The day started rather dull and it was evident that rain had fallen in the early hours. However, it was dry for the time being. Dave and I had breakfast at around 8:30 and we were ready to leave at 10am.
The plan was to visit the Grande Dune Du Pilat (also spelt Pyla) and then Arcachon; from there, some route to St Emilion. So, at around 10:15am we left the comfortable hotel Caravelle on the shores of the lake, and returned towards Arcachon. The skies were clearing and the sun was rapidly drying the damp roads; and what roads. Just as yesterday, the coast road towards / from Arcachon is a great biking road with first class road surfaces, good sweepers and almost no traffic. I believe that there was a 70kph speed limit but it was clearly ignored by us and the few cars that we saw.
The French have gone mad with road legislation; not only are speed limits everywhere, they even reduce the speed limit before corners. So, if the limit is 90 kph (the standard limit for single carriageway roads), the authorities “helpfully” reduce the speed limit 50 metres of so before the bend to 70 kph or less. I have to say that I find such “enforced” regulations at best annoying and at worst, pointless. If people cannot regulate their speed to match the conditions, they shouldn’t be on the road in the first place. Rant over!
The Dune du Pilat rises some 117 metres and, according to Wikipedia, is the largest sand dune in Europe. We removed our riding jackets, leaving them and our helmets with the bikes (on the basis that the chances of their being stolen was negligible). We then set about climbing this wall of sand which, from the leeward side, is incredibly steep. Luckily Dave noticed a path which most people which reduces the gradient of the accent. We were puffed as we reached the summit but it was worth it. The panoramic views towards Arcachon and the Atlantic coast are really impressive. We returned to the bikes via the windward side of the dune (which is much less steep) but got caught out because when circling back we had some very steep sand to negotiate across! However, it was great and well worth the visit. What wasn’t great was the €1 car park charge which required us to dismount, find our credit cards as no cash was accepted !!
We headed the short distance into Arcachon and road through and around it. In general it’s supposed to be a nice town but, for me, it was yet another coastal town with more shops etc. We didn’t actually stop in Arcachon but headed in the direction of St. Sympphorien by turning south east to avoid the Bordeaux ring road. However, the initial route was eastwards and this was slow and tortuous with heavy traffic and a plethora of roundabouts. Dave spotted a good boulangerie where we each bought a baguette filled with chicken and salad. We set off again and eventually the mini roundabouts gave way to gascony forest roads which were very enjoyable. By 1pm we were hunting for somewhere to stop for lunch and we found a church, beside which was a wooden table and bench; perfect. What wasn’t perfect was there was nowhere to safely park the bikes. So we ate our baguettes standing outside the church; it was here that Dave tested the local loos, only to exclaim that they were in a disgusting state.
The route then took us north to St Emilion where we traveled through vast hectares of vineyards; again all bare and ready to blossom when spring arrives fully. St Emilion was delightful but loving wine is essential because almost all the shops sell nothing but wines costing hundreds of Euros each bottle! We bought a single bottle of more modest wine which was delicious.
From St Emilion, Dave decided to take us back via a route that avoided the autoroute and was great biking. I followed him a few hundred metres after which he stopped to exclaim that his sat nav had packed up and wasn’t navigating. I entered the first destination and turned around. I then considered that dave wouldn’t wish to turn around so returned to him and indicated that all was OK. M sat nav took me down a small road to the right where i could see that the route would route us back onto the main road in a few hundred metres. I looked in my rear view mirrors; no Dave. I waited for perhaps 20 more seconds and then turned back; no Dave. I returned to the point where he saw me pass him; no Dave. I considered that perhaps he hadn’t seen me turn right and had continued straight; so I went a few km down this road; no Dave. I returned once again and was frustrated by the fact that the radios weren’t working as Dave’s battery was flat; I couldn’t call him as he had no mobile phone on him; Arrgh!!!
I decided that the only option was to continue to the destination that Dave had mentioned but, after multiple km, it was clear that Dave was not around so I reset the sat nav to return directly to Dave’s house in St Fort sur Gironde, some 80 km away. I was routed along “main roads” only to be turned off down a small “track” to then join a D road and eventually, join the A10 autoroute which was both boring and fast. I arrived back at Dave some 15 minutes before him. we then sat down to discuss how it was we managed to get separated.
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