Day Nineteen - Sainte-Eulalie-en-Born

Internet access has been poor the last few days and I had also been doing very long days. This sapped any strength I had to blog.

I woke around 7am. I had set an alarm for the first time on this tour as I wanted to clear out before any dogwalkers turned up.

The tent was dry and I was up an away within an hour - a record for me!

I was very low on water and searched nearby but gave up and went to the supermarket and stocked up on water and food. I rode for a couple of hours and then had breakfast.

My target campsite (I hadn't been on one for a while) was 80km away and I had already done a good chunk. Looking good!

Much of the day was spent on cyclepaths running alongside busy roads - busy because it is a Saturday in the middle of August and everyone was heading to the beach. As the day progressed, and everyone made it to the beach, the roads were quiet. At one point the horizon was taken by an enormous dune - it took me back to Arakis.

The campsite is fine and I am considering spending two nights here. I ate a salad at the bar and had a beer. I washed everything I possess and put up an enormous washing line.

Day Eighteen - Le Teich

I felt very strong throughout the day and hit 100km. Unfortunately it then took another 30km to find a decent spot to wildcamp.

Day Seventeen - Vendays-Montalivet

Not much to report today. It started wth riding through marshland and then a couple of beach towns and pine forest.

I then caught a ferry and rode through 25km of more pine forest. I got turned away from my chosen campsite so I decided to go wild.

I had dinner at the beach and watched the sunset. I then rode a couple of km and entered the forest. Took a couple of turns and then pitched up the tent.

Night all.

Day Sixteen - Saint-Agnant

I was hoping to do a sem-relaxig 80km today but was, unfortunately, turned away from the full campsite at Rochefort and had to do an additional 17km to one further south.

Rochefort did seem very impressive based on the elements that I did see. I was looking forward to spendng the evening visiting the center but it wasn''t to be.

Instead I have a small farm campsite which is perfectly fine. They even got the tractor out and cut the grass for me. And I had a nice long chat with a fellow cycletourer from Germany who is going in the same direction as me.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/23774

Day Fourteen - Bourgenay

Today we have the mystery of 'the missing pair of socks'. I have looked up and down but I can't find my missing second pair of spotty socks.

I am sure, as can be, that when I was sorting my washing last night I thought I would wash one pair of them, as I hadn't worn the other.

Fine, but where the hell are they now??

Maybe they got stolen by someone in the middle of the night whose has a sock fettish? That seems the mostly likely occurence.

I did about 30km of fine riding on great tracks through the pine forest. Went on for ever.

Wasted an hour trying to find a particular scruffy looking campsite called Moreaux. Had to give up in the end and move on. Supposed to have been a little island of calm and once owned by a doctor. Mystery.