clairedavieswriter

Having pedalled over 720k in two weeks, we enjoyed a restorative weekend with old friends, involving very little exercise, plenty of good food, and the odd pick me up.

But today it was time to get back on the road.

We pedalled north through rolling farmland, crisscrossing another fine river.

The air was noticeably warmer and the wind negligible (to start with) but the sun was nowhere to be seen.

Monday seemed to be a bad day for local livestock: the road to the abattoir was busy with lorries and trailers loaded with animals. One farmer had crammed half a dozen sheep into the back of a well-loved Citroen van. As he drove past, a dozen startled eyes peered at us through the rear window.
At L’Isle Jourdain, we could have crossed the Vienne on a zip wire, but Bernard preferred to keep his wheels on the ground and take this spectacular viaduct instead. It’s reserved for cyclists and walkers, and took us back to the EuroVélo 3.

The view from the top wasn’t bad

But the main event today was the departure of my domestique just short of the halfway point. Colin really didn’t want to go home:

But Bernard was raring to go. He is back to his full complement of luggage: one advantage of meeting friends mid-tour is that they can sherpa your camping gear over for you (thanks Slynn).

Behind the smile, I was a little apprehensive to be saying goodbye to Jon and setting out on my own, but then the sun came out and I had company again:

Team Bernard spent the afternoon riding through fields of rape, ripening wheat and barley, young maize and peas.

Fallow fields were a sight for an impressionist’s eye:

As was the river: the sinuous weeds on its surface were strewn with acacia petals:

It wasn’t all a picture of rural perfection: the locals have to get their electricity from somewhere:

But that was just a brief industrial interruption. I enjoyed a peaceful lunch break by the river:

Admired this unusual church tower:

Marvelled once again at how well French drivers treat cyclists: the majority of cars cross the centre line when they overtake a bike

And I learned that the unassuming town of Vouneuil-sur-Vienne was the home of Camille Guérin. No? Me neither. It turns out he was the G in the BCG jab: in the early 1900s, he and Albert Calmette (the C) developed the vaccine against TB that we still use today. It seemed a modest memorial for a man responsible for such an important medical discovery.

The last 10k were quite hard work into a freshening northerly, so tonight I am self-medicating the French way:

And I have company – but he won’t steal the duvet.