Friday July 7th
As I set off from camping a la ferme des insectes I had half an idea to try to have a big day and get "home". It all depended on there being no wind and none of my usual mis- navigations. (euphemism for getting hopelessly lost)
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| La Grande Motte in the distance |
If I was going to make good time I would need to abandon the via Rhona (which practically didn't exist anyway) and follow a road route. As it turned out the via seemed to be on the route more than off piste.
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| I can't believe there is a canal in the etang |
It was a very hot day but I had filled both water bottles (3 litres) with a mixture of apple juice and water. I made good time and got to La Grande Motte in no time. I visited the Tourist Information where the unusually helpful girl drew a route on the map for me. Unfortunately it looked like I would not be able to follow the Canal de Rhone a Sete all the way to Sete as I had planned all those months ago. However two local cyclists told me to ignore the signs and the "helpful tourist advice" and just "go for it" |
| It is like cycling on water |
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| Sete is wonderful but too many people in a small space |
After Agde I started looking for campsites but no signs were forthcoming and the thought of pitching the tent and taking it down one more time was enough to encourage thoughts of trying for Raissac tonight. I decided to head for Beziers and see. (It took me three and a half hours the last time I cycled from Beziers) "Beziers at 15.00. I'll just go for it". No girls offering their services this time but it was one hot afternoon. It is still 30 degs in the shade as I write this at 21.00.As I got ever closer to Raissac, my goal, the end, it began to feel a bit anti-climactic. But as I took a selfie of me arriving in the village I have to admit to a certain sense of satisfaction.
Yes the legs are tired. I can hardly climb the stairs but they have taken me through eight countries for a total that has to be more than 2500 kms in 28 days.
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| 8 countries in 28 days. Not bad. |
After I arrived and had a shower I summoned up the strength to do the gardening.
30 minutes later the weeds were consigned to the trailer and the table and chairs were in their allotted spots the car started first turn and I was ready for a well earned celebration drink.
Chapeau, Brian. Every night I have looked at the cycling news of the day. It hasn't been Mark Beaumont, it hasn't been The Tour de France , it has been Brian's Tour de Force. The mental and physical achievement has been outstanding. To share your total experience via your Blog, with thoughts flying in all directions, has been an enormous privilege. To write a Blog very night when you are totally drained is one heck of a task. Thank You.
ReplyDeleteMany times you wrote " We will see ". Perseverando is not enough. " Equitantes equi de metallum, ambulasti, vidisti, vicisti. " For those of your readers from Kirkcaldy who could not share our classical education ( or access Google Translate ) the message is simple. RIDING YOUR STEED OF METAL, YOU WENT, YOU SAW, YOU CONQUERED.
Relax in style and comfort. You can draw on this entire experience for decades to come; it was very, very special.
Chapeau to you Bert. I don't know how you have managed to come up with so many fantastic words of encouragement and so many different ways of saying the same thing. Somewhere in the dim corners of my rapidly fading memory lies "Veni, Vidi, Vinci"
DeleteThis morning I have a strange feeling of "what do I do now?"
but whatever it is it won't involve a bicycle. (I broke another 3 or 4 spokes yesterday so it probably couldn't anyway)It has been worth the frustrating effort of plonking out a blog on a smartphone keyboard just to read your comments.