DAY 6: ST. MARS DES PRES - COULON: 94.9km
FRIDAY 18 JULY

Unfortunately breakfast was not available until 8.30am which meant we left later than we would've liked. Had we known it was going to consist of mainly factory produced croissants and only a small amount of bread and cereal to go round we would've saved the €9 each and our time.

We ate with the other guests and the Belgian gentleman I was sitting next to was interested in our trip but asked who carried our luggage!

We're on the road again

The first part of the ride was quite undulating with a couple of stiff hills and views of rolling countryside.

The verges were full of flowers

We climbed a particularly steep hill and stopped at the village at the top as Rob thought the front tyre could do with some air. Unfortunately as he tried to do this the valve collapsed and we (well he) had to change the tube.

It was a bit of a nuisance as we had only done 5km after our late start



At least we were in a nice quiet village square



We continued to follow lanes and then an hour later we couldn't believe it



We got another puncture

It was nearly midday by the time we got back on the bike but we didn't let this dampen our spirits although we were conscious that we had lost a lot of time one way or another and it was getting near to lunchtime. If we weren't careful we wouldn't get anything to eat. We cycled through a couple of white stone villages but there was no sign of a bakers, shop or bar that was open.

What are they growing here?

When planning our route we had just assumed that every village would have a bakers but that was proving not to be the case. We were also trying to get used to the fact that everything (including food shops) closed for lunch from around midday to 3pm or later. Even a lot of restaurants stop serving at 1.30pm.

Nice countryside but where is the nearest food?

At about 1.30pm we arrived in Nailliers which looked a bigger village than the others we had seen that morning and we asked in a local bar if there was a restaurant. We were directed to the Cheval Blanc on a main road on the edge of the village. In different circumstances we would not have even considered stopping at this grim looking restaurant but we needed to eat. We sat at a table looking out at a carpark and the main road and ate a suprisingly good meal - there was even a cheese course and wine as part of the €12 menu.

As we were late sitting down service was fast and we left about an hour later feeling ready for the afternoon as the plan was to amble through the Marais Poitevin to Coulon.

We had a slight navigational hitch coming out of Nailliers whilst trying to avoid a busy main road and ended up doing a large loop which put us even more behind schedule.

And then we got puncture number 3

This further set-back did dampen our spirits as during our research we had found a lovely looking route through the Marais Poitevin which we had been looking forward to but now, at 4pm in the afternoon, we had to rethink our route. We had used the last of our inner tubes and if we had another puncture (which was a strong possibility as we think the worn rim tape was the cause) then we would have a serious problem. We could've tried to risk it but I was sure the Marais Poitevin would quickly lose its charm if we got stranded having punctured and there was no guarantee we could buy inner tubes when we arrived in Coulon anyway.

There was no choice - we would have to go to Fontenay-le-Compte the nearest large town, where we could find a supermarket/sports shop - and just hope we didn't get another puncture on the way there. It was disappointing but the planned route through the Marais would have to wait for another occasion. We had been very lucky until now that everything had gone so smoothly, and at the end of the day, it wasn't a major problem that couldn't be fixed and the whole nature of a trip like this is to be able to adapt to anything that was put in our way to achieve our ultimate goal of cycling from St. Malo to our house in South West France. We had to put it down to being part of the adventure.

Our first sunflower fields helped to lift our spirits

The ride to Fontenay was the least enjoyable section of the trip. Not only were we disappointed about the Marais but we were still 20km from Fontenay and now under pressure to get there by 7pm when the shops would be shutting. We had to take the shortest possible route which involved using the main road which was extremely busy with rush hour traffic. And then, of course, there was the awful feeling that with every inch of road that passed we could get another puncture at any minute and it would be a long walk. It was extremely stressful. I don't know what Rob was thinking - we rode the 20km in silence putting every bit of energy into getting there before closing and willing ourselves to stay puncture free.

We were so relieved when we reached the commercial centre with time to spare and (over)stocked up on inner tubes and rim tape.

On leaving the shop we phoned our hotel for the night to explain what had happened and that we estimated that we were still two hours away. I apologised that we would not be able to make our 8pm table reservation but they said it was not a problem and they would see us when we arrived. It was just as well that the next day was a rest day!

Fontenay-le-Compte was not on the original route

As we were off the planned route we set the Garmin to automatic routing which proved to be a mistake as for some reason it seemed to take us round in circles (or it certainly felt like it) although the countryside was very pretty. Unfortunately we couldn't fully appreciate it as we just wanted to get to our destination by this point.

The wet marshland was beginning to be evident

We arrived at the Central Hotel, Coulon at 8.30pm to a warm welcome (even though it was Friday evening and the large restaurant was full - and the receptionist was also busy waitressing). She told us not to worry, the chef wouldn't close the kitchen until we had had time to shower and change and our table was waiting for us when we were ready. Just the sort of welcome we needed in the circumstances.

We managed to transform ourselves into something presentable within half an hour and took our table in the very popular and smart restaurant. We had a beautiful meal and the service was of a very high standard. It was amazing to think only a few hours earlier we had been on the bike worrying about punctures.

After we had eaten we decided to have a stroll around Coulon and discovered that it was the most beautiful little town with a quayside and beautiful buildings. I was really pleased that we had chosen such a lovely hotel and town for our rest day and was looking forward to the next day when we could have a day exploring the area.