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The Idea
"How long are you staying at the Mediterranean coast for your holiday this year?" asked a friend.
"About half an hour", we replied, and she looked at us amazed. The Plan
Initially we just planned to join a CTC holiday tour from the Manche to the Med (actually Portsmouth to Villeneuve-les-Maguelone, south of Montpelier). We know the tour leaders and had heard enthusiastic reports of the trip from various friends who had done it before. But in a fit of internet browsing and enthusiasm in 2009 we bought a secondhand Greenspeed GTT recumbent tandem trike (aka Gertie Greenspeed in he interests of alliteration) as a retirement toy. Although it might have been advisable to have ridden it a bit more before embarking for the south of France, we managed to complete its restoration and take it for a shake down spin in the New Forest before departure day. The trike also presented us with a new logistical problem. We have previously used the European Bike Express to transport our upright tandem to and from the south of France, but a recumbent tandem trike, even with S&S couplings would be more of a challenge. The "Bike Bus" offered to have a go at getting it onto the top deck of their trailer to bring us back with the rest of the party, but realising that as John had finally just retired from work we were suddenly time-rich and could just cycle back again on a different route visiting some friends and sightseeing on the way.
A plan was devised for a two week group trip to the Mediterranean followed by a three week excursion on our own to return. The return trip could include stopping off with friends in Condom, a spot of velo-railing from Roumazières-Loubert and some messing about in a canoe on the Rivers Vienne and Loire from Chinon. And plenty of time for sightseeing and exploring interesting historic towns on the way.
We bought a Garmin GPS and arranged to collect some downloaded maps from Francis, one of our tour leaders. We also pored over Google Maps to make up some some route sheets and in the old fashioned way bought a cheap (last year's) motoring atlas for France from a stall on Lymington market, marked up our intended route and tore out the relevant pages. If in doubt the fall back navigation would be to keep going south until we reach the sea, then turn around and keep going north until we reach the sea again - what could go wrong? Our Final Tour Itinerary for Manche to Med and Back on Three Wheels
Day 1 Home to Portsmouth / Ouistreham (34km)
Day 2 Portsmouth to Falaise (66km) Day 3 Falaise to Le Mêle sur Sarthe (71km) Day 4 Le Mêle sur Sarthe to La Chartre sur le Loir (105km) Day 5 La Chartre sur le Loir to Amboise (59km) Day 6 Amboise to Loches (45km) Day 7 Loches to Argenton sur Creuse (87km) Day 8 Argenton sur Creuse to Auphelle (Lac de Vassiviere) (111km) Day 9 Auphelle to Mauriac (106km) Day 10 Mauriac to Lacapelle-Viescamp (59km) Day 11 Lacapelle-Viescamp to Estaing (87km) Day 12 Estaing to Meyruis (103km) Day 13 Meyruis to Le Vigan (56km) Day 14 Le Vigan to Aniane (68km) Day 15A Aniane to The Med Day 15B on to Pézenas (102km) Day 16 Pézenas to Laure-Minervois (106km) Day 17 Laure-Minervois to Revel (63km) Day 18 Revel to Montaigut sur Save (Le Ratelier) (99km) Day 19 Le Ratelier to Condom (93km) Day 20 Day in Condom Day 21 Condom to Aiguillon (50km) Day 22 Aiguillon to Bergerac (79km) Day 23 Bergerac to Périgueux (65km) Day 24 Périgueux to Nontron (58km) Day 25 Nontron to Roumazières-Loubert (70km) (15km by Velorail) Day 26 Roumazières-Loubert to Lussac les Châteaux (76km) Day 27 Lussac les Châteaux to Lencloître (73km) Day 28 Lencloître to Chinon (55km) Day 29 Chinon to Saumur and back (by canoe) Day 30 Chinon to Baugé (66km) Day 31 Baugé to Sainte Suzanne (95km) Day 32 Sainte Suzanne to Putanges-Pont-Écrépin (98km) Day 33 Putanges-Pont-Écrépin to Ouistreham (102km) Day 34 Portsmouth to home (34km) |
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The Result
Holiday verdict: EPIC
Total number of named Cols climbed: 16 Total number of summit finishes: 2 Total number of highest roads in Europe: 1 Total number of marmots spotted: 35 Total number of p***tures: 0 Total metres climbed and litres of water drunk on the way No idea, we lost count many days before the end. (PS. We have heard that there are pensioner holiday coach tours available?) Click on the link below to read the whole story |
