St Malo to Nice

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Wednesday 25th September 39 miles

So breakfast was cereal, toast and orange juice sat in the kitchenette of the apartment. Then we packed up and were ready for the off and down into town for lunch provisions. We thought we would try the Boulangerie for sandwiches for a change but they didn't have any so we bought a small Quiche Lorraine each.

The first two kilometres out of town were quite steep but after that the gradient was much more gentle. Up and up we went until the Col du Mas de l'Ayre at a mere 846m high. Then there was about ten miles of downhill with stunning scenery. Some how we seemed to be higher than yesterday because we were looking down on cliff faces, hills and millions of trees. We took a couple of photos but they wont do it justice. We had our jackets on again as it had been a chillier start and we knew it was a long descent but when we arrived in Les Vans we felt like frauds as it was very warm. We were now in the Ardèche and the warmer south. Lovely. Yoghurt and nuts was sat in a little memorial park in the sunshine. The rest of the journey had some slight climbs and another long downhill and lots of flat. We were back in the land of vineyards and orchards.

Lunch was in a tiny hamlet sat on a bench and the quiche Lorraine's made a refreshing change. Even tiny hamlets have very impressive churches.

The nearer to Vallon Pont D'Arc we got the more touristy it became with lots of campsites and holiday homes. The road into Vallon Pont D'Arc was very busy.

As we were too early to check in the B&B we had a wander round the centre of the town. It was very commercialised with lots of gift shops, cafes and hotels. We found a cafe bar and had an ice cream and an orange juice each. We sat there for about an hour before moving on to find our lodgings for the night. This took longer than expected. We seemed to be going round in circles thinking we were very close but not quite there. Paul's Garmin was set to find it but was playing up, probably because we were in such an enclosed area of tiny streets. Eventually we stopped a couple going past. Yes, they were local but no they didn't know where it was. The lady suggested I go into the little shop opposite. 'He will know " she said. So in I went and yes he did know. It was literally about fifty yards away but you had to go through an archway and round the corner. Voila. We found it. The lady, Florence, came straight out to greet us and out our bikes in the garage. She lived in no 3 and our room was in no 4 straight across the street. It was gorgeous and was inside a cavern/cave. It was beautifully decorated with a seating area, the bed and wash basin all in one room and a shower and toilet separate. Up a few steps there was a terrace we could sit on and next to that the room where breakfast would be served the next day. Also it was very central to the town.

Early evening we walked into the town centre, in less than five minutes, and found a restaurant for food. I had ravioli with cream and mushrooms and salad. A real salad with lots of variety including a slice of melon. Most French salads tend to be lettuce with a dressing on. It was very nice. Then it was home and bed.

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