Guenrouet to St. Chapelle sur Erdre: The longest day!

August 10, 2012

Another extremely hot day on the Canal de Nantes a Brest. The route followed the canal until we got to within 22 kilometres of Nantes. Unfortunately, at this point it is not possible to follow the canal. We had to leave the canal and follow the Eurovelo 1 route overland along a circuitous route that involved 35 kilometres of confusing changes of direction. It became apparent that we were not going to reach the Nantes Campground, so we phoned ahead to a hotel in St. Chapelle sur Erdre - thankfully they gave us a sharp discount for late day booking - the Westotel - a splurge. The final complication was that we got completely lost and finally found our way - 9:30 at night.
The pool closed at 10 and we made it just in time. What a vision: a tropical, luxury resort. I’m sure our “cycling tans” stood out.

The village had a very busy outdoor municipal swimming pool. Our campground was just across the road

We had run out of olive oil for cooking. Mary Ellen saw this bottle of olive oil enhanced with whole chili peppers and was seduced by the packaging and had to have it. Not a good choice as it made our pasta super spicy that evening. The oil is no longer with us!

The one ring circus was in town...about 100 metres from our campsite. Tres loud!

No baggy swim shorts allowed in swimming pools in France. Also many pools require a bathing cap

This cute kitty was on a long leash on the grounds of the circus

The owner of the campground; she did a great job of running the campground, was very informative and hospitable.

We enjoyed our stay at Camping Saint Clair.

Fishing usually takes place on the shore of the canal. Most fishermen bring their famiies and set up camp for the day. This fellow seemed to enjoy his solitude on the water.

The signage along the canal route is excellent.

A typical scene on the canal, some are on holidays, some are working boats and others look like they are floating homes.

Today's ride: 91 km (57 miles)
Total: 938 km (582 miles)

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