Day 56 - Burgos Spain - 70 kms ! One thousand on the Camino !

We left Santo Domingo Del Cazalda with H worrying about food supplies given it was Sunday and our 70km ride was going to be on the main trunk road to Burgos !

With nothing open in SDC the answer was simple, `suck it in and pedal quick`!

The N120 as a single lane trunk road was about as good as it gets ! The great surface and good verge provided for high rolling speeds and more than adequate enough separation from traffic !

Surprisingly the road also provided for good early views as it wound its way through the lovely countryside.
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Numerous pilgrim walkers took advantage of the beautiful early morning conditions walking the Camino trail proper in close proximity to the road.

Approaching Belorado I got into the spirit of things by riding 1-2 kms on the Camino itself. Although unsealed it was certainly rideable and a good feeling after so much time on road !

We `Coked` in Villafranca (the legal type that is) with fellow travellers before tackling the climb of the day, a very steep and exposed section of road that climbed up to 1100 metres !

On top we were able to apply `warp speed` on a gentle down hill gradient allowing us to power along at 40-45 kms/ hr across a wild open plateau.

To complete the beautiful run it was then more downhill to Burgos arriving just in time to find ourselves right in the middle of a festival complete with cheap floats and enthusiastic revellers, many decked out in their Spanish finery !

After waiting for the parade to pass we secured a Hotel after Henley signed away his next born and his Australian land rights !

Devestated at not being able to find the TDF on TV H resorted to washing while i decided to do some exploring and walked through beautiful parks to the central area complete with shops and an absolutely stunning cathedral worthy of a more detailed look tomorrow.

Burgos now signals the end of the Camino for us with over 1,000 amazing kms traveled since we left Le Puy in France !

The sights along the way have been stunning and I'm sure I've seen H with a tear in his eyes at times, although on reflection it may well have been his bowel problem !

What about the 500 kms still to go to Santiago Compestalla ?

Personally I feel there may be a part two to this experience for myself - maybe one day walking the remainder for a close up personal experience - what say Monika ?

Tomorrow is a spare day for the lads and we plan on taking in the sites of this lovely place while also panning an escape route to Santander for Tuesday (for the latter take that as Henley reading a book !)

PS - this afternoon paraders came back for an evening repeat although judging by the amount of Sangria, sun, beer & wine few will remember tomorrow !

Day 55 - Santo Domingo de la Calzada Spain - 73 Kms The plains in Spain !

Checked the room 4 times this morning before leaving our plush accommodation at Vianna then taking a navigational exercise through the back blocks of Spain to avoid busy Logrono and its motorways !

As expected after a breakfast of fried eggs, chippolatas and donuts we launched straight into climbing mode ! This gave us the ability to sweat and regurgitate food at the same time with Henley indicating it was one of the best 18 course meals he has had in some time !

Eltziego provided plenty of evidence of the no. 1 industry in this area - Wine , wine & wine, with nearly every square meter of dirt devoted to either growing grapes or storing them !

Exciting Eltziego to Cenicero we were starting to get regular words of encouragement - Henley, `go Aussie go`, by a couple of Spanish roadies and self a no. of `Buene Caminos` wishing me all the best for my journey along the Camino - very motivating indeed !

Views at times today extended for miles across the plains to the Mtns (some still with snow) while the towns and villages have that particular Spanish style design , with houses often built collectively on a hill in some form of historical defense.

We continued on past Briones on a national trunk route road with a good verge that had first signs for Santander.

Along this road we saw the `big bull` obviously a rip off our big banana / lobster etc!

We then turned south for a pleasant cruise into Santo Domingo de la Calzada with its beautiful medieval lane ways and its historic church.

To complete the day after booking in I did some afternoon exploring of town while H sat in front of the TV in rapture with the Tour de France being shown live - sadly this was Henleys most religious experience on the Camino to date !

We head tomorrow towards Burgos for a possible layover before our journey north to the Spanish beaches at Santander which according to my GPS profile is just a few more damned mountains away !

Day 54 - Vianna Spain - 62 kms ! Crossing the Plains !

After leaving behind a battery charger in Burquete and having to wait a day to receive it by courier I nearly completed a double by walking to the bike from the hotel having left yesterdays riding gear still hung up in the closet. Only a call from a chamber maid to the reception saved further embarrassment although it is likely that ill be booking in with Henley to the Alzheimers clinic when back in Melbourne !

On road we launched straight into a climb on a beautiful sunny morning taking a near deserted road to a hilltop for great views of the Camino path and the wide open plains !

What a difference the scenery has been since our arrival in Spain. Endless fields of grass and wheat, few if any trees or shade, and timeless villages sitting in neat order on the tops of various hills or escarpments.

You almost have the feeling that youve stepped back in time into the middle of an El Cid movie moving across this beautiful ( or as H calls it) / bland countryside.

Kev struggled a bit early on and had to go for an early puffer while `nurse` Litchfield had to remind H of the need to apply plenty of lip balm and sun screen with Henleys face looking like a `napalmed forest - ugly & blistering with heaps of peeling skin !

We stopped briefly at Estalla to admire some magnificent church carvings and then took in the much anticipated tradition of free wine at Irache !

The stone fountain at Irache that disperses free red wine and water was built by the Bodegas wine company in 1991 and allows the pilgrim to celebrate the Camino while sampling some of its wonderful stock (look it up on the internet as it has its own web cam and you can watch pilgrims in real time drinking - a wonderful passtime !)

There's no bad time for a nice red so I took a good glass and a half of the stock (a beautiful taste) while Henley took in some water, a wiser choice perhaps but according to our half translated discussion with fellow Spanish travelers this now means that Henley will never fall pregnant (as best as I could translate anyway !).

Now the route really opened out with little shade and scrub like conditions making me feel a tad nervous even though the temperature was only 25 c.

After 50 kms and with H pleading, we took lunch in the shade at the tiny town of Santos following up with lovely panoramic views from its church forecourt before heading back into the sun again.

It was another 20 kms when H, not usually one to make an early call, reckoned the place we were entering, Vianna, looked like a dump!

I explained to him that this was the `dump where we staying the night !

In fact the old section of town has a delightful small square and marvelous views from its church courtyard looking down across the plateau.

Nearly 1,000 km into our Camino journey we are soon to exit and head to the coast for some r&r ....

Just in time to cheer on Cadel !

The Camino !

It has been a privilege staying on the outskirts of Puente La Reina watching numerous pilgrims walk past our hotel from the direction of Pamplona, a few stepping sprightly but also many looking weary after a full day of sun and harsh conditions.

These journies vary in length with some having just started while others have made it inspiringly all the way from St.Jean Pied de Port over the Pyrenees and a few incredibly the total distance from Le Puy of 900 kms en route to Santiago de Compestalla !

As recently mentioned the sight of a guy pushing his wheelchair bound (I presume) father was particularly moving !

The reasons given by walkers are varied, some for spiritual gain, some in memory of another with many though just seeking the spendid isolation, wonderful scenery and the strong bond of human fellowship that this walk provides.

Partly based on legend mingled with a little fact the Camino at a religious level celebrates the life of one of the apostles Saint James supposedly re buried over 1400 years ago in Santiago de Compestalla.

Since the 8th Century the Camino has been one of the most popular Christian pilgrammages with an astounding 1/2 million travelling the Camino in the 11th Century !

Numbers have waxed and waned since but in the late 20th Century the walk enjoyed a resurgence of popularity.

Today it is one of the worlds most popular long distance walks and it truly is inspiring to see the people who endeavor to complete it , some a section at a time.

Whatever the reason to the individual to me undertaking the Camino today is a wonderful celebration of life !

Day 53 - Puente la Reina Spain - Rest Day !

With a couple of days in hand and with my tablets battery charger left behind in Burquette (vital to navigation), we called it a rest day in sunny Spain to wait for a courier company to drop it off.

A walk into the town at the cross roads of two routes of the Camino, took us through narrow medieval streets with cafes and shops hidden behind doors that looked hundreds of years old.

The bridge in Puente la Reina in particular provides a great back drop to pilgrims departing town on the Camino. The uniquely designed 6 span bridge was built in the 12th century and has seen many a pilgrim and army depart from it !
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A quiet afternoon was spent reading and marvelling at the many pilgrims of all shapes, sizes and nationalities who walked past our hotel off the Camino - all amazing efforts !

Finally receipt of the tablet charger brought a sigh of relief as it is needed to help move us off the Camino to Santander in the next few days.

P.s.

A special treat to show you what I wake up to every morning - all I can say is that he must have been a beautiful baby !

Day 52 - Puente La Reina Spain - 75 Kms ! The bulls meet their match !

After yesterday's exhausting 32 km effort ( i say that only to make H feel better !) we left a chilly Burquette with tanks only 1/2 full after a disappointing first up Spanish breakfast !

The hot chocolate was nice, the one croissant tasty but other than a couple of sweet cakes and biscuits with the consistency of cement that was it giving rise to Henley thinking he was still in bed having a nightmare !

With our legs a little unresponsive, early riding was a bit more of a chore than normal but this was soon forgotten as we engaged on goodly sections of downhill gradients heading towards Pamplona.

Distinct from France the Camino trail was pretty evident everywhere either in crossing the road or simply running alongside it or near.

This gave us an opportunity to view first hand the Camino` s condition ( not too bad based on the no. Of MTB`s we saw on it) and talk to the occasional pilgrim.

After some more great downhill cycling the blood pressure started rising when we passed through the lovely outer suburbs of Pamplona pop 200,000 !

Thankfully a cycle path guided us generally towards the city center where it was evident that the town was preparing for its Running with the Bulls festival in just over a week - cruel but very popular !

As chief Bull Sh..tter Henley took the opportunity to have his photo taken against the running with the bulls statue promising to come back and run .... When the Bulldogs win their next AFL premiership !

Seeking a way out of confusing Pamplona (no wonder the bulls can't escape) I sent Henley off to a nearby ticket booth to ask the attendant for the direction to the tourist information centre.

Standing patiently H became agitated when he was repeatedly ignored by the attendant until he finally woke up to the fact that the attendant was blind !

Tourist Info found and equipped with maps, we left town by way of narrow alleyways following the clearly marked scallop shell symbol of the Camino placed every 5 meters on path, walkways and roads (even we couldn`t get lost - although we did run out of shells on a couple of occasions !)

At a slow pace we were able to wind our way easily out of town and even ride a couple of small segments of the Camino. Although more rideable than the sections in France they were still too rocky for our finely tuned bikes !

Cimbing out of Pamplona provided for stunning views of this totally different landscape. Wide open fields, distant mountains and a distinct lack of trees that would make life decidely uncomfortable on a hot day!

Our climb provided another amazing experience when we passed a younger person pushing a middle aged male along the Camino roadside in a wheelchair - incredible !

Our climb sometimes on road and sometimes through cracks, peaked at 780 metres on the Sierra Del Person providing for a terrific downhill ride to Puente La Reina coasting at 40-45 kms hr for long sections without having to peddle !

We had time to have a quick look around the old section of town noticing how much hotter at this level the temperatures were before finding hotel acommodation on the outskirts of town that provided a buffet meal with self serve wine & beer - my type of meal !

We are now well and truly into Spain and now only 1 week away from arriving in Santander on the Nthn Spanish coast for some much needed R& R before continuing the cycle odyssey into the UK !

Day 51 - Burguete Spain - 32 kms ! The Pyrenees conquered !

It had all the hallmarks of an epic, 40 kms of pure Pyrenees mountain climbing, potential treacherous weather conditions and Henley uncertain if he wanted to be buried in France or Spain !

We started off with a pilgrims farewell at St.Jean Pied de Port and immediately started climbing out of town through a steep cleft valley with towering cloud covered Mtns in the distance.

It only took 8 kms to reach the Spanish border at Arneguy and with a few celebratory photos we settled in for some real climbing !

In hindsight the climb athough relentless wasn't actually all that bad with a good surface all the way and gradients of between 5-10% meaning in my case often a spare gear or two.

The scenery was stunning, with switchback after switchback revealing fantastic views back down the valley - apparently mostly missed by Henley who reported later as being mainly on auto pilot and in pure survival mode expecting the 30 km climb to finish him !

Misreading the route details I`d told Henley the climb was in fact 30 kms so was surprised myself when after 20 kms the summit at Ibbaneta, a lone church on an isolated plateau, came into view!

I knew it was the summit as a) it was icy cold b) pilgrim walkers were converging on the church from the Mtn forest and c) It said summit !

From there it was a quick 3km downhill to Roncevalles to grab a coke from a bar with a log fire (this is summer !), then sit outside in the chilly yet sunny conditions, check the route notes about the missing10 kms and wait for Henley.

After a good 30 mins H finally arrived in good health although worried about the possibility of 10 more kms of climbing.

When I told him that we had in fact done all the climbing for the day and that was only 6 kms to our accommodation for the night I thought he was going to break down in tears he was that relieved !

Our arrival at Burquete now only 45 kms from Pamplona, bought with it a new set of problems.

Henley (in charge of accommodation) after finding the French nearly impossible to understand was confronted with his first Spanish communication - in his words like Russian on heat !

After leaving me outside for 30 minutes in the cold he finally emerged to tell me he had booked a room - admittedly it has 4 single beds, but it does come with ensuite and WiFi !

After a couple of short cycling days we front some real Spanish riding tomorrow having to go through and then around busy Pamplona heading towards Puente La Reina and just maybe, given our earlier views of the condition of the Spanish Camino riding a little on the Camino itself !

Day 50 - St Jean Pied due Port France - 32 kms. And now the Pyrenees !

Thankfully some of our Hotel staff had returned after Sunday afternoon off, in time to allow us to have breakfast, pay our bill and hit the road !

A short ride was the plan for the day to give Kev more time to recover. The good weather and good road conditions were perfect for cycling with only a few small climbs thrown in !

I hadn't counted though on Kev`s Alzheimer's condition as pulling over to meet me at the half way point he remarked on how good he was going considering the 30 km climb !

I had to sadly explain to him that the 30 km climb was in fact tomorrow and that today's ride other than a couple of small hills was pretty flat .. Kevs look said it all ...maybe more recovery time is actually needed !

We got off the main road close to our destination to specifically ride the designated pilgrim route climbing steeply to a walled citadelle with great views overlooking St.Jean Pied de Port and the magnificent surrounding hills of the Pyrenees- just a little daunting !

The Citadelle provided access to the Pilgrims gate (traditional entry point to St Jean) and a steep cobble stoned road that led us directly into the main part of this lovely old town a fabulous way to end our 750 km Camino cycle (part 1) from Le Puy !

Entering the walled town had a great feel to it, the old buildings and relics complete with the echos of the millions of pilgrims who have passed this over the 1300 years the Camino has been in place.

The town was busy with tourists as well as walking pilgrims + the occassional push bike.

Having secured a hotel in the old section of town we took an afternoon snooze then stocked up big time on pasta for dinner preparing for the climb to cross the Pyrenees into Spain thus starting the next leg of our European journey !

Hola !

Day 49 - Saint Pailis France - 50 kms ! Soooo Close !

The ear piercing scream from the bathroom informed me that Henley while feeling better this morning may have been experiencing a problem with the binding effect of the tide of pills that he was taking !

Trying to be helpful I surveyed available tools suggesting to H that maybe some deft use of bike lubricant and a pair of tyre levers might assist his giving birth to some unknown alien species !

Ignoring my advice Henley decided to let nature take its course delaying us another 30 odd minutes causing us to leave Maslacq after10 a.m. although worth it just to see Henleys damned fine impression of John Waynes famous swagger as he walked to his bike !

We were only 10 minutes in to the ride when the threatening rain finally broke forcing us to take cover in a bus shelter with a German pilgrim. In talking we discovered that she had walked the distance from Le Puy (650 kms) saying how tough conditions were in the mud and rain .... and we winged about a few cold days !

Following the cessation of rain we continued cycling in open countryside with few cars in sight making our way to Naverrenx after a substantial granny gear crunching 3 km climb !

With the French habit of closing shops on Sunday we raced to the local supermarket in Naverrenx with only 10 minutes to spare stocking up on eadibles for the remainder of our days journey.

Leaving we crossed the towns 12 th C pilgrim bridge built to help pilgrims cross the river.

The scenery was now really beginning to change as we entered the foothill of the Pyrenees. Clearing clouds revealed rolling hills increasing in frequency with even steeper ones in the background !

We bumped into two fellow touring cyclists doing the Camino towing cycle trailers. In talking to them it was also obvious that they too had the worse of recent weather not being able to camp nor ride the Camino trail with it being exceptionally muddy in parts and unsuitable even for walkers !

With the cycling now entailing regular climbing we decided to end the days effort at Saint Palais as an additional 35 kms to St.Jean may have been a bit too much for Kev still not yet fully recovered from his infection !

On a Sunday Saint Palais was just about as deserted as you could get ! This was backed up by the fact that after booking us in the hotel staff went home leaving us the run of the place !

With a laundromat handy we took the opportunity to wash our tired looking clothes even though Henleys socks were way beyond saving.

Struggling to read the machines instructions we both set about trying to find someone to help interpret and to tell us where we could get detergent from.

In an amazing stroke of luck Henley entering a cafe actually found the lady who had the keys to the laundromat. She not only explained to us the machine instructions but as we were obviously pilgrims, gave us two cups of detergent on the house !

Some people may count luck in terms of winning Tattslotto but Henleys win of 2 cups of detergent was equally as amazing !

With the Hotel staff gone we took great delight in turning our room and balcony into a washing line realizing that we may not be the best looking pilgrims but will almost certainly be the cleanest when we rock into St Jean (gateway to Spain) tomorrow !

Day 48 - Maslacq France - The Pyrenees !

It was a toss up whether to help Kev on to his bike or save time and trouble and just bury him this morning !

For someone to still be alive looking as pale as he did and recquiring so many pills was nothing short of miraculous - but as he tackled a baquette in bed he assured me that hè would bravely give it a go after being bed ridden for the past 1 & 1/2 days !

Kev didn't get much chance to warm up as we were straight into a 2 km climb leaving Aire sur L`Adour. After waiting for him for 10 mins at the top of the climb I'd assumed he'd turned round and gone back to bed but spinning like a helicopter he finally arrived explaining that he had to reset his panniers having put them on the wrong sides !

The plan for Henley to take one for the team and feign death so we could avoid the rain worked a dream as the conditions today were magnificent for cycling.

We stopped briefly at Geaune (10 kms) to check out its church and allow Kev an early needed rest.

From there we climbed through Pimbo (23 kms) and again rested before catching a real sharp short climb on our way to Arzacq.

Henley could not have been as bad as he was complaining as anyone able to ride a bike at 4.2 kms an hour (yes a new world record) certainly needs all their wits !

We bumped into a Dutch tour cyclist on the other side of the climb who stopped for a chat putting us to shame when wed asked were he'd come from. `Strasbourg` came the friendly reply in 8 days averaging 170 kms day !

Admittedly he did have a road bike and bugger all luggage but still damned impressive !

Our journey to Morlane for a lunch break provided myself (Kev was too busy trying to stay alive) with an outstanding first view of the Pyrenees - a horizon of snow covered Mtn tops forming what appeared to be an impenetrable barrier on the horizon - WOW !

After lunch in the sun we made for Arthez due Bearn or Mr Bean as Kev called it, which worked well for him following the signs behind me until he got to a T intersection where the sign only said Arthez - only the sight of my jacket in the distance saved him the embarrassment of asking a French person the way to Mr Bean !

The climb to Arthez almost finished Kev off but a coke, the view of distant Mtns, and the fact we only had 8 more kms to go kept him moving - just !
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Leaving Arthez H added to his list of international incidents -

I was pretty surprised when a car with two yelling french men pulled over just in front of me. As I watched, the passenger wildly swept cigarette ash off his crotch area and then cursed as the car drove off !

It wasnt until Kev caught up that I got the full picture. H trying to emulate his previous 4.2 km an hour world record had wobbled into the cars path just as the car was passing him causing the driver to take sudden avoidance action and the passenger to lose most of his cigarette on to his lap !

Henley`s typical response was `that will teach him to smoke in a car `!

We arrived in quiet Maslacq mid afternoon with Kev just about done by his effort. A pretty good one considering his condition.

The day had in fact brought up the 3,000 km mark for Kev so far on tour - a pretty good effort !

We had an interesting dinner experience at our hotel to finish the day. A door knock at 6.00 p.m. told us that dinner would be at 45 after 6 (nothing else open in town) to which Kevs jaw dropped open thinking that the person had just said that dinner was at 6 and it was going to cost 45 Euros !

With no choice we presented for what was a pretty good dinner albeit with no choice whatsoever !

This plus our dodgy bedroom lights and our off the rails shower door might explain why in the hotels comments book there are only 3 entries - one in April 2012 with the other two dated 1993 & 1998 ... I rest my case !

PS the photo of the lady in swimmers is in fact a ceramic just above a persons letterbox in Morlanne !

Day 47 - Aire sur l`Adour France - The patient rests!

After a good 18 hours sleep, no food and some mid night vomiting it was a fair bet that Kev was not going to be up for riding today !

His symptoms of fever and pain were good indicators of some form of bladder infection so with the patient not getting much better I dragged him off to the local clinic- no mean feat when few people speak good English.

Kev emerged from a fairly cursory examination having paid the Dr directly with scripts for shares in the local chemist - still it was a step in the right direction and a course of anti biotics should help him.

Waiting for Kev to recover there is little to do in this small town but i can take comfort from the fact that at least the weather has still been crap (more rain !)

We`ll see how the patient goes tonight as he looks a little better than his earlier rigor mortis condition. With no food though he's most likely not going to have the energy to ride - I'll keep a close eye on him !

Day 46 - Aire sur L`Adour France - 41 kms ! Kev goes to bed !

The morning signs weren't too bad, we were up before 8, it wasn't yet raining (it didn't though look far off though) and Kev was showing no signs of delayed concussion after ice skating from the shower base (notoriously slippery in Europe) out across the bathroom floor the previous night !

Packed one again a quick read of the trip notes indicated a fairly quiet days ride on a very good bitumen surface !

It may have eventually become that but for the first 20 kms at least the road surface cycling line was terrible and the traffic included b- double semi trailers with at least one roaring past us every 30 seconds !

Its not often that you see your next potential plane flight sitting in a car park lot but that is exactly what we saw when rounding a corner early in the ride.

There in all its disassembled glory were most of the chief components of an Airbus 380 (fuselage, wings, tail plane) waiting on various semi trailers in a secured parking lot (dedicated layover point) on their way to the Airbus assembly plant in Toulouse !

Being oversized components they are moved at night on designated routes and secured during the day. Seeing the size of the components on a not so large Country road was pretty amazing !

The gawking over we kept cycling on our less than favorite road into increasingly strong head winds that were really beginning to sap Kevs strength !

Coming into Nogaro Kev`s hullicinations obviously took over as I beckoned him over on the corner of a road to look at a stadium ! `Must be their local footy stadium said Henley ` - well could be said I if they play little league over here in front of packed crowds !

It was of course a bull fighting stadium and I guess the closer we get to Spain the more influential Spanish culture becomes.

It was weird going inside the stadium with both of us having pretty much an intense dislike for the ritual / sport ? With that thought in mind we had already checked to ensure that we aren't in Pamplona for their Bull running festival and thankfully miss it by one week ! I'm not sure anyway if they would have given us approval to ride our bikes through the middle of it !

With rain threatening, little accommodation ahead, many more hills to be faced and Kev fading fast with some form a bug we made a decision to quit the day early at Aire sur L`Adour. Henley tried to put his condition down to the 1/2 litre of Rose he had drunk on the Pilgrims meal menu the night before but this was not going to wash as I'd had a litre of Red wine and was feeling fine !

Teeing up a hotel in town we came across two fellow Melbournians from Collingwood who have walked the 550 + kms to here from Le Puy en Velay over the course of 3 + weeks.

They indicated crossing the Aubracs in snow and walking on trails covered in quicksand like mud making the trek incredibly tough - and this is Summer !

With Kev tucked up in bed, I had a quick look around town. With all the rain of late the local river is pretty close to bursting its banks !

As for our patient , only tomorrow will tell but hopefully its just a 24 hourer - `shit happens` says Henley !

Day 45 - Eauze France - 57 kms ! The Canondale in Hospital !

Our delightful host saw us off as we set off to Eauze in cooler overcast conditions

Mrs Norgren our B&B landlady obviously used to taking on board pilgrims, was one of those people who's friendliness just reached out and touched you.

Conversing with her over breakfast (her 10 words of English and our 2 of French) we discovered she has a daughter in Toulouse 22 years of age with a 12 year granddaughter - me thinks something lost in translation there !

Her Hot chocolate, Spanish style, while tasty was thick as syrup ! Henley keen to impress downed two to win him favorite son status !

In the midst of our in depth conversation i indicated jokingly that Henley not only couldn't speak French but also struggled to speak English - pretty true !

Our B&B lady came back at us in rapid French that we soon came to realise was her asking whether Henley was in fact a Donkey when at school - we both laughed !

Our first 10 kms of riding gave us a taste of things to come in the UK with constant undulations requiring continual climbs for little downhill relief !

We passed through Condom at the 22 km mark, a forgettable place other than its name !

I`d lost H on entry as he'd stopped to take a photo to send back to Jonesy to add to his collection of European village `porno` following the previous photo sent back of the poorly named Kuntzmuseum in Germany !

With Condom done and dusted we climbed 7 km to a gem of a place called Laressingle (or Laura Bingle as named by H) an amazing walled village complete with moat, drawbridge and chateaux. On a warm day this place would be crawling with tourists!.

Heading off H found his 2nd broken spoke making our journey to Eauze ( the next listed town with a bike shop) imperative !

Lunch enroute at Montreal (not Canada) had a macabre touch not because Henley somehow managed to charade his way into a baguette with Ham, chess, tomato, lettuce and Mayo but because the Church exterior has a cavity covered with glass revealing the burial of at least two bodies by the no. Of bones present !

After more undulations and hard work we finally arrived at Eauze early afternoon checking into our dead fly infested hotel and then going in search of a bike shop finding it in the guise of an all purpose repair shop that took anything from lawn mowers, to motorcycles to ATVs for repair !

True to the Mechanics one word of English H`s bike was fixed within an hour at a fair price and Henleys prized Canondale is now back in one piece.

Another relaxing afternoon with H still engrossed in his book - the best investment I've ever made !

We are now only 190 k s from the Spanish border after nearly having crossed France yoo hoo !