Notre Tour de France #25 (66 mi)

We had a good start this morning. Almost every morning so far, the grass has been sodden with dew and the tent saturated with moisture. It especially makes it a pain to pack away the tent, as it first has to be wiped dry (or as dry as possible) with a flannel. But not this morning. It must have clouded over during the night which kept the temperature above the dew point. The tent was practically as dry as a bone and we were packed up and away before you can say your morning prayer! What's that, you don't pray? Let me assure you that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is real and does listen to your prayers, let us be touched by his noodley appendage.

Segonzac (elegantly nickname "Sick on Zack") provided us with coffee, and Jwan with his morning pastries. As Sunday and Monday are now both out of the way (and the last ones we'll experience over here on this trip), the village was a little more lively than I expect it was yesterday or the day before. We've been passing through a lot of Zac's today: Segonzac, Someotherzac, Gémozac, Anotherzac - I've forgotten their names…

The route west today was a lot kinder than some of the rides we have been doing. It wasn't without some hills, but the majority was flat and enjoyable. I've learnt to tell how much Jwan is enjoying a ride by how vocal he is (have I mentioned this in the blog before?). Today he was singing (Flying Spaghetti Monster help me) and all sorts, so it can't have been that bad.

Lunch was a sandwich and peach from a Super-U en-route, and we arrived at the coast in a village called Saint-Georges-de-Didonne, just south of Royan. Our hunt for a suitable campsite didn't go very well. The first was €33, the second at €36. The third was a bit more reasonable (if you can call it that) at €27 but still way more than we've been used to paying. The campsite was full, and it was at this point we decided to try and camp wild.

On the way to the first two campsites we'd previously scoped out, we passed some woods at the side of the road. After first buying something for lunch at the local supermarket, we returned here to see what we could find. Down one track we tried, there was a French family playing pétanque (I think it's called), so we had to turn around at which point I fell straight on my side; bike, trailer and all. Luckily the ground was soft so I didn't hurt myself.

A little down the adjacent track we hit the jackpot, finding a perfect clearing to pitch the tent. There was a bit of litter left from the last (idiot) residents, so we made sure to clean the place up a bit both for our own benefit and the next residents. After enjoying a bit of dinner in our new home, we set off the the beach to catch the sunset and find some Internet. It's only half a mile to the sand and sea (yes, only half a mile!), and the best bit is we don't have to pay over €30 a night for the privilege.

As I sit here next to the lifeguard's hut, listening to the waves crashing on the shore and watching children build sandcastles with their parents, Jwan is taking a cold shower out in the open in the public showers, and he's attracting some very funny looks indeed.

We're only a handful of miles now from where we'll be getting picked up from and we both hope to make the most of it. Jwan is thinking of spending his day relaxing on the beach, where I'd quite like to ride down the coast to Bordeaux. Maybe I'll be able to find the Velodyssey cycle path we were first talking of cycling on when planning this trip, which runs from the North West of France right down the coast and I even think into Spain. Somehow I don't think I'll be going that far tomorrow…

This evening, after sunset, we ventured into town and were treat to some live reggae music by some band I can't quite remember the name of. There were plenty of people milling about - a stark contrast to some of the ghost towns we have been cycling though. There are some fairground rides, candy floss, ice cream, arcades and so on. Maybe a bit like Blackpool, but so far it's making for a nice change and a pleasant evening.