Spring 2012 - SW France - Day 5

Today was a trip that everyone says is a "must"; however, having done it we can understand why it's little more than a "tick in the box". The plan; and indeed the route, was to follow the coast road south to Bordeaux and then up into the Medoc.

The classic Medoc village of Margaux

So we set off at around 9:30 and Dave mentioned that "this is not a GT road".  So, with that in mind, I set the damping setting to comfort (my bum is still a little sore!) and off we went.Well it was true to say that the road was, in places, a little like a trampoline; definitely not a GT road; however all was well and we roled into Blaye; looked for a supermarket (to buy a picnic lunch) and then continued to Bourg. There we stopped at the local Carrefour supermarket where Janet and I went in and bought a large bread; some goats cheeses; salami; cucumber and tomatoes; not forgetting Bayonne ham! Now that we were stocked up for a picnic we continued and hit the (ghastly) Bordeaux "Rocade" (ring road). We had to stay on this road for perhaps ten minutes; but it was horrible; a huge volume of ricks and cars; all travelling at 65-75 mph, but bumper to bumper. We exited as soon as the Sat Nav "spoke" and I looked forward to the trip through the "fairy tale" Medoc villages where some of the most coveted wines of the world are born.
Unfortunately my fairy tale was soon shattered by dense traffic; multiple roundabouts and commercial buildings. However, we did finally emerge from this and signs showed the infamous village of Margaux ahead. around us was a sea of vines; but they were seemingly totally devoid of life and grey in colour. This gave a somewhat macabre feeling to the place; almost lifeless. We tried to find Château Margaux but failed miserably; ending up at the plush golf course instead!
Our plans for a picnic were not as we had thought or hoped; but 1pm we were coming through St Estèphe  and Janet a couple of benches by the church. So that's where we stopped; outside the church. The picnic was great and very tasty. From here we routed directly to Lesparre-Medoc and from there directly to Le Verdon sur Mer. Here we took the ferry across to Royan; the bikes travelled as "horses" for around €10 and the passengers we just over €3. Twenty minutes later and we were in Royan; a plush and fancy seaside town; famous for the Cockleshell Heroes in WWII.
We had a drink at a local café; ripped off paying over €3 for a coke or a coffee; but hey, this is Royan even though it's off season!

We then took the coast road back to St Fort sur Gironde; arriving at around 4:45pm. Just enough time for Dave and Janet to relax in the garden in the sun; nice.
Tomorrow I will ride back to UK. I have had a fabulous time and, as ever, I am grateful to Dave and Janet for their kindness and hospitality. We had a great time and already we are discussing when we can do some more?!!!