Day 9 58miles Chazelles to Saintes

We had a great night's sleep after our Gastronomic dinner last night. I wasnt sure if I'd have room for breakfast but I was just fooling myself - there's always room for something 😊.

One of the many benefits of staying in B&B accommodation is you get to chat with the hosts who are usually very interesting and knowledgeable. This morning we discovered the cycle lane running through the village where we were staying actually runs all the way to Switzerland! Not a lot of people know that apparently 😊
The temperature has cooled considerably as we've moved further north so it's making the cycling much easier. We thought the rain would catch up with us today so made sure our raincoats were within easy reach. In the end we escaped it so the inevitable has been delayed for another day 😂
The route today was up and down all day. We made good progress (we must be getting good at the climbs) and we made it to Cognac by 1pm. With only 17 miles left we decided to stop here for lunch. No really inspiring options around but we settled on a brasserie overlooking the town square. Whilst it won't rank as one of our top food experiences it was absolutely fine and served its purpose.
After our lunch of sizeable portions we heaved ourselves back onto the bike and slowly made our way to Saintes, our destination for tonight. There was one tough climb this afternoon and it's fair to say we found it tough with a full stomach so Max has declared no more plat du jours for us 😂
We made it to Saintes around 4pm and as we couldn't check in to our B&B until 5 so we wandered around the centre along by the river for a while to get our bearings and view the Roman architecure.
We've now done our washing (which is hanging over the bike in the back garden to dry) and walked into town for dinner - curry tonight because the creperie was shut!
It's an easy day cycling tomorrow so I've had an extra glass of wine as a treat. Back to the B&B now for another episode of Ozark.

Comments

  1. Kerry5 June 2022 at 13:00

    Fi and I were marvelling about your talent for finding a decent lunch today. So while still superhuman on the bike, I'm relieved your showi g a weak ess in the food finding! I hope you enjoyed your wine! Are you sure Max hasn't taken the route to Switzerland...

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    Replies
    1. Sarah5 June 2022 at 23:49

      Trip advisor is usually my trusted tool 😉 but it's not infallible (and I most certainly am not 🤣🤣). The wine was fab - cycling is thirsty work you know 😂. It didn't occur to me but I will be watching the road signs very carefully from now on. 😂

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  2. Sarah5 June 2022 at 23:52

    Hi Justin 👋. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I can't believe we're on the home stretch now (well nearly). It's an easy day tomorrow (actually it's today now as I write this) but then it ramps up again for the last few days. So we need all the encouragement we can get 🙏

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