St Malo to Nice

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39 miles



Before leaving we stocked up for lunch at the small supermarket near the hotel and took a couple more photos of Rocamadour from a different view point. Then it was off. We had to pass through a tunnel blasted through the rock first and stopped as a coach was coming through bleeping its horn to warn others it was coming through. There wasn't room for more than one vehicle at a time. First it was down a very steep road to the entrance to Rocamadour itself. We had to wait there a few minutes as there were cars trying to get round the tight switch back bend and only one car could manage it ar once and traffic was trying to go both ways. Then it was a long, slow, climb up the other side. I kept glancing right to look at Rocamadour again. It really was quite something. Parts of the city are over a thousand years old and it's amazing how it could be built on a mountain side like that. Fortunately the first couple of miles were in the shade so it was nice and cool but gradually parts of the road began to be in the sun. There was five miles of up hill before we reached some flatter ground.

We stopped at Grammat for yoghurt and nuts sat on a small wall in the shade. After that the roads were straighter and mostly gently undulating , although towards Figeac some of the undulations were quite hilly. Lunch was sat at a picnic bench in St Simon, a very tiny hamlet on crossroads. We had hardly seen any cars on the roads but this little crossroad was surprisingly busy with traffic. Again as the day went on it got hotter and hotter with the temperature being in the early thirties.

Arriving in Figeac we found the hotel which looked very weary from outside and not great inside. The owner was very friendly and we had a whole garage to lock the bikes in. Its difficult to choose hotels. I look at location not too far out from the centre, reviews and price. France is very hit and miss for standards. A two star hotel might be fantastic or it might be rubbish. The standards are much higher and standardized in Germany. Anyway it was only for one night but I was dissapointed.

After showers and jobs we walked into the town centre. It wasn't a bad little town with its sandstone and wood buildings. We had an ice cream in the centre of town. While we eating it Paul's brother, Peter, rang with an update on his dad's hospital visit. He had been for an endoscopy and we had been thinking about him all day and wondering how be had got on. Apparently the stent in his throat had disappeared a d he needed another one in. Hopefully this will help him eat better. Then we had a walk round town and then found somewhere to dine. We sat outside across from the river. I had Supreme de Poulet with pasta. Finding chicken on the menu was a bonus as it's very rare. Phil had told us that it's very expensive to buy chicken in France. Duck is very common and always on the menu. We spoke to Adam, our son, while we were waiting for our food fo arrive. I had hoped to Skype the family on Friday, for my birthday but we remembed they would be at a wedding. Then it was back to the hotel and bed.

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