Wednesday 5th August: Into the Woods

The camp was nice and all but I thought I'd better leave at some point. I had another shower as I had a fixing to camp wild again and I could knock 11 hours off the 'how long since I had a wash' stopwatch. The day began with a short and tough battle through morning traffic to a shop where I stocked up on well, you can probably guess by now, but also some dried fruit and nuts and some apples. Oh and cake bars. And eight frozen mini quiches.

Tuesday 4th August: On the way to the Forest

There's nothing like waking up in a field to make you wonder what you are doing with your life. But in a good way, and after the pheasant kindly shut up, I moved out of my dwelling, toothbrush hanging out of my mouth, and stretched my sleepy limbs in the morning sun. The first time I stealth camped I was eager to get going and was up and ready around 6am, this time was three hours later and I was no worse off for it. Oh and it turned out the campsite was on this side of the river. I just hadn't got to it yet.

Monday 3rd August: The Day Helly Went Home

It was Monday and Helly's flight was at 17:25. Check out was at 11 and by that time I had packed away the clothes, that I had washed in the sink the night before, and discarded the leftover potato surprise. The cleaner probably had a surprise when they found it. I checked my euro balance on my card and balls. I had been robbed. The €13.70 something cost to fill up the rental car before I returned it had hit €130! We didn't have the receipt anymore. It was an automated machine and I figure that in my foreign ignorance, I hadn't done something to say 'no more petrol' despite taking out my card and getting a receipt, and that someone had come in after we left and maxed it to the limit. GRRR. I was determined not to let that spoil my final hours with my fianceé so I sulked across the road and got us lunch supplies.

My Weekend with Helly: The Sequel: Day 4

The plan for the day when this short trip was in its concept stages was to spend the whole day in bed watching tv and movies. The hotel wifi saw an end to that as the chromecast wouldn't work through its security log in and therefore, for the technologically uninitiated, we couldn't beam our movies from the phone to the telly.

While we still had the bikes though we thought we'd go for an explore/picnic and I found a big lake online that seemed to allow swimming. After heading south toward Joue-les-Tours we crossed a small park and helen had a ride on a giant bee, and I had a sit in a giant deck chair. Alongside those was a stupendously long gauntlet of different surfaces enclosed in many low wooden borders, the idea behind it is that you walk bare feet through all of them. We passed it fully shoed.

My Weekend with Helly: The Sequel: Day 3

Saturday 1st

I had suggested renting bikes and after takes breath taking the rental car back, rebuilding Wheelfred who had been chilling in the back the whole time, getting chain grease on the front of my grey shorts so they permanently looked like I had splashed them at a urinal AND then remembering I had to return the car full before looking around for a petrol station...we went to the bike shop. Oh no wait, no we didn't because Helen wanted a pepsi max, not just any old drink, diet coke wouldn't do at all. If we had gone to the bike shop first, we would have seen not one but two supermarkets either side of it...but we didn't we went around it. We would have also had bikes saving us the long hot walk to the supermarket down the main street of Tours where the fabled drink was purchased. Then remembering that shops shut in the middle of the day, rushed back with 15 mins to spare in order to rent the bike.

The bikes took us over the Loire on a cycle only bridge and then we pedaled east going down a sliproad onto a cycle friendly lane. It was as sunny as it had ever been and even the dullest landscape features looked invitingly scenic. The already pretty features looked even better, the greenery, the river and the sandbanks that rose and sunk into it. We passed a small fete with not one but two (two!) giraffe bouncy castles and then arrived at the end of the path which was marked by a steep and bumpy uphill section and a large rock. There was only road for a few kilometres after it and then a roundabout which Helen had particular reservations about, so instead of crossing the river and coming back the other side we turned around and retraced out steps. Wheels? wheel marks? Tyre-tracks, we retraced our tyre-tracks.



We went the less paved version of the path that was a lot closer to the river and this began with a section that was basically concrete with rocks embedded in it, not a good start, but before we knew it we were soaring along below the original path we took. The trees hung overhead some with leaves turned brown in the unrelenting sun. After a while through fields and down cobbled ramps we figured we had already passed the bridge but carried on regardless as the cycle path seemed interesting. Near the main bridge, that carried the trams over the river, I stopped to explore a little bit of beach. There was one sunbather nestled to the side and this didn't stop helly wading in the water and terrorizing shoals of little fish. After she was all Godzillared out we carried on to the end of the path heading east stopping under another two huge bridges. I made a gallant effort to cross a smaller stream via the stones sticking out but ended up with wet shoes.




Once more turning around but only back to the tram bridge as we made our way through town once more, and at this point we though we should extend the bike rental until the day Helly leaves as it would get us and luggage into town nicely. Only this time the shop was busy and the more we queued the more Helen fumbled over the phrase 'par le vous Anglais' in her head. As determined as she was when we began to ask the man if he spoke English, right before we were served she meekly ordered me to initiate the situation. After that she was fine speaking just pointing and speaking loudly.




Onward to a couple of parks that I had seen a few days before but I had totally missed the pen of goats and a donkey right in the middle of it. Helen discovered them and we stopped to feed them with anything and everything we could find. Helly had perfected a new technique of jumping and hanging onto a tree fond until it brought down a rain of green. Then we saw a cow! And we fed it too. There was a greedy goat but he was denied leaves for baaad behaviour.






Later it was a case of feeding us and we found a supermarket in the shopping complex over the road from the hotel. The place was called Two Lions but it definitely had three, and one was wearing lipstick and nail polish. These were statues, two golden outside in a glass case, one inside and garish like he had been ousted for being different.

We stocked up on supplies as very little would be open on the Sunday and planned a tofu stirfry for dinner for tomorrow's dinner. That night however we had something that was described as 'Potato Surprise'. The surprise being that lidl's own instant potato mix, when itself mixed with onions, mushrooms, oodles of cheese and a huge amount of ketchup, would form a gluey if not entirely inedible substance. It was filling, I'll give it that.

This was accompanied by 'Sexy Dance 5' on the telly, and we fell asleep with full bellies. The only other thing I remember that night is the TV waking up at 2am on full volume. I only remembered that the next day when I saw it had been hurriedly unplugged.

My Weekend with Helly: The Sequel: Day 2

This day was always planned as a stipulation of Helen coming over, seeing me was number 2. Today was Zoo Day, or more specifically - Panda Day.

In the car we travelled down the motorway and came to a toll booth which I panicked at as I wasn't expecting it. However all it did was give me a ticket. Didn't know what it meant until the exit when another booth came up and demanded money. Pah. Google maps was meant to warn me of toll roads. I looked again, and it had. Damn. Never mind. the zoo started being signed with little pandas on them and we made it there in about an hour.

We got in and Helly went straight for the gift shop to see if there was a panda hoody as she had one from Edinburgh zoo, but the one in Vienna hadn't sold them. There was, and it had a panda in a Hawaiian shirt playing a guitar. It was in a strange way a little classy though.



We saw some tigers spooning on the way to the pandas and caught a glimpse at a few primates, but I was being lead on a mission, even though I wanted to stop and look at the ducks.



There they were, the laziest beast on the planet but quite cute. This is the first one we saw and we were lucky enough to witness what may have been the single greatest burst of activity it made.





Before our very eyes it had rolled over, moved a bit and laid down again. Tremendously exciting. We had lunch watching the other panda, the girl, laze in the tree.



After a while I had to drag Helen away to see the rest of the animals. My favourites being the Manatees trichechus manatus, as I had never seen them before. Also the otters, armadillos, and the little ball of hair high in the corner of the tropical house, that was the sloth. It mostly seemed like a good zoo with lots of space for the animals but I don't things like the gorillas, orangutans and elephants should be in zoos full stop unless they wouldn't survive in the wild. There's too much behind their eyes to warrant it. That makes me sadder than being able to see them at all makes me happy.





We did get to pat a goat though, and see a dwarf mongoose and coatis and Koalas, they were cool. I also had never seen a tree kangaroo or been so scolded when I made a likeness of its nose to Helen's.





In between seeing the rest we stopped to see the pandas two more times and were not surprised to see they hadn't moved an inch. There was this sign that showed all the pandas in zoos in the world and it became a mission statement. Only Madrid to go and Helly had Europe licked. I think she should get a tattoo with a bamboo tally that gets added to when a panda is seen.

On the way out Helen got the hoody and a little panda toy for our soon to be nephew.

When we got home and had a drink, I suggested we watch The Princess Bride on netflix on my phone, but the 'table' in the hotel was on wheels and pulled right over the bed, On this we also had ravioli with cheese. As I enjoyed the film and Helly distracted herself we slumped down to sleep with our bellies full. I thought it would be girly enough but she didn't like it.

OMG I forgot to say, when we were walking around some birds in the zoo Helly fell over after her shoe lace got caught in the loop of her other boot. It was hilarious. HAHAHAHAHA...Love you.

My Weekend with Helly: The sequel: Day 1

I saw her walk down the steps of the plane and my heart leaped as though I'd seen a huge sandwich after a foodless day. I had the sign that I had made earlier so Helly would see me from the door of the arrivals. Turned out i was a bit premature and scuffled about for 5 mins in childishly impatient anxiety. Then there she was, gorgeous and fresh and her smile lit up when she saw me. The next thing I knew I was backing out of the door, the tree to her koala, carrrying Helly through the crowd and recieving lots of little kisses to the face. Wonderful.

Day erm 20 and a bit: the holiday.

Ok I haven't been posting lately and there's a good reason for that. I'd been doing a couple if hundred km just circling Tours basically waiting for Helen to come as I had no other destination. However on one cold and rainy morning and having no specific place to get to, I found myself browsing hotel listings on booking.com. Before I knew it I had booked a one bed studio for 4 nights. Whoops! A days ride in the rain saw me there an hour before anyone was in the office and I used that time, and about fifty wet wipes, to give Wheelfred a bath.

Day 14: Sunflowers

Hello all. I think I can remember what happened that day, um...ah yes:

Back to the bridge I had passed on the way to the camp and over, being diverted into insolated woodland. The track was newly laid and the only thing but trees for miles. The signs were well placed until I got to a crossroads where the sign to the next town, Avoine, on the route was pointing in the wrong direction. I didn't trust this and checked on the map. Damn thing was right and I wound into a little town centre and through vineyards.

Day 13: Kidding Around

Morning. The sun rising through my tents mesh areas and, as you would expect from France, accordion music filled the air. A guy from a couple of tents down was having a jolly old time with his instrument..cough.

As I said before I should have stayed a few days as I liked it there but I had itchy feet and it wasn't just the insect bites. Maybe I'm just used to moving on by now. I would make sure to come back here, but onwards. I stayed mostly on the trail but was beginning to veer off only to meet with it later.

Day 12 : The Good the Bad, and the Just Lovely

I'm catching up on my posting after a couple if days where tbh I just didn't have the energy. The days were arduous but over too quickly. My legs are stick thin by now. I was just going to lump 3 days in one but then I kept writing and writing.

Anyway.

My campsite was just before Rochefort sur Loire. It had been alright there, clean showers that were probably some of the newer ones I'd used. I was looking for a site to spend a couple if days in and have a completely non cycling day. This wasn't it, no personality. I was up early but didn't leave before midday as I was trying to plan meeting up with Helly then Chris and trying to for Dave in between. With a better idea I headed toward Angers. River paths that wound around small towns and some farms.

Day 11: Loire's a Beach

Off the velodyssey and now following these signs.



For the first few hours I pissed about trying to find the longest way to a nearby shop and resetting any progress made to calibrate my internal compass. Nothing tends to be open on a Sunday so it was a rush to the big supermarkets which open until lunch. Unfortunately it was one of those shops they have here that make you weigh and sticker your fruit e vegetables before the till so I had to bail out if the queue to properly adorn my apples and bananas. That sounds like a euphemism. Actually I was only wearing my new figure hugging padded shorts so they might have thought I was smuggling fruit anyway.



On my way back to the path I saw a black lab, collared but unaccompanied, just walking around and actually sticking to pavements taking evident care when crossing the road. He was set to auto-walkies. Later on miles away, I saw another very similar also alone, like a smart labrador was my spirit animal. A bit mundane if you ask me. Harry Potter got a stag.



The first portion was an easy ride, farmland to the right with small white and orange structures peppering the horizon. The left bordered by young trees which occasionally opened to give views of the river Loire.

I was still in the greater but less well funded area of the city of Nantes, and it showed in the quality of the cycle path. Funneled into a rough single track crowded on one side by unkempt weeds and overshadowed on the other by train track and chain link fence. Every so often it broke out into horribly cobbled sections which I had to slowly ease Wheelfred across. He was a little shaken up by the experience.

I want enjoying this thigh I was honked at by a brightly coloured team of cyclists, and I'm talking squeezey 'hah-ank' type clown horn. But the further I got away the more friendly the trail became until it was level and true and satisfyingly crunchy under-tyre.



I had a breakfast banana around one looking at the river and listening to out of date film review podcasts. A double decker train thundered by like a giant baguette.



The river ebbed away the further inland we got which is strange as I thought it had to be supporting the wide flooded expanse downstream. I guess it must be tidal. Regardless it left huge sandy banks in its absence. A suspension bridge took me across and away through forest and wetland which made a nice change. I'd seen tonnes of river the week before, or at least several fluid ounces. And the route was becoming fun again little banks to zip round, small hills to attack and long downhill stints. People to greet instead of avoid like the single track forced you to do.



And I was throwing myself into the bonjours now, with a thick French accent and varying the tenacity. Sometimes I substituted in a howdy.



I was reacquainted with the Loire or what little was left as the 'beach' took up almost the entire river..groove. The masses were treating it as such with deck chairs and kids running around, volley ball, and swimming in the last pool trapped by a well in the sand. Who needs coast?



The side of the road displayed large sculptures of fish in varying degrees of completion. From a detailed leaping guppy to a stone block with eyes and lips.

This then lead to a normal shared road but it was nice as I could really pick up and maintain speed. My legs had begun to feel the strain but they had also got better in power and endurance and I should bloody well hope so too.




I did drop off the road when I noticed an access ramp down to the sands. Shoes off, I waded through the 'river' startling a small eel. Then wandered the dunes.







An old chap in full tour de France gear chugged past on the high road smiling and waving as if to impart some cycle kudos for intrepidly exploring the place.

Back to the tarmac and down country lanes before coming across a campsite google maps was unaware of.

Kids are playing and singing which is delightfully awful and I'll rejoice when they leave. Also the train has no respect for the sleepy gentleman, with all it's toots and chugging. But the shower was decent and for €4.60 (£3.20) what more can you expect. The girl wasn't expecting me to unload all my change on her but it's all about traveling light.

I have felt today that I've just been going the distance and that I need to stop and see things with my feet on the floor and not just the pedals. Not sure what though.

Helly should be coming out in 10 days and I'm excited to see her. Then hopefully I'll have some company after too. Looking forward to that.

Au revoir

Day 10 - A Short One

I took about 4 photos today, the scenery didn't change very much at all and tbh it was a bit of a slog in hot weather. I did choose to get of the canal for a bit which was good for smooth riding but bad for hills. I then spent about half an hour just browsing in air-conditioning shop just to cool down. The wall of heat was so apparent when I left. The padded shorts were performing well protecting my nubblies. What I'm not sure about is if you're meant to wear underwear as well. I chose to.



I passed through this place named after the street magician. **Update I also managed to cut my thumb cleaning my pen knife before lunch so I had a blood and brie baguette despite my best efforts.



I wanted to get to Nantes but the inner city campsites were expensive and I doubled back to take some normal roads to a site on the outskirts (I have to admit looking on booking.com for a cheap hotel but that urge subsided after I've cooled down and rested a bit). The site was busy but it wasn't full. Unlike the ones in the centre - which I found out when I unexpectedly saw Rob pull up again. He'd been into the Nantes to find that out first hand and also had to battle through a few road blocks. Very glad I forfeited what should have been a nice scenic route for the sake of saving 3km travel. We got a free welcome shot glass of wine and some salty biscuit things.

The day wasn't remarkable but we ended up sampling a few of the local beers and ciders and just having a chat/alcohol fueled philosophical discussion. This should be the last time I encounter him as the vicar-turned-teacher is turning round and heading back, and I'm going west along the eurovelo 6.

Also I made friends with a lovely affectionate one eyed cat.



It's been 5 days of consecutive riding I think I need a break. If I find the right campsite I'll stay two nights. 

Day 9: Bonjour, bonjour to your and your and your.

Wheelfred was all tucked up in his camo blanket and didn't want to get up this morning, he was two tyred. Budum tiss. But I spoke to him and told him to get his gear on. Spoke. I set the alarm for 6 to make sure no one found me but I wasn't mobile till 7. By half 7 I was still on the side of the road just getting nowhere.