Fumel to Villeneuve sur Lot

May 29, 2023

Lots more Lot

Well not a great distance on the trail today and not much sight of the river. We only had a little of a designated cycleway, but the rest was in very quiet roads. It’s a public holiday so perhaps people were indoors lunching and munching.

We left our cave apartment, beautifully appointed and decorated factory style, but cold, being situated at street level.

The date above the door is 1820, but the interior restyling is 2020.

There’s a Lidl open on the road out, and we stop so we can attempt once more to make sense of the Lidl random shelving system. It’s still random but we find enough to buy for lunch.

The path now runs through more open agricultural land and we pass apple, plum and cherry orchards. There are also several crops being planted and despite the public holiday, there are groups of workers busy in fields.

Plums for prunes- a major mover and shaker locally.

So the route continues in the heat with very few villages along the way. Then just as lunch time is approaching, there’s a slight hill and the river comes into sight along with a church steeple and the buildings of Penne-d’Agenais. And the boulangerie is open and doing a great trade! I manage to get one of the last baguettes, the sole remaining pain au chocolat and a grilled garlic twist with real bits of roasted garlic sticking to it.

We cross the bridge to an aire de repos. We eat and repose after. While eating, a French couple on touring bikes arrive. He has the conventional, she has the electric. She carries the tent, he has other stuff, presumably not as weighty. She tells us that she’s parsimonious with the electrics and can go a day without engaging. Such willpower! They come from Rouen and are only away for about three weeks but have covered 1000 kilometres already.

After our repose we climb back onto the saddles and head off in the hot 3:00 sun. It’s only about 10 kilometres to Villeneuve-sur-Lot and soon we’re on the cycle way into the centre. We find our apartment which is right above the river with larger than life views of the river and old city.

Today's ride: 41 km (25 miles)
Total: 1,418 km (881 miles)

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