July 13, 2016
Arlos to Arreau
Over the Col de Peyresourde
Last night's dinner was "nougat de porc" or something like that, a regional specialty. It was a pork stew with onions and sweet peppers and an ingredient I didn't understand. It sounded like "coca" and lent a sweet flavour, as I was told by the woman who brought it. It was accompanied by pasta and a half loaf of bread, plus a salad that consisted of greens, tiny cubes of some sort of cheese, a few pieces of (imitation?) crab, lots of minced parsley, and a garlicky dressing. Dinner was okay, but breakfast was disappointing: a prepackaged pain de chocolat, some packaged crispy things (I skipped those), a small pot of yogurt, and a jar of ground coffee plus a single filter for the room's coffeemaker, plus some little packets of butter and jam, instant coffee and a teabag. There were also small carafes of orange juice and one advantage is that this was delivered at the same time as my dinner, so I breakfasted early and was out just after 7.
I had to ride back up to St-Béat to get the road across to D 125 which would take me down to Bagnères-de-Luchon, called simply Luchon on all the signs. The road was quite busy, but there was a bike lane part of the way, and bikes were diverted to a quieter road along one section where the main route went over a small ridge.m approaching Antignac I switched to a quieter parallel road which had the advantage of passing by an Intermarché. The store wasn't open but the WC was accessible from outside and it seems these stores not only offer gas stations but have 24-hour laundromats too.
Luchon looked like a nice town, centred on skiing in the winter and other outdoor sports during the rest of the year. It has at least four bike shops, at one of which I borrowed a pump and got my tires back to proper pressure. I can't do that with my little pump. As I was pumping my tires, an Irish fellow came up to talk. He's doing a similar trip, fully loaded, but he had a problem with his bike and it's in the shop for repair. He said he was in Andorra to see the Tour pass through and the weather was awful. He also said he's done the Col de Peyresourde and the Tourmalet before, fully loaded on a fat bike. Why anyone would choose a fat bike for that is beyond me. In any case, slow and easy and I'll make it.
There's also a daily market, where I bought a pastry called a Jesuit. Why it's called that I don't know but it was delicious. I also got some apricots and a slice of pain épicé au gingembre. That was surprisingly expensive but the taste the vendor gave me was yummy.
The there was nothing left but to start the climb. The clouds were lifting and the sun even poked through a few times. It was nice to see the views as I climbed. The last 3 kilometres are switchbacks that looked steep, but when I got to the top I noted that I hadn't needed my lowest gear! At the top there were a number of eagles (?) flying around and a small café where I had a "large" café au lait then put on my layers for the coast down.
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At the bottom it was still a few kilometres to Arreau, not quite such a thrilling descent, trending downhill with a few upslopes for variety. Arreau is quite small, but the municipal campground looked okay and the weather was good. As usual with French municipal campgrounds, the reception was closed between noon and two– but that meant I could go to a restaurant for a midi menu.
There don't seem to be many restaurants in Arreau, but I found one that looked reasonable, though their offerings were limited for the least-expensive menu. I decided I might as well try the French take on a hamburger so ordered the "hamburger maison." Definitely not what would be served in Canada as the meat was very rare, almost raw. But I ate it anyway and it was tasty. I ate all the accompanying roasted potatoes and vegetables and then demolished a crème caramel for dessert.
After checking in and setting up my tent, I returned to the centre to have a look at the expo of vintage bicycles in the Mairie. This was well-advertised around town, much more so than whatever was being prepared for in the covered market area (the cover of which is the hall and some offices of the Mairie). The expo seems to be a travelling show (Musée de Marco) and it's in Arreau for most of July. There were about 20 vintage bikes dating from the mid-1800s plus a replica of a velocipede from around 1803.
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Then I started my quest for wifi. At the tourist office, it wasn't working, or so they said, and directed me to either of the two bars in town. I went to one, ordered a beer, and then learned that no, they didn't have wifi. I should have asked before ordering, I guess. Live and learn.
Back at the campground again, my site was next to the river. I watched a rafting group taking out just upstream of the campground and another group in tubes continuing past. These activities seem quite popular in this area; there's a rafting and "canyoning" outfitter just across the street from the campground entrance and advertisements for other companies everywhere! Someday I'll look into just what "canyoning" is. An apparently English word that I never heard before, and it's appearing frequently on signs with other "adventure activities" in France.
Still full from lunch, I ate a small quiche (just okay) and a melon (ripe and delicious) for dinner at my tent before retiring early. Big day tomorrow.
Distance 60 km; ascent 1183 m; descent 1027 m
Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles)
Total: 889 km (552 miles)
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