Wednesday, 27th April 2016
A rare opportunity to spend quality time with my son Gary.
Kathleen amuses herself for the day, and, we, the boys, go cycling along the Grand Union Canal, plus lunch.
I am pleased to say, as the "oldie", I was able to keep up, for the whole 16-17 miles.
A totally enjoyable day, even the sun shone for us!
Showing posts with label Canal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canal. Show all posts
Wednesday 27 April 2016
Tuesday 26 April 2016
Walking, Oxford; Depart for Denham
Monday, 25th April 2016
Not a very nice day, in terms of weather, cool, with frequent showers.
By lunch time, we are both fed-up with reading our books, and venture out for a combined stroll and grocery shopping trip.
Just under 4 miles, and, the rains stays away.
Tuesday, 26th April 2016
Unbelievable weather for the end of April, there is a dusting of snow on the ground this morning!
Today, we leave Oxford for Wyatts Covert Caravan Club Site, near Denham.
Not a very exciting drive, except for actually getting onto the M40 from the Oxford Ring Road!
Complex road works, and a total lack of signposting mean that we, along with several large trucks take the wrong turning and have a tour of the Oxfordshire countryside, before regaining the M40.
Wyatts Covert is within the M25, at the end of the M40, initial impressions are favourable, although we are only approximately 15 miles from central London, it appears to be pleasant countryside, but, with ample eating, drinking and shopping places available.
Kathleen is given instructions for a circular walk from the site, as she checks in, so, after lunch, off we go to explore.
In the past few weeks, we have walked and cycled in some particularly rural country areas, and seen, nothing in the way of wildlife.
Today, within 15 miles of a major city, and, only two miles from the M25, as we walk along a bridle path, we encounter a fox, not once, but twice. I think, although I am not sure, it is the same fox twice, rather two different foxes. Unfortunately I am too slow to get the camera out!
A little further and we come to a branch of the Grand Union Canal, with a variety of
waterfowl, including a heron, and this family of geese, paddling along.
Soon, we come to the main Grand Union Canal, and a pub called the "Coy Carp".
Up until now, the weather has been cold and sunny, but dry, suddenly, there is a hail storm, luckily, the pub is open, and we are able to shelter until the hail storm passes.
We while away the wait with a glass of wine.
As well as being near London, we are also of course, near Windsor, and Gary drives across to see us, with Gabriel, after school. A very pleasant surprise.
Not a very nice day, in terms of weather, cool, with frequent showers.
Just under 4 miles, and, the rains stays away.
Tuesday, 26th April 2016
Unbelievable weather for the end of April, there is a dusting of snow on the ground this morning!
Not a very exciting drive, except for actually getting onto the M40 from the Oxford Ring Road!
Complex road works, and a total lack of signposting mean that we, along with several large trucks take the wrong turning and have a tour of the Oxfordshire countryside, before regaining the M40.
Wyatts Covert is within the M25, at the end of the M40, initial impressions are favourable, although we are only approximately 15 miles from central London, it appears to be pleasant countryside, but, with ample eating, drinking and shopping places available.
Kathleen is given instructions for a circular walk from the site, as she checks in, so, after lunch, off we go to explore.
Today, within 15 miles of a major city, and, only two miles from the M25, as we walk along a bridle path, we encounter a fox, not once, but twice. I think, although I am not sure, it is the same fox twice, rather two different foxes. Unfortunately I am too slow to get the camera out!
A little further and we come to a branch of the Grand Union Canal, with a variety of
Soon, we come to the main Grand Union Canal, and a pub called the "Coy Carp".
Up until now, the weather has been cold and sunny, but dry, suddenly, there is a hail storm, luckily, the pub is open, and we are able to shelter until the hail storm passes.
We while away the wait with a glass of wine.
As well as being near London, we are also of course, near Windsor, and Gary drives across to see us, with Gabriel, after school. A very pleasant surprise.
Wednesday 13 April 2016
Staveley
Tuesday, 12th April 2016
Rain until 15:00, not heavy, but, persistent.
We use some of the time to plan our next stop off point, and, then have a pleasant walk around the Poolsbrook Country Park.
In Staveley, there is an "Outlet Centre", you know, the sort of shop beloved of women, where they can by branded goods, they neither need or want, at "bargain" prices.
There is also a rather attractive looking pub, right next to the Outlet Centre, where a husband could wait, whilst his wife had some "retail therapy".
Practicing my "thoughtful husband" act, I suggest we could go to Staveley and visit the Outlet Centre.
For some reason Kathleen does not want to go!
There is definitely nothing as puzzling as the workings of the female mind.
Wednesday, 13th April 2016
Thankfully, a big improvement in the weather, sunny and warm.
We decide to cycle to Chesterfield via the "other" route, ie, the one which does not follow the canal.
The route is signposted as the "Trans-Pennine Trail" and is clearly an old railway line, at least for the first two or three miles.
All goes well, until we encounter a particularly muddy section, Kathleen does not do mud, so, we promptly turn around and retrace our steps to the outskirts of Staveley.
Here, Kathleen, uncharacteristically, opts to take a detour, it does eventually bring us to our intended destination (Morrisons Supermarket, Staveley), but, not before we have had to peddle up a rather large hill, which turns out to be taking us in the wrong direction, so, we have to re-trace our steps (pleased I did not suggest this detour).
The sun continues to shine, so, the remainder of the day is spent sitting soaking up the rays.
We use some of the time to plan our next stop off point, and, then have a pleasant walk around the Poolsbrook Country Park.
In Staveley, there is an "Outlet Centre", you know, the sort of shop beloved of women, where they can by branded goods, they neither need or want, at "bargain" prices.
There is also a rather attractive looking pub, right next to the Outlet Centre, where a husband could wait, whilst his wife had some "retail therapy".
Practicing my "thoughtful husband" act, I suggest we could go to Staveley and visit the Outlet Centre.
For some reason Kathleen does not want to go!
There is definitely nothing as puzzling as the workings of the female mind.
Wednesday, 13th April 2016
We decide to cycle to Chesterfield via the "other" route, ie, the one which does not follow the canal.
The route is signposted as the "Trans-Pennine Trail" and is clearly an old railway line, at least for the first two or three miles.
All goes well, until we encounter a particularly muddy section, Kathleen does not do mud, so, we promptly turn around and retrace our steps to the outskirts of Staveley.
The sun continues to shine, so, the remainder of the day is spent sitting soaking up the rays.
Monday 11 April 2016
To Staveley
Sunday, 10th April 2016
Sunny day, and mild, pleasant travelling weather.
Totally uneventful drive for the 135 miles to Poolsbrook Caravan Club Site, Staveley.
The site is upto the usual Caravan Club standard.
The site is located on the edge of a Country Park, coming as we do from what was once industrial Tyneside, we can recognise a reclaimed industrial site when we see one.
A quick visit to Google confirms, the park was formerly the Ireland Coal Mine. The reclamation has been well done, with lakes, walking paths, cycle tracks and horse riding tracks with suitable landscaping and tree planting. It is all very reminiscent of Colliery Wood, Herrington Country Park or Rising Sun Countryside Centre, all near where we live!
A stroll into Staveley, the similarities continue, this could be any number of former mining "villages" in the North East!
Monday, 11th April 2016
Sunny with cloud and mild, the weather forecast says, and, so it turns out.
We cycle to Chesterfield, and back, along the Chesterfield Canal, a little over 15 miles of easy pedalling, with a coffee and cake stop en-route.
A pleasant lunch in "Ye Olde Oak" reputedly, the oldest pub in Chesterfield.
Chesterfield appears to be a lively place, a real market with stalls selling a variety of things, and, the usual array of major stores, and plenty of places to eat / drink .
Totally uneventful drive for the 135 miles to Poolsbrook Caravan Club Site, Staveley.
The site is upto the usual Caravan Club standard.
The site is located on the edge of a Country Park, coming as we do from what was once industrial Tyneside, we can recognise a reclaimed industrial site when we see one.
A quick visit to Google confirms, the park was formerly the Ireland Coal Mine. The reclamation has been well done, with lakes, walking paths, cycle tracks and horse riding tracks with suitable landscaping and tree planting. It is all very reminiscent of Colliery Wood, Herrington Country Park or Rising Sun Countryside Centre, all near where we live!
A stroll into Staveley, the similarities continue, this could be any number of former mining "villages" in the North East!
Monday, 11th April 2016
We cycle to Chesterfield, and back, along the Chesterfield Canal, a little over 15 miles of easy pedalling, with a coffee and cake stop en-route.
A pleasant lunch in "Ye Olde Oak" reputedly, the oldest pub in Chesterfield.
Chesterfield appears to be a lively place, a real market with stalls selling a variety of things, and, the usual array of major stores, and plenty of places to eat / drink .
Saturday 19 March 2016
Walking, Eating and Drinking around Garstang
Friday, 18th March 2016
Oh dear, dull, misty and cold start, but, it soon clears for another sunny day.
The day is spent walking the canal (for six miles).
Followed by, drinking wine in the Farmers Arms.
In the evening, we watch a TV program telling us the dangers of drinking more than the new guidelines (ie 14 units per week).
Saturday, 19th March 2016
Cloudy. According to the weather forecast on breakfast news, the whole country is covered in cloud, so, I suppose that is OK. Not raining, and not too cold.
Lazy day, keeping out of harms way whilst hair washing etc is executed, followed by pleasant lunch in the Farmers Arms, then we "do" the riverside walk at Garstang.
Finally, a little shopping. carrying five bottles of wine (ie four in a carrier bag, plus, one inside you) for a couple of miles is heavy work!
My artistic(?) attempts at photography in the dark, as I walk to meet Kathleen walking back from Church.
Oh dear, dull, misty and cold start, but, it soon clears for another sunny day.
The day is spent walking the canal (for six miles).
Followed by, drinking wine in the Farmers Arms.
In the evening, we watch a TV program telling us the dangers of drinking more than the new guidelines (ie 14 units per week).
Saturday, 19th March 2016
Cloudy. According to the weather forecast on breakfast news, the whole country is covered in cloud, so, I suppose that is OK. Not raining, and not too cold.
Finally, a little shopping. carrying five bottles of wine (ie four in a carrier bag, plus, one inside you) for a couple of miles is heavy work!
Monday 14 March 2016
Cycling the Canal Tow Path
Monday 14th March, 2016
A beautiful sunny day, warm for March, at 14C.
We get the folding bicycles out, and, the plan is to have our first cycle outing of 2016, by pedalling along the towpath of the Lancaster Canal, in the direction of Lancaster.
After about a mile of just slightly muddy, and, it has to be said, slippery tow path, we encounter a section which consists of soft mud, and, a very large puddle. Indeed, the puddle stretches for as far as we can see, it is like a mini canal on the tow path!
Even my usual encouraging words of "it is only water, it will dry off", or , "it is only a bit of mud, it will wash off", are not enough to convince Kathleen to go on. To be honest, that is probably a wise decision, slithering along a slippery tow path, less than a metre from the edge of the canal, on a bicycle, is not a recommended course of action for two geriatrics.
We turn around, and head in the opposite direction, towards Preston.
The Canal wends it's way through Garstang, and, the tow path is generally sound, even tarmac for most of the way, but, as we leave Garstang and head into open countryside, the tarmac disappears, and soon, we are back to slippery mud.
Perhaps, this a route for a dry spell?
The attempt to cycle to Lancaster or Preston, is abandoned, and we instead leave the canal tow path at the next bridge and cycle along a reasonably quiet road, through the village of Bonds, to return to Garstang, for coffee and sandwiches.
We content ourselves with a first outing of just over five miles of (mostly) pleasant cycling in the spring sun shine, and, very enjoyable it was.
A beautiful sunny day, warm for March, at 14C.
We get the folding bicycles out, and, the plan is to have our first cycle outing of 2016, by pedalling along the towpath of the Lancaster Canal, in the direction of Lancaster.
Even my usual encouraging words of "it is only water, it will dry off", or , "it is only a bit of mud, it will wash off", are not enough to convince Kathleen to go on. To be honest, that is probably a wise decision, slithering along a slippery tow path, less than a metre from the edge of the canal, on a bicycle, is not a recommended course of action for two geriatrics.
We turn around, and head in the opposite direction, towards Preston.
Perhaps, this a route for a dry spell?
The attempt to cycle to Lancaster or Preston, is abandoned, and we instead leave the canal tow path at the next bridge and cycle along a reasonably quiet road, through the village of Bonds, to return to Garstang, for coffee and sandwiches.
We content ourselves with a first outing of just over five miles of (mostly) pleasant cycling in the spring sun shine, and, very enjoyable it was.
Sunday 13 March 2016
Garstang, Bridge House Marina and Caravan Site
Sunday 13th March 2016.
A beautiful sunny and mild day, can it last, can we be that lucky?
If you exclude a false start, because we forgot the loaf of bread, a fairly uneventful drive to Garstang. I say "we forgot" in a sense of collective responsibility, since, the selection and packing of food stuffs does not, strictly speaking, come under my remit.
We arrive, at Bridge House Marina and Caravan Site, just in time for a light lunch, the sun is still shining, it is, if anything, even more more mild here than at home, a very
comfortable 15C, positively tropical for the UK in March!
The site is small, which we like, and appears to be well kept and tidy, excellent.
In addition to the Caravan area, there is a Marina bursting with pleasure craft.
We make the most of the pleasant weather, a traffic free stroll along the Lancaster Canal for about half a mile, to Garstang Town Centre.
Here we discover are all of the "essentials", ie, no less than 8 pubs, two supermarkets and several restaurants. I almost forgot, Kathleen's number one requirement, a
Catholic Church (plus a couple of second division churches, just in case).
We round off the afternoon with a glass of red wine, in the sunshine.
A beautiful sunny and mild day, can it last, can we be that lucky?
We arrive, at Bridge House Marina and Caravan Site, just in time for a light lunch, the sun is still shining, it is, if anything, even more more mild here than at home, a very
In addition to the Caravan area, there is a Marina bursting with pleasure craft.
We make the most of the pleasant weather, a traffic free stroll along the Lancaster Canal for about half a mile, to Garstang Town Centre.
Here we discover are all of the "essentials", ie, no less than 8 pubs, two supermarkets and several restaurants. I almost forgot, Kathleen's number one requirement, a
We round off the afternoon with a glass of red wine, in the sunshine.
Monday 28 September 2015
Cycling to Chalon-sur-Soane
Monday 28th September 2015
Autumn is clearly here now. A cool start to the day, but, sunny. By lunch time it is a respectable 20C, and by mid afternoon, it is sun bathing weather.
After a weekend of R and R (that is Rest and Recreation for me, Rest and Religion for Kathleen), we are up for some cycling.
The Canal du Centre is just under a mile from the campsite, once there, there is a traffic free cycle track to Chalon-sur-Soane and beyond in one direction, and St Leger and beyon in the other direction.
We have been told by another English couple we met, that the section towards Chalon-sur-Soane is the more attraction, so, that is the direction we take.
At the Halt Nautique, about 1.5 miles from the campsite, the signpost tells us, Chalon-sur-Soane is 16Km (10 miles) away.
Being fresh, after our "weekend off", we go for the whole distance.
It is a beautiful day for cycling, sunny, but, not too hot.
It is noticeably "downhill", in the direction of Chalon-sur-Soane and we pass several locks, I carefully do not mention this to Kathleen.
Soon, we are passed Fragny, and into the outskirts of Chalon-sur-Soane.
A brief rest and, we set off for the return, I assume we will be stopping off for "refreshments" along the way, but, Kathleen is in full "health and fitness mode" and decides she will settle for water to fortify her, for the return trip.
So, we resist the temptation to turn off into one of the many villages, signposted en-route, and settle ourselves one one of the strategically placed canal side seats to rest and refresh ourselves.
For those who know Kathleen, I promise, that is water, and not gin and tonic, in the bottle!.
Soon after we set off again, after our brief stop, we come upon one of the large pleasure boats we passed on the way to Chalon-sur-Soane.
It is just in the process of entering a lock, so, we linger to watch the process, it is quite a large boat, and completely fills the lock.
In the afternoon, as I mentioned, it is sunbathing weather.
We need at least one "essential" bit of shopping, ie, Tonic, for Kathleen's Gin and Tonic.
There is no way Kathleen is going to be prised out of her seat in the sun, after a 24 mile cycle ride this morning, so, I set off, armed with a shopping list, whilst Kathleen gets herself "browned off".
We have checked out where the "Commercial Centre" is, so, I head straight there, and manage to buy all of the requirements in Lidl, except, the Tonic.
So, I next go to Carrefour, which is next to Lidl, and select a bottle of Schweppes Tonic, sugar free, as instructed.
As I go through the checkout, the "shoplifter" alarm goes off. No problem, I am quite happy to show the checkout operator and supervisor who appears on the scene, the contents of my backpack, ie, shopping from Lidl, complete with receipt.
What puzzles me is, what set the alarm off? Do they security tag Bananas, Maltesers, Pasta, Bars of Chocolate ?
Autumn is clearly here now. A cool start to the day, but, sunny. By lunch time it is a respectable 20C, and by mid afternoon, it is sun bathing weather.
After a weekend of R and R (that is Rest and Recreation for me, Rest and Religion for Kathleen), we are up for some cycling.
The Canal du Centre is just under a mile from the campsite, once there, there is a traffic free cycle track to Chalon-sur-Soane and beyond in one direction, and St Leger and beyon in the other direction.
We have been told by another English couple we met, that the section towards Chalon-sur-Soane is the more attraction, so, that is the direction we take.
At the Halt Nautique, about 1.5 miles from the campsite, the signpost tells us, Chalon-sur-Soane is 16Km (10 miles) away.
Being fresh, after our "weekend off", we go for the whole distance.
It is a beautiful day for cycling, sunny, but, not too hot.
It is noticeably "downhill", in the direction of Chalon-sur-Soane and we pass several locks, I carefully do not mention this to Kathleen.
Soon, we are passed Fragny, and into the outskirts of Chalon-sur-Soane.
A brief rest and, we set off for the return, I assume we will be stopping off for "refreshments" along the way, but, Kathleen is in full "health and fitness mode" and decides she will settle for water to fortify her, for the return trip.
So, we resist the temptation to turn off into one of the many villages, signposted en-route, and settle ourselves one one of the strategically placed canal side seats to rest and refresh ourselves.
For those who know Kathleen, I promise, that is water, and not gin and tonic, in the bottle!.
Soon after we set off again, after our brief stop, we come upon one of the large pleasure boats we passed on the way to Chalon-sur-Soane.
It is just in the process of entering a lock, so, we linger to watch the process, it is quite a large boat, and completely fills the lock.
In the afternoon, as I mentioned, it is sunbathing weather.
We need at least one "essential" bit of shopping, ie, Tonic, for Kathleen's Gin and Tonic.
There is no way Kathleen is going to be prised out of her seat in the sun, after a 24 mile cycle ride this morning, so, I set off, armed with a shopping list, whilst Kathleen gets herself "browned off".
We have checked out where the "Commercial Centre" is, so, I head straight there, and manage to buy all of the requirements in Lidl, except, the Tonic.
So, I next go to Carrefour, which is next to Lidl, and select a bottle of Schweppes Tonic, sugar free, as instructed.
As I go through the checkout, the "shoplifter" alarm goes off. No problem, I am quite happy to show the checkout operator and supervisor who appears on the scene, the contents of my backpack, ie, shopping from Lidl, complete with receipt.
What puzzles me is, what set the alarm off? Do they security tag Bananas, Maltesers, Pasta, Bars of Chocolate ?
Sunday 27 September 2015
To Chagny
Saturday 26th September 2015
Surprisingly, I cannot convince Kathleen to go cycling today, you would have thought that, after two consecutive days of 20 miles plus, she would be "in the groove", so to speak.
Yesterday, there was an invasion of Dutch caravans, today, they are leaving as quickly as they arrived, by 9:30, they have all gone.
We decide we will move on too, just a short distance, to Chagny, a little over 50 miles away.
The forecast is for a 23C sunny day, and, so it turns out.
For some reason, as we cruise along the N80 (E607), we collect a first two, then three Motor Cycle Police riders, after a while, they are joined by a fourth, then they ride off.
Don't know what that was all about, Kathleen's explanation is, "they must have mistaken us for someone important".
We are soon at Chagny and find the campsite, more or less no problem, although, it would have been wise to have used the ring road to approach, rather than the "town centre" route selected by the Sat-Nav.
The "easier" approach is signposted, just, immediately after the roundabout after the Canal "Port" or Marina, but, our Sat-nav did not direct us that way, and, the signposting is not exactly prominent, as you can see below, at roughly 8:00 minutes to 9:30 minutes into the video.
Having missed the sign, we took the more difficult approach!
The campsite, Paquier Fane, is very pleasant.
It is a rather odd name, I have no idea what it may mean.
Chagny appears to be a reasonably lively place.
Sunday 27th September 2015
Disaster! As Kathleen gets ready for the ritual of hair washing etc, she discovers, she has run out of shampoo. The full bottle of what she thought was shampoo, is, in fact, Conditioner.
It is Sunday morning, in France, the small shops are closed, we have just arrived here yesterday, and have not yet found the Supermarket(s), which MAY be open on Sundays.
Frantic searching in the various bags in which numerous hair care products are kept, unearths, a long forgotten, half empty bottle of shampoo.
Phew! panic over.
Back to more mundane matters, another bright sunny day, in the 20's Centigrade.
Church for Kathleen, whilst I explore routes to the Cycle track along the canal, from the campsite. Then meet up with Kathleen to walk around the Sunday Market, which, true to form, takes over almost all of the streets in the town.
After lunch is spent searching for the Carrefour and Lidl supermarkets, which are tantalisingly signposted at the entrance to the town, with no further indication of how to find them.
After walking for almost three miles and taking numerous wrong turnings, we do find them, about 3/4 of a mile from the campsite.
Kathleen takes credit for the discovery.
Surprisingly, I cannot convince Kathleen to go cycling today, you would have thought that, after two consecutive days of 20 miles plus, she would be "in the groove", so to speak.
Yesterday, there was an invasion of Dutch caravans, today, they are leaving as quickly as they arrived, by 9:30, they have all gone.
We decide we will move on too, just a short distance, to Chagny, a little over 50 miles away.
The forecast is for a 23C sunny day, and, so it turns out.
For some reason, as we cruise along the N80 (E607), we collect a first two, then three Motor Cycle Police riders, after a while, they are joined by a fourth, then they ride off.
Don't know what that was all about, Kathleen's explanation is, "they must have mistaken us for someone important".
We are soon at Chagny and find the campsite, more or less no problem, although, it would have been wise to have used the ring road to approach, rather than the "town centre" route selected by the Sat-Nav.
The "easier" approach is signposted, just, immediately after the roundabout after the Canal "Port" or Marina, but, our Sat-nav did not direct us that way, and, the signposting is not exactly prominent, as you can see below, at roughly 8:00 minutes to 9:30 minutes into the video.
Having missed the sign, we took the more difficult approach!
The campsite, Paquier Fane, is very pleasant.It is a rather odd name, I have no idea what it may mean.
Chagny appears to be a reasonably lively place.
Sunday 27th September 2015
Disaster! As Kathleen gets ready for the ritual of hair washing etc, she discovers, she has run out of shampoo. The full bottle of what she thought was shampoo, is, in fact, Conditioner.
It is Sunday morning, in France, the small shops are closed, we have just arrived here yesterday, and have not yet found the Supermarket(s), which MAY be open on Sundays.
Frantic searching in the various bags in which numerous hair care products are kept, unearths, a long forgotten, half empty bottle of shampoo.
Phew! panic over.
Back to more mundane matters, another bright sunny day, in the 20's Centigrade.
Church for Kathleen, whilst I explore routes to the Cycle track along the canal, from the campsite. Then meet up with Kathleen to walk around the Sunday Market, which, true to form, takes over almost all of the streets in the town.
After lunch is spent searching for the Carrefour and Lidl supermarkets, which are tantalisingly signposted at the entrance to the town, with no further indication of how to find them.
After walking for almost three miles and taking numerous wrong turnings, we do find them, about 3/4 of a mile from the campsite.
Kathleen takes credit for the discovery.
Friday 25 September 2015
Cycling to Pierrefitte-sur-Loire, invaded by Dutch
Friday 25th September 2015
Light cloud, but, mild and bright. The sun actually breaks through the clouds periodically through he day.
Our English neighbours and lunch companions, of yesterday, Jerry and Norma, leave this morning, heading for the ferry at Caen.
Despite yesterday's mammoth cycle ride, Kathleen expresses a willingness, indeed, an enthusiasm for going cycling again today.
Accordingly we set off, along the Canal, in the opposite direction to yesterday, towards Diou, which is 25km (15 miles) away.
Unlike yesterday, we see very few people cycling along, but, we do see quite a number of boats cruising along.
We make it just to Pierrefit-sur-Loire, (10 miles) before Kathleen expresses a desire to call a halt (ie, declares she is not going any further).
I manage to coax another 3 miles out her, before a final halt is called.
At Pierrefit-sur-Loire, as well as some amusing canalside artworks, there was a signpost for a bar/cafe, so, we return there for lunch.
The bar/cafe is certainly quaint, as we arrive two British motorcyclists are just leaving. The bar is attached to a "grocery" shop, which appears to sell just about everything.
I do think the impression given, of live music, in the sign, is slightly miss-leading, the whole Bar is smaller than our Lounge at home!
We are served our beers in English style pint pot glasses.
Whilst we are having our drink, another cyclist arrives. We are not sure what nationality he was, but, given the torturous exchange to order a sandwich and a drink, he was, presumably, not French.
The barman disappeared to make a sandwich for the new arrival. When he reappeared he had the largest sandwich I have ever seen. It consisted of half of a very large baguette, filled with ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato.
The cyclist only managed to eat half of it, before, admitting defeat and requesting a bag to take the rest away with him.
We returned via the Supermarket in Digoin, where I purchased among other things some "Digoinaise sausage", which I cooked for our dinner. Kathleen did actually try some, but, said she did not like it, so, I have the rest of the pack to eat, at some later date!
I also purchased some cheese, local to the area around Annecy, called Reblouchon, I suspect I will have to eat all of that too.
Our little detour, via the LeClerc supermarket, means, we have completed 28.5 miles, today.
On our return to the campsite, we find it has filled up, almost exclusively with Dutch people. I do not know what is going on in Holland, but, it would appear they are evacuating the place, given the number of Dutch who have arrived here in the course of the day.
Light cloud, but, mild and bright. The sun actually breaks through the clouds periodically through he day.
Our English neighbours and lunch companions, of yesterday, Jerry and Norma, leave this morning, heading for the ferry at Caen.
Despite yesterday's mammoth cycle ride, Kathleen expresses a willingness, indeed, an enthusiasm for going cycling again today.
Accordingly we set off, along the Canal, in the opposite direction to yesterday, towards Diou, which is 25km (15 miles) away.Unlike yesterday, we see very few people cycling along, but, we do see quite a number of boats cruising along.
We make it just to Pierrefit-sur-Loire, (10 miles) before Kathleen expresses a desire to call a halt (ie, declares she is not going any further).
I manage to coax another 3 miles out her, before a final halt is called.
At Pierrefit-sur-Loire, as well as some amusing canalside artworks, there was a signpost for a bar/cafe, so, we return there for lunch.
The bar/cafe is certainly quaint, as we arrive two British motorcyclists are just leaving. The bar is attached to a "grocery" shop, which appears to sell just about everything.
I do think the impression given, of live music, in the sign, is slightly miss-leading, the whole Bar is smaller than our Lounge at home!
We are served our beers in English style pint pot glasses.
Whilst we are having our drink, another cyclist arrives. We are not sure what nationality he was, but, given the torturous exchange to order a sandwich and a drink, he was, presumably, not French.
The barman disappeared to make a sandwich for the new arrival. When he reappeared he had the largest sandwich I have ever seen. It consisted of half of a very large baguette, filled with ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato.
The cyclist only managed to eat half of it, before, admitting defeat and requesting a bag to take the rest away with him.
We returned via the Supermarket in Digoin, where I purchased among other things some "Digoinaise sausage", which I cooked for our dinner. Kathleen did actually try some, but, said she did not like it, so, I have the rest of the pack to eat, at some later date!
I also purchased some cheese, local to the area around Annecy, called Reblouchon, I suspect I will have to eat all of that too.
Our little detour, via the LeClerc supermarket, means, we have completed 28.5 miles, today.
On our return to the campsite, we find it has filled up, almost exclusively with Dutch people. I do not know what is going on in Holland, but, it would appear they are evacuating the place, given the number of Dutch who have arrived here in the course of the day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)