September 13, 2019
Arcais
What we thought would be very easy turned to a very hard day
I don’t think we will stay in a Premiere Classe Hotel again if we can possibly avoid it. The room actually was OK but nothing else from the hopeless staff to the worst breakfast we have ever had. Never mind tonight’s charm makes up for it
We stared by going to explore the harbour with its towers and then to the old town. Although it was after 9 it was very quiet and we just confidently set off following the Velo Francette signs and for awhile things went well - it looked as if we would be following a canal all the way to Port de Marans. The surface was getting worse and worse and I felt in grave danger of riding into the canal. We came to a road and in we went to Dampier sur Mer. There was a boulangerie there which was a plus but when I fired the navigation up it insisted we go back to the canal _the surface got even worse and after about 2km when we came to another road we had had enough of it.
The solution was to change the setting on Komoot from cycle touring to Road Riding A new route appeared and even told us it would be easy. They were tricking though as there was an extremely strong head wind. Think Canterbury Norwester and it was like riding over the Canterbury Plains - there was no shelter. On and on we went, I felt particularly sorry for Ken who was riding in his low range all the the time and often in his lowest gear. There were very few little villages and all that there were completely dead, the last service having closed years ago. However we did come to one Coulons that had a particularly grotty PMU. They wouldn’t make us coffe but we got an icetea only about 18km to go so on we pressed
Then we got to it Arcais , the only village in the ‘wet marshes’. It is beautiful an old stone village with lots of trees and canals running through it. Holiday makers come and hire traditional barques and explore the region by water. Our hotel the Maison Flore is down by the port, an old house of the 19th century set in 20acres of park and run on very green lines - it feels so cool, so beautiful and so relaxing - our hostess is charming.
Today's ride: 42 km (26 miles)
Total: 2,266 km (1,407 miles)
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