DAY 9: ST. PORCHAIRE - MORTAGNE-SUR-GIRONDE: 55km
MONDAY 21 JULY

We had a small breakfast of bread and croissants with the Belgian guests and were then given a good send-off as they wanted to take our photo. We were feeling fresh and it didn't take us long to get into our stride. It was somewhere round here that a car overtook us and then slowed down so the passenger could take a photo of us as we cycled along - they then drove off with a smile and a wave.

Our coffee stop was at Saint-Romain-de-Benet

We did actually get wet during the morning - but this was only from a field sprinkler that was wrongly set. It wasn't a pleasant experience as it was surprising how much cold water it produced.

The countryside was beautiful with panoramic views



It was another perfect day



The sunflowers made it



However, I was looking forward to a change of scenery on reaching the estuary

We had decided at the planning stage that we wanted to visit Talmont-sur-Gironde as it has the status of being a Plus Beaux Village. We thought it would be a nice idea to have long lunch there and be tourists for a while but it meant we had to cover 40km by midday. However, that wasn't a problem on the beautiful rolling roads.

Suddenly we had our first view of the Gironde estuary



We had made it from St. Malo to the Gironde

We had also made it to Talmont in time for lunch. As it was getting on for 12.30pm and there were a lot of people about we decided we ought to get a table for lunch sooner rather than later and after looking at the available options (as you do) decided on a restaurant with a shady courtyard garden.

If I have to choose the best moment of the trip - this was it

We couldn't have choosen better. We were shown to the perfect table in dappled shade and ate a wonderful four course menu over a period of a couple of hours. As we ate we reflected on the journey so far. We had cycled approximately 600km and were still feeling good.

We felt such an enormous sense of achievement and this to us was a major milestone of the trip - this was the perfect way to celebrate. As we finished our wine I sent a text to all our family and friends who were following the trip on maps I had left with them. Their response was over-whelming and so much appreciated. Text after text came back offering congratulations, encouragement and admiration.

The texts were still pouring in



Although touristy Talmont was very pretty



It certainly was a plus beaux village



There were hollyhocks everywhere



The church was right on the edge of the cliff



and looked down on the carelets



We would see these fishing huts all along the Gironde



It was time to get getting again



We kept as close to the estuary as we could



There were some creeks to negotiate - but unfortunately no little towns or bars to visit



Garmin City Navigator Maps and IGN 100 said this was a road



I think it was the drive to someone's chateau



It was good to meet a road at the top

We carried on with fields of corn to our left and views down to the Gironde on our right. It was a lovely ride and we knew we didn't have a large distance to cover so we could take our time.

Soon we could see our destination for the evening



We made the wrong decision opting for this track rather than the road



Puncture number 4 followed

We had been so near Mortagne-sur-Gironde when the puncture happened that we pushed the bike into the town. While Rob mended the puncture I went ahead to the chambre d'hotes to check-in.

We stayed in a slightly chaotic family-run town house on the main street



With the boats on our door step we had a fantastic view from our room



It was a smaller town than we had imagined

There were a lot of people around as the town fireworks were that evening so we booked a table at a restaurant on the water's edge to come back to after our stroll.

We watched a local fisherman



The food wasn't amazing but it was just nice to have a choice, and a table on our own



and a lovely view

We were feeling tired and didn't know if we wanted to stay up until 11pm to see the fireworks. However, with the amount of people coming into the town we reckoned they must be good and decided that as long as they did start on time we would watch them. If we went to bed we would be woken by the noise anyway!

We sat and watched the sunset while we waited

I looked as if it would be another beautiful day tomorrow - we really couldn't believe our luck with the weather.

The fireworks were worth waiting for

We didn't have far to go to get back to our room and despite the fact that our hosts had a house full of friends we were asleep within seconds. It wasn't only the cycling that was taking its toll but also the getting up at 7am every morning.