Salles to Moissac 563-709 miles

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So, after needing a rest due to sore knees, then Mel not having her wedding and engagement ring, what can you do?  We were meeting friends from the UK in Salles but they were miles away and not contactable and no real options apart from going back. @#£%.  It was going to be quicker to unload my bike bar bike tools and just blat back fortunately only 20 miles and on virtually perfectly smooth cycle track.

For those looking at our mileage and thinking “is that all”, well, let’s just say unladen I managed to get back the 20 miles over twice as quick as it took when loaded up and didn’t need to stop for drink or leg stretch. Not only that my knee didn’t hurt that much so shows the extra effort of weight.

Got back to the old campsite and our old pitch had 2 new people on and I couldn’t find the rings.  The friendly Irish couple just came back and I told them, and I said it was when Mel took them off to put suncream on, and the lady said ” she did that here… ” and went to the spot and found them! Good job she saw us pack up and go, so very many thanks to her she was almost as joyous as me. Talk about luck of the Irish!  And even better our friends made a detour to that site and gave me a lift back to Salles and Mel. I would’ve made it back but not at the pace I made it over so very glad indeed if the assistance!

Which of course meant we had a relaxing couple of days by the pool drinking and eating nice food in and out which was a bit nicer than our one pot wonders.

After a rainy night it does appear our run of luck on good weather may be ending, but on our 32 mile run to Villandraut it was fine and sunny and rather nice, again along perfect paths. For sure, smooth tarmac can’t last….. But the site there was just open and charged us €6 which is rather better than the €22 or so for the previous nights. Even better we were promised live music all night in town as it’s the longest day….

So in the evening we went out and had some drinks and found the music stage. A few hours later the band prepared and then left and they were just playing recordings. No idea what time the live music was due to start but it was well past our bedtime and even from bed we never heard the party start but we did hear it past 4am!  Leaving Villandraut was tough, up a slight hill then the cycle path ended then up a really steep hill.  Ouch. However gravity paid us back and it was an easy ride to Langdon and a flat ride to the start of the canal de Garonne from the river Garonne, and had a very pleasant ride along the canal path to Meilhan sur Garonne and a pleasant site for the night.  This section of the canal is quite interesting and pretty and Fontet was very pretty with a good campervan aire next to a swimming lake.  One for the future…

Overnight there was a monstrous thunderstorm and the tent felt like someone was hosing it down. Fortunately it proved its worth and the inside remained dry and the sun came out for our next stint. We are still aiming for 30 ish miles due to sore knees so we’re gutted that after 32 miles the campsite was closed and the next wasn’t for 20+ miles. Oh @#%&   no real choice but to continue on and were pleasantly surprised 8 miles later by a home made camping sign in Serignac sur garrone which pointed us to a free camping area just for bike campers with very good loo, shower and charging point!  How kind!  And how lucky….!

After a quiet night and being joined by a high miler soloist and a low miler family we headed on the still perfect canal paths for 38 miles to the pretty Moissac where there is a pretty campsite on the Tarn and we’ll be taking a day off.  Amazing to think how far we’ve come so far, which is 709 miles, and soon we’ll be on the sunny Med beaches!  A long way to go till then and a lot can happen…

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