Day Five: Chantonnay (not with an S) to Tonnay Boutonne

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There was an early start as our brave three were on the road by 8.30am. After an early climb the route flattened out and things rolled along at a good pace. Minus a brief stop to remove a layer of clothing and have a jelly baby or two! Coffee was had in a lovely roadside patisserie about 20 miles into the rife. They then entered Marais Wetlands which were a bit like Romney Marsh with canals running through it. Remaining on the D137 the road surface was good which kept the pace high despite the busy traffic and very wide lanes. They later left the D137 onto quieter roads which were still flat. An excellent lunch was had about 1ish in the square at Surgeres, a well deserved lunch after 50 miles. The tourist information at Surgeres was excellent and the lovely Stephanie booked them a room in Tonnay Boutonne. After this there was a gentle ride to Tonnay Boutonne with an afternoon temperature of about 28 degrees, arriving at about 3.30pm. The hotel Stephanie located was an old priory and after locking up the bikes the three ventured to Tonnay Boutonne tourist information to book a hotel for the following night, served by Florence, not as efficient as Stephanie.

Stats:

Days Miles: 62.1
Total Miles: 291.8
Ascent: 1992 ft
Total Ascent: 13'932 ft
Door handles broken: John (1), Jim (1)
Helpful tourist information ladies: (2)
Donkeys seen: (2)

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