad and there were far reaching views.

About 10km from our destination something didn't feel quite right with the bike. We stopped to investigate and realised that the front bottom bracket had started to come loose. At the beginning of the trip I had been checking the back bottom bracket regularly for any sign of a problem (we had brought a spare with us) but it had not occurred to us check the front one and now it was beginning to feel loose.

Rob wanted to stop and try and mend it there and then, I felt that we should just limp to our accommodation as at least we would be there and not stranded if anything went wrong while repairing it. I also reasoned that our host for the evening may have tools we could borrow. Rob did see the logic in this and so we just took it steady.

We arrived in Bouglon and eventually found the driveway to Mas de Campech which unfortunately was another steep gravel drive to negotiate.

It was a beautifully rennovated house



We were shown to our tastefully decorated room

Our hosts were very friendly and there was a nice relaxed atmosphere. Rob was able to borrow some tools and the owner helped him fix the bike.

It was a shame it was grey as the pool was in a lovely setting

However, I was determined to use it and had a quick swim but it really was quite chilly. We sat by the pool for a while chatting to Leen and Peter who were on holiday from Belguim. We hit it off with them straight away and were disappointed that they had arranged to eat out that evening and would not be eating the table d'hotes with us.

We also took the opportunity to catch up on our diary writing



Dinner was served outside which was nice

We shared the table with our hosts and their children and a family from Belguim. Everyone was friendly enough but it was the same, now familiar, problem. We spent the evening trying hard to make polite conversation and not look greedy by filling up on bread when there wasn't much to go round. Again, although what we ate was very nice there wasn't much of it and not enough carbrohydrate after a day's cycling.

The evening was warm and it was lovely eating outside looking at the illuminated swimming pool and the outline of the hills beyond.

It was hard to believe this was our last evening, having lived with the planning and preparation for so long, and that this time tomorrow we would be in Lacour. It had been the most amazing experience.

I thought by this point I would be dreading the end and wanting it to go on forever but I was ready to arrive now. I had enjoyed every minute of the trip but I was getting fed up with keep moving on and not having chance to unpack and settle in anywhere - if the journey was going to be any longer I would need a couple of days off before continuing. The frustration of living out of two small panniers was also beginning to get to me - I could never find what I wanted even though we hardly had anything with us! I also really wanted to wash my clothes properly rather than just washing them by hand every night and a lie in would be nice. We were due to have a week at our house when we got there and I was really looking forward to it.