Days 4-7

 In the chateau at Amboise
(You may find this a surprise)
The body of famous artist
Leonardo Da Vinci lies.

Angers to Amboise: 165kms

We are averaging +/- 50 kms per day without getting too precise. The icy weather has continued, but so has the spectacular scenery en route. Stunning trails have passed through beautiful villages draped with wisteria, troglodyte cave houses, vineyards and landscapes peppered with châteaux.

It is impossible to list everything, so instead I will tell you about some important things...like our culinary delights.
We free-camped at an AIRE (site for camper van's to service their water systems), and it happened to be right next to a microbrewery. Their special "Tina" beer made our staple diet of couscous and hot vegetable stew, (AKA gruel), taste even more delicious.

 The sad tale of Fritz the elephant

Fritz was a circus elephant in the 19th century. On 11/6/1902, (which also happens to be my birthday - not the 1902 bit), on his way to the railway station in Tours, he became dangerous and his owners had to shoot him. He was 80 years old.
In 1977 the town made this lifesize model in his memory. Poor Fritz.

Outside Fritz's memorial stands the humongous Cedar of Lebanon tree. Now, man-made structures can be very impressive indeed, but what nature can create is truly amazing. This photo does not do it's size any justice.

Amboise is the resting place of Leonardo Da Vinci. So here he is, in bronze...resting

Days 1-3

We wanted to miss the heat of the summer
So spring was the month we chose,
As we pedal on dreckly our fingers turn blue
And icicles hang from our nose.
Foolish to think that winter was over
And spring would be warm, I suppose.




Bonjour!
We made it to Roscoff after a smooth overnight crossing, and got the bikes on a bus from Roscoff to Morlaix. The rule of thumb seems to be; if you can get the bikes on or in, the drivers are happy to take them. From Morlaix, we crammed them on an extremely busy train to Rennes, (again, no one batted an eye), and from there another train to Nantes. Being a Sunday it took most of the day, so we once we landed we found the EV6 and cycled along a lovely track for about 5kms until we found Camping Bellerivier.
Innes, a lovely, very little French lady of many years old was there to greet us with a big smile and an aperitif. She seemed delighted that we were on the cycle route even though we hadn't done much cycling so far. It was a beautiful campsite and definitely a great introduction.

Day 1

Distance cycled: +/- 60kms.

Nantes to Ingrandes

The perfect spring day. Really, this was so idyllic it was almost unbelievable! Blue sky, birdsong, green grass dotted with daisies, and spring flowers bursting with colour and scent. The path was stunning, weaving along and away from the river, we barely touched a road, and friendly cyclists and walkers were abundant.

Shame most of the campsites don't open until May... Still, unperturbed, we pitched at the quiet end of a closed campsite on the riverbank at Ingrandes. No one was around to mind, and we went to bed knackered, proud and content.

Day 2

Distance cycled: +/- 50kms.

Ingrandes to Angers

Well, if yesterday was the perfect day, today was the polar opposite! We woke to icy, strong winds, grey skies and rain. So we holed up in the tent and had a late start. After 200 metres the dynamo USB charger for the phone packed up so we've got no means of charging the phone until we find an open campsite.
Again the route was glorious, but was less appreciated by our dear selves as we were more concerned with our fingers dropping off due to frostbite.

We made it to Angers, bums and quads feeling it (the rest not feeling anything because it was absolutely numb!) and then wasted another hour trying to find the campsite.
Had a very cold night, (we'd planned for spring weather...) and Steve is suffering from shoulder pain which is waking him each night.

Day 3

Distance cycled: 0kms.

A rest day.
Took the bus into Angers for a look around this amazing and historic town.

 

It would have been so much more enjoyable had been 10 degrees warmer!

The journey begins...

Ordering on-line can be great,
As long as you don't have to wait.
The tent did arrive
At a quarter to five
Just 24 hours too late!

We made it! 750 metres from the garage to our very first ferry crossing - the great and famous Torpoint ferry, sailing across the Tamar river to Plymouth. It takes 7 whole minutes...

And you're bike is you're own responsibility.
Not like on Brittany Ferry's where it is secured down for you by men in dayglo jackets who have under gone adequate training...

Just want to mention that we have already raised over £1000 for the "Water for Lake Bunyonyi" charity, and we've only cycled about a mile so far.
Fantastic! Thanks so much to everyone, we are amazed by all your generosity and support.
We hope to cycle at least another mile tomorrow...

The Route

The pilgrim father's left our shores
In search of pastures green,
How the hell did they arrive
Without looking at a screen?

So, yesterday we went for a test ride and ended up on the Mayflower Steps, where the Pilgrim Fathers departed from hundreds of years ago on their quest to discover the New World. (I wonder what they'd think of it now...)
It seemed rather fitting that they sailed off on their big adventure from Plymouth, as will we tomorrow night if we manage to jump on the ferry.

The bikes, and our bodies, all seemed to be working nicely, and the few miles we managed to cycle was enough for one day. We didn't want to wear ourselves out before we start!
Below is the basic route that the EuroVelo 6 takes.
Check out their website for all the EuroVelo trails across Europe.
http://www.eurovelo.com/en 

Countries Visited:

France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria.

Official Distance:

3653km. 
This, however, seems debatable. The EuroVelo maps show the route splitting often, traversing both sides of the rivers it follows, and the eastern section seems to have a couple of different options going through either Bulgaria and/or Romania.

 
We downloaded the free app - La Loire a Velo - which gives you stage maps and kilometres, but doesn't give information on campsites, it is more designed for day trips. Hard copies (which we would prefer) are expensive to buy, not often found in English and bulky to carry, as there are 6-8 separated maps for different parts of the route.
The information I can gleam from the net about others who have done this trip is that up until about Hungary it's pretty easy to follow the signs...
As France is the cycling capital of the world, I'm reckoning that the 1300km or so to get across it will be good training for the trickier sections to come. 
We bought the EuroVelo 6 guidebook, volume 1, which comes as a download and appears to be quite useful so far, but we have little faith in our technical apparatus, ie one android phone, so the back-up plan is to follow rivers flowing eastward...
As you know, phones today need constant charging, so we have fitted an old fashioned type of dynamo to Steve's bike that runs on the tyre and is wired up to a handlebar mounted USB outlet, which will hopefully charge the phone up as we pedal along.
It would be nice to see on a map where campsites, or areas for possible free camping are so we could plan our daily distances, but we are assuming through France it will be pretty well set up. 

Kit - Clothing:

 Julia                                                                                Steve

3x shorts (2 padded)                                                        3x shorts (1 padded)
3x breathable T-shirts                                                      3x breathable T-shirts
1x top 1x vest top                                                            1x normal T-shirt
1x trousers with zippable shorts                                      1x trousers with zippable shorts
1x cycle leggings                                                             1x hoodie
1x fleece                                                                          3x boxer shorts
2x long tops (I feel the cold)                                           3x pairs socks
1x bikini and goggles (I like swimming)                        1x lightweight waterproof jacket 
4x pairs knickers                                                             1x pair trainers, 1x pair flip flops
3x pairs socks                                                                  1x helmet, cap, sunglasses
2x sports bras 
1x waterproof jacket
1x pair trainers, 1x pair flip flops 
1x helmet, cap, sunglasses

Camping gear:

Quickhiker, ultralight 3 man hiking tent 
2x sleeping bags
2x self-inflating roll mats
2x travel pillows
1x single burner camping stove
Camping pots/2x plates/2x cups
Swiss army knife
String for washing line, and pegs

Tool Kit:

Leatherman
Bike multi-tool
Chain splitting tool
2x tyre levers
Spare gear cables
Spare inner tube
Puncture repair outfit
Selection of cable ties
Small selection of nuts and bolts
Roll of duct tape
15mm spanner for pedals
Chain oil

Medical Kit:

Salt (I'm a GREAT believer in salt water!)
Calendula cream
Antiseptic cream
Various plasters/dressings
Ibuprofen

Toiletries:

Toilet paper
Flannel (for washing in the river)
Biodegradable soap
Razor (for Steve's face and my underarms)
Hairbrush (I'm attempting to see if my hair will self-clean. Never got past the 2 week mark without shampoo!) 
Toothbrushes and toothpaste
Deodorant
Face moisturiser
Suntan cream


We are taking some porridge oats, nuts and dates, and a bag of pasta and sauce for an emergency dinner, but are planning to buy food as we need it.
Providing the tent arrives tomorrow (yes, I know, it's a bit last minute but was a lot lighter and more compact than the one we've got) we'll be on the night ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff tomorrow evening. We plan to cycle 30kms to Morlaix then catch a train down to Nantes, where the journey begins...
Didn't really fancy the 200 mile warm-up ride to get to the start, think of all that extra food we'd have to take...

 


 

Down Sizing...

From a flat, to a truck, and soon to a tent,
Some people will do anything to save a little rent!

So, this is our home now until we depart, which should be this weekend if all preparations go well!
We're on the cliff's of Whitsands Bay in Cornwall, just around the corner from where we store the bikes.

We decided to get me another bike off gumtree - and she's a little beauty!

We've spent the last few days fettling the bikes, and trying to disguise my bike to make it look less "nickable". It's a challenge to squeeze everything we think we will need into 4 small panniers!

I'm so impressed this is all working and we've already got donations coming in. Thank you SO much to everyone!

I made it to 1st Post...

What's a blog? What's a post?
And what the hell's a domain host? 

Well, I've no idea what the answers to this riddle are, but I seem to have made it to my 1st Post! I'm very new to this, so please bear with, and hopefully it'll all make sense in the end!

WHO ARE WE?

I'm Julia. I'm older than I like to believe, and not as fit as I once was. And that is Steve - who is older than I like to believe, and fitter than I once was. We have decided to embark on a cycle ride along the EuroVelo 6 trail. For those of you, (including us), who are unsure of the exact route, it goes from Nantes, on the west coast of France, to Constanta, on the Black Sea in Romania. The route is about 3600km, (mas o menos, as we like to say in Spanish), passes through 10 countries and follows 6 European rivers. Lovely!

We'll be off in a few weeks, just got to do some final preparation - like get me a bike! I did buy a new one, but some thieving b**stard nicked it within the first 24 hours of me owning it. Still, I did get to ride it up and down the aisles of Decathlon and found it very acceptable, so I hope whoever is using it now appreciates it as much. (Oh and many thanks to that massive corporate company who wouldn't sympathise with me enough to give me a discount off another bike.) So I am toying now with the idea of either riding my 16 year old faithful bike, buying a second hand bike, or swallowing my bitterness and forking out for another new one.

Anyway, I've postponed thinking about that part of the trip (yes, I know the bike is a major part of cycle tour), and am focusing on blogging and crowd funding for now. 

WHY ARE WE DOING IT?

Well, we are not just crazy, delusional, middle-aged hippie types with nothing but the thrill of the open road ahead of us, we are also hoping to raise money for an orphanage we visited in Uganda last summer.

ABOUT THE ORPHANAGE

Edison (pictured above) runs an orphanage for children who have lost their families through HIV and AIDS. The orphanage provides a home for those that need it, although many of the children are able to live with extended families in the surrounding areas. It also helps with school fees, day care and lunchtime meals, and to date benefits about 150 children who would otherwise be left to survive on their own. There is a primary school, providing education for the younger children, and some volunteer huts where visitors can stay and help with community projects. Money raised helps send some of the older children to the secondary school in Kabale, and helps buy food, clothes and medication for the children. They plant their own crops and now also have some sheep in an effort to be self-sufficient.

HOW DO WE KNOW ABOUT IT?

 

Last year we went on a trip with Oasis Overland across East Africa. As part of their trip they make a scheduled visit to Lake Bunyonyi Community Village, Uganda, as the charity was actually set up by one of their truck drivers about 10 years ago. This way they can follow the progress of the village, and see exactly where the money and donations are going.

 

LAKE BUNYONYI COMMUNITY VILLAGE

 

 Meeting some of the children and joining in with their song and dance was a very emotional and moving experience. The children understand that Oasis regularly brings it's guests to visit the orphanage, often bringing with them donations of money, clothes, pens and paper. The children make a real effort to make you feel welcome, and Edison cooks his famous crayfish dish, fresh from the lake.

LAKE BUNYONYI (LAKE OF SMALL BIRDS) 

 

 Lake Bunyonyi is found in south western Uganda, close to the border with Rwanda. It is a stunningly beautiful lake covering 61 square kilometres, rumoured to be the second deepest lake in Africa, and the third deepest in the world, and is dotted with 29 islands of various shapes and sizes. It's lush terraces and tranquil waters make this a truly magical place.

HELP US TO HELP OTHERS

After visiting the orphanage we sponsored a student to go to secondary school, and have been liasing with Edison about how to find a way to get water up to the village, as the only way right now is the arduous trek down to the water's edge, that everyone has to make daily.
We are hoping to raise a minimum of £5,000 in order to help get mains water connected to the village, which is the best practical solution.
Most of us never have to think about water, we take it for granted that we just turn on a tap and out it comes. Please help us to give others that same privilege.
Click on the links to find out all about it and how to donate, and PLEASE share this with everyone you know and help us raise as much as possible!

THANK YOU!!