Hotel de la Gare, Thouars

I have posted a review of this Hotel on TripAdvisor.

Martins Cold

Anyone else aquired Martin's cold from our trip?

Thanks Martin! I hope you're better now.

I also have tingling fingers (Ring and Pinky on both hands) which I have self diagnosed as Ulna Nerve Compression (checked out on Google!! ) at the wrist from holding the flat bars in one position for too long. A week or two off the bike looms. How will I manage the withdrawal symptoms?

Photos now on Facebook!

Check out my facebook homepage for a collection of Photos from 'le Parcours'

I have even included a special album of 'Panneaux de Routiere' pour vrai anoraks seulement.

Enjoy

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=220077&id=525612872&saved#!/shawn.brotherhood

Further musing on 'Le Parcours Mystere'

We started out from Caen not knowing how hard this ride might be with permenant blue skies and a gentle easterly breeze to cool us as we sped along. From Maldwyn the 'tour virigin' to Martin who suffered both 'La grippe' and was delayed by 'un greve' (something about anaesthetists on the line in Paris Monpanasse) we were all confident we get to Grignols by Monday evening.

The sun continued to shine and it got a little hotter each day, the hills continued to roll and the countryside was a real highlight.

We met many friendly & helpful french people along the way aswell as the odd surly waitress and agressive petrolhead as at home. Keith in particular enjoyed charming the beautiful ladies, of which there were many,both French and English. It must be the relaxed way of life that brings out the elegant charms and the 'joie de vivre'.

The accomodation in the F1's was as expected 'Functional,clean and when you could find them at the back of the Z.I. constantly consistent. The Hotel de la Gare in Thouars was a real highlight..a family welcome, wonderful tapas and rose wine exotic ladies(!)asking us for a light on the terrace,trapped in the showers but best of all beautifully clean and dry kit delivered in the morning after unprompted offers by our wonderfiul hostess the night before.

Back to the cycling, long days in the saddle with relentless climbs followed by adrenaline fuel descents- one region was even known as 'little Switzerland'- lead us ever onwards to our ultimate Goal -Clyde and Sylvies charming place dans la foret in Grignols,Dordogne. The relief and self congraulatory glow that came over us as we transversed a rough forest track for one last time will remain 'un souvenir' for always.

Sylvie, notre hotesse charmant et gentil, then provided us with the best meal of the week, a real treat of pork loin cooked in milk on 'le casserole' with fine wine from 'Le Ventoux' (how appropriate) with a night under the stars on a spectacularly clear night awaiting Peter and I.

A memorable end to a memorable week.

Felicitations a tous de nous

A bientot

Shawn

First Drink of the Day

Well done us!

Happy its all over, you bet we were!

But theres no getting over that it was a memorable experience for one and all. I am adding the highlights of my pictures (including all those signs-for serious anoraks only!)to my facebook page if you are interested. I hope you all got back OK (nice 1hour flight despite 3 hr wait in a hanger and hairy ride into Bristol on A38 for me) will see you again very soon I hope. More ramblins to come soon

8 jours..800km..80F in the shade..C'etait une vie dure!

Less than three days to go

Is anyone still reading this rubbish?
The weather down here is getting better on the whole: warmer certainly, and drier. I did a circular around Issigeac today of 40 km and it didn't rain at all. Wind was light to moderate and from the NW. It rained later in the evening but only for a few minutes, and not hard. While out, I saw a hoopoe and a jay, and heard a few cuckoos and some croaking frogs.
The other day a ferret ran across the road in front of our car, with a mouse in its mouth. I took this to be a good omen: we shall seize the French greenway system by its throat and arrive at the end of our ride triumphant!

More on the weather

According to Yahoo France, there could be some rain around next week, in the form of averses éparses (scattered showers) predicted with quite low probabilities, and that seems to be the forecast for all towns I checked on. The wettest day will be Wednesday (60% chance at Laval at the moment) but, of course, all this could change - extended forecasts are notoriously unreliable! Temperatures are going up throughout the week with 22 C expected at Thouars on the Friday, and 25 C the same day at Grignols (but no info as yet for any day after that).
I did some training this afternoon: a ride from St Astier to Issigeac (65 km), calling in at Bergerac to get some more maps. It was rather grey, but dry, when I set off but soon became sunny. A N wind was behind me all the way!

It snowed in the Périgord yesterday!

Check out this website.

http://www.sudouest.fr/2010/05/06/il-a-neige-hier-sur-le-perigord-83996-4625.php