clairedavieswriter

Before I get on to today, it would be remiss not to mention our gourmet fare last night: Landujan is a modest hamlet of a few dozen (largely invisible) souls, and, somewhat inevitably, its only shop/newsagent/boulangerie/bar/restaurant was closed on Thursdays. However, as luck would have it, an enterprising citizen had installed a vending machine which somehow dispensed freshly cooked pizzas. Best not to think too hard about it, but they were surprisingly good and just what we needed. We probably didn’t need the can of super strength local hooch that Jon ‘inadvertently’ picked up in a neighbouring village, but it seemed to help us sleep.

Today was another two breakfast day: black tea and a Madeleine were all that was on offer at our ‘chambre tout comfort’ (to be fair, it was comfortable, but ‘tout’ turned out to be a kettle, fridge and microwave). Anyway, breakfast #2 was my next opportunity to order an acceptable cup of coffee, and after a long conversation with the hirsute bar owner (think ZZ Top, circa 1986) about the ratio of milk to coffee, I almost succeeded – all I’d forgotten was to specify hot milk. I’m confident that tomorrow my caffeine will be delivered ‘comme il faut’, as we say in English.

It was another chilly start, but the sky soon cleared and we pedalled easily through gently undulating or flat farmland, between fields of flowering rape, young wheat, or cow pasture.

I’m rapidly discovering that cycle touring in France is much cheaper than in the UK – two enormous baguette sandwiches and a slab of flan in the sleepy village of Gaël cost about the same as lunch for one in Costa, and there was no trouble getting a seat.

Our teatime stop – on another voie verte overlooking the lively river Yvel – was equally agreeable.

Wish you were here? If so, look up the lovely little village of St Léry, which exuded an unpretentious grandeur….

… and even the simplest houses had a certain charm.

It was good to see a local hero celebrated in St Méen le Grand, though I did wonder how he feels about being immortalised on a water tower.

Given that cyclists are perpetually hungry, this seemed a missed opportunity:

And having just been subjected to a (very unusual) fast close pass by a BMW driver on the narrow country road in the picture below, this was without question the signe du jour. It reads: ‘Go faster! There are still some people left to run over’.

I’m pleased to say we’ve reached our destination for the evening – a room above a betting shop #ohtheglamourofforeigntravel – still unsquashed.