Day 6 57miles Varès to Cendrieux

A thunderstorm overnight gave us a slightly cooler start today. After another lovely breakfast we set off about 8.30am. Less miles today but even more climbing so we were keen to press on. It was rolling hills all the way today and very pretty countryside. Although scattered thunderstorms were threatened throughout the day none materialised and the temperature rose steadily again as the morning progressed. 
Luckily though there was some shade to be had along a number of the tree lined lanes. Our plan for today was to get as far as we could by lunchtime and find a nice resting spot for a leisurely menu du jour before the final leg of the ride. At midday we reached a nice small town and I spotted a little roadside cafe which had potential but in the end we only stopped for a drink. Max was keen to start some of the final climbs before settling into a long lunch and I was lured back onto the bike 😁.
 On reaching the first big climb as we turned the first corner and looked at the incline Max simply muttered 'bloody hell' and my heart sank! We dug in though and climbed slowly slowly until we reached the top. It wasn't actually that far and, on reflection, I think that was probably the toughest part of the day over. From this point on it became a race to find somewhere for lunch. We were cycling through fairly remote countryside and some of the villages showed very little signs of life. Eventually we reached a very pretty village called Saint Alvere not far from our final destination. Luck was on our side as we found a fab little restaurant and although it was nearly 2pm they still managed to squeeze us in. We ended up having the best menu du jour of the trip so far. Top class food in a beautiful setting.
After a long leisurely lunch we dug in for the final climb and arrived at our destination around 4pm. For the next two nights we're staying with our friends Andy and Helen plus Andy's sister Alison and husband Gary in their beautiful house in Cendrieux.
 We're having a rest day tomorrow and really looking forward to chilling and catching up with them.

It's not all been fine dining though. We've also been surviving on dates to keep us going during the ride. 

Comments

  1. Kerry3 June 2022 at 07:44

    Well done guys. Say hello to Andy and Helen. 'Bloody Hell' is exactly how I feel every time at the bottom of The Beacon....🤣

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sarah4 June 2022 at 09:00

    Yes I can relate to that too Kerry 😂

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sarah4 June 2022 at 12:43

    And Fi said she never wants to face a hill that starts with Max saying bloody hell 🤣🤣

    ReplyDelete

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