St Malo to Nice

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42 miles

There was a good choice for breakfast and gluten free bread as I had requested. The husband was the one supervising breakfast, making the tea and coffee and cooking eggs to order and the wife sorted the administration work. The breakfast room was very modern and decorated in black and yellow. As we were only cycling just over 40 miles we didn't check out until ten o'clock. Yesterdays grey sky had disappeared to be replaced with sunshine and it was much warmer.

We stopped at Lidl to buy picnic goodies and more yoghurts and then we were on our way. Very soon we were on narrow country lanes through lots of farm land, some with cows on and lots with a variety of crops, mainly maize. It was slightly undulating with lots of long slow climbs but nothing compared to what we will have later on. Pontorson, last night's stay, was in Normandy but we were soon back in Brittany. At Cogles we found picnic benches for nuts and yoghurt and a public toilet. Two in two days, must be a new record. Then it was on through more of the same country side with a picnic for lunch about half way. I used the gluten free bread saved from breakfast time for my sandwich.

On any of the roads in France you frequently come across crucifixes or grottos, some seeming to be in the middle of nowhere. Some are very plain and some quite ornate. Coming out of one of the villages was a huge crucifix painted bright red. Why?

At Fougeres the road went down quite steeply into the bottom of the town and there was the very elaborate Chateau de Fougeres surrounded by its wide moat. Although it looked very impressive it's very strange it was built at the bottom of the hill. Surely it opened itself to attack from above? Apparently it was part of a line of forts built to keep the French out of Brittany, who wanted to remain independent but the defence didn't work and Brittany is now part of France.

From there we ambled along to Vitre, another town with sections built at the top of the hill and sections built way below at the bottom of the hill. Vitre is a medieval town with narrow cobbled streets and an impress castle dating from the thirteenth century. It describes itself as the Gateway to Brittany. Rue de la Poterie has 'porch houses ' whose first floors extend out over the street creating an arcade below.

Tonight we are at the Ibis so basic but clean and you know what to expect. After showers etc we had a walk round town before dining and then back up the hill to the hotel and an early night.

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