[everytrail 1121311]
Apologies for the erratic track on the map, but the technology was not playing well today. Will try harder tomorrow.
Sometimes things don’t turn out how you plan, but are wonderful anyway. I was expecting to see the Bretton scenery over the last couple of days, but the trees lining the route have obscured it. Mind you, the scenery of the route itself, along the canal all morning, was hardly anything to complain about. Peaceful, lush, just fantastic.
Still, it seemed to go on for ever. We thought we would never reach . The estimated mileage was off, we needed to do 33 instead of 25. I think this was down to the GPS planning tools simplifying the route, and thus straightening out some of the bends in the route, leading to a lower reported mileage. Hopefully not an issue with the larger rivers to be covered later, as these won’t twist and turn quite as much as at present.
Only maintenance issue of the day was to tighten my handle bar fixing, which came loose as we came into Pontivy. Shaken loose by the constant rattle of the railway and canal tracks. Just noticed as it started to loosen, any longer and the bars might have just dropped in front of me, so shows it’s good to pay attention.
Pontivy was quiet, for reasons we would only understand later. By the time we arrived, we we’re too late for a restaurant lunch, and most other places were shut, even the mini-marts. We found a sandwich shop open, who also did salads, so grabbed something each to add to the morning stash from the supermarket. We peddled back to the river and sat on the grassy bank in the glorious sunshine and filled our ravenous faces. I’d had a croissant and petit pain for breakfast, as it was all the hotel was offering. Not at all Paleo, and definitely not sufficient for cycling on. We are going to start doing food differently from now on – skip the hotel breakfast and head straight for the supermarket, and stock up with breakfast, snacks and lunch for the day. Mind you, we may find the road routes to the start of Eurovelo 6 will allow us to drop in on stores, and the EV6 itself should be better provided for. That way I can better stick to my Paleo principles and ensure the right type of fuel for the task at hand.
Looking at the slow progress over lunch, we decided to break from the plan, and leave the green routes behind in favour of the small country roads. We also decided it would be nice to head for the coast and swing into St. Nazaire so that we can pick EV6 up right from the start, instead of from Nantes as planned. It means we’ll get more of the Atlantic coast to enjoy. Looking forward o some excellent seafood down that way.
This afternoon was hot, the trip computer on the handlebars showed 87 degF, but that would have been in the direct sun. It was hot and you could feel the sun scorching the flesh, even with suntan cream applied. The choice of sleeveless top today was good but left the shoulders rather exposed. They are now a nice shade of pink, but not too sore. Cover them up tomorrow and they will be fine.
Lockminé is a nice place, plenty of restaurants, although when it came to selecting one for the evening meal, many appeared to be shut. It was only over dinner that we struck up conversation with a couple from Belfast who had a house here, that we learned that it was Ascension Day and a national holiday. Tomorrow is also traditionally a day off to make a long weekend, so we’ll expect things to be closed and quiet again.
Miles covered today: 55
