Monday 16th September 48 miles We had an early breakfast to be off to a good start has decent miles to do and likely to be very hot . We went slightly off route first to buy provisions at Aldi and the cycle travel tried to take us a cross some private property that had locked gates so we ended up going back through Brantome so not such an early start. There was definitely more uphill today, mainly through farmland and forests. This part of France is one of the most scarcely populated areas of France. We were travelling through the truffle capital of France and along the Route de Foir Gras. Mid morning we stopped for yoghurt and Mars bars! When I bought some the other day I had to buy a pack of five ... read more

Saturday 14th September 34 miles Breakfast was on the terrace with Sue and Phil and there was a great choice of food, including superb home grown melon. Very impressive. Phil had been to the Boulangerie for bread and croissants and seen five deer and a fox on his way and it was only a short distance. Then we were off again. Sue and Phil had jobs to do and were expecting Sue's daughter later in the day. As we were now off the official route we didn't have the guide book's description of the route so didn't really know what to expect. There was quite a lot of climbing today particularly earlier in the journey. Much of it was through forests so that helped to keep us in the shade. We needed to buy provisions for ... read more

62 miles Thursday 12th September Breakfast today was one of the worst we have had. There was fruit juice, bread, croissants, jam and honey, yoghurt and a hot drink. As the coffee was black only I asked for a hot chocolate which was very nice but strange to have for breakfast. We made the most of what there was and took a yoghurt each 'for the road'. We were away by nine o'clock having further to go. It was very foggy and quite cold when we set off but fortunately it didn't last long and the sun broke through and then it got warmer and warmer as the day went on. The morning saw us passing through pasture land and the afternoon through enormous arable fields. The fields had 'gatine' gates, a style peculiar to this ... read more

Today's breakfast was definitely different. I had requested 'gluten free bread for one' on the booking form. Our table was set for two with two baskets of chocolate covered rice cakes. Luckily an attendant came and Paul could explain it was just 'sans gluten' for one so she brought him a basket with a baguette and croissants in. There was a basket with butter and jams in, a choice of cornflakes or chocolate cornflakes, orange juice and hot drinks. So not much variety. Eating chocolate for breakfast seemed very odd. Next we had a wander round town which was much busier than last night and the market was on. We found a supermarket and bought a few bits and had a coffee sat outside in the sunshine. The rest of the day was a mixture of ... read more

50 miles Another great days cycling in good weather. First stop was Spa to buy picnic goodies. Usually I go in and do the shopping and Paul stays outside with the bikes. When I came out of the shop he said "Look what's next door". Next door was a Boulangerie that was open so we could have bought sandwiches there but it didn't matter as we had food now so didn't need to worry about that. Strangely enough through out the morning we saw several Boulangeries that were open. Sods law. If we have been relying on finding one we wouldn't have done. For about the first 25 miles the roads were dead straight and undulating with numerous villages usually built at the crest of an undulation so that as you left one village you could ... read more