We didn't plan our first day very well; the coach arrived at our drop off point, Tours, at just past two in the morning. We made no prior arrangements for accommodation, so it was always going to be interesting.
The GPS showed a municipal campsite around 3 miles away and we thought this would be our best bet. Wrong. After battling to this village in the early hours and in the dark, we find a sign at the location saying "Campsite ferme". As a last resort we found a remote spot in the village of La Membrolle-sur-Choisille between the church and a memorial. We threw down a tarp and slept out (or at least as close to sleeping as possible) in the open in the sleeping bags. At this exact moment there is a mosquito hovering above my face and a grasshopper about 2 inches away from my nose. All part of the fun.
Speaking of lack of planning, we've still to decide in which direction to head from Tours. Go inland and perhaps towards Paris, where we have a friend we'd like to see and who is willing to accommodate us in his back garden, or do we head out towards the coast along the Loire?
In the end we opted to head inland, aiming for what was once the longest aqueduct in the world (unless I've got my facts wrong). But today we didn't make the 80 miles we would have hoped to have done. We visited Amboise, a town that sits on an island in the middle of the river Loire. Here we tucked in to moules-frites which went down a treat.
We then sauntered to Montrichard in the searing heat. There's a little 'beach' on the bank of the river and we just had to put our trunks on and go for a swim. Unfortunately the bikes didn't appreciate the heat too much, and one of the inner tubes split at a seam and deflated. We have all the tools with us would need in such a situation, so we were back up and running in no time.
Now we're sat in a quiet campsite, in the "WiFi salon" getting our internet fix. Tomorrow we hope to make greater progress and of course see some beautiful places along the way. Over and out.
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