Day 3: Conches to Senonches (72km)

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On leaving the campsite in Conches, I offer to make a payment to the couple in the house, but the answer is “no, that is not possible - the campsite is closed”. Which seems a strange way of looking at things, since to us, it was anything but closed.

We have breakfast in a typical café and then hit the direct road to Breteuil, the D840. It’s one of those long straight roads (perhaps Roman) which go up and down right into the distance, and the strong headwind makes for hard work. After Breteuil we decide to take a more scenic route and head off on a slightly more westerly path through Cintray and into Verneuil.

Verneuil has a large and impressive church tower, and we stop for lunch in a pavement café overlooking the “Place” with the tower in the background. We take the D25 to Senonches, and see signs for a campsite. It is a quiet town almost devoid of traffic. Suddenly, a car appears behind us and a lady leans out of the window. “Vous cherchez le camping?” she asks. “Je suis la gardienne!”. How did she know we were there? We will never know. “Suivez moi” she says, and we pedal desperately to keep up as she negotiates many twists and turns, finally to emerge at a charming municipal campsite with free access to the swimming pool next door. All this for the princely sum of 4.95 euros all-in for the three of us.

After Polly and Chris chill briefly in the pool, literally, we follow the smart floral avenue back into town for the now-familiar evening forage for food. We select from a list of precisely one establishment The Pomme de Pin, which is not open until 7PM, so we take a walk. I find some postcards proudly showing the best in local social housing from the 1970s (not surprising they had unsold stock). We have a drink in the PMU (café cum betting shop) where the smoking ban is unheard of and even the patron smokes his pipe behind the bar. There is a sort of on-line lottery game on the screen every 5 minutes and we spend ages trying to work out the odds of winning (Chris gets it right I think - something to do with factorials, but anyway mind-bogglingly small).

Nice meal at the Pomme de Pin, another Logis de France I think. The other businesses in town seem a bit down at heel.72 km today, not bad going and tomorrow should be easy (although we are always a bit wary of the weather which is changeable).

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Photos

Senonches - Ville Fleurie
Can you spot Polly and Chris?

Route de l'Abbaye
....with apologies to Apple Records