Days 13-19

When you drink your pasteurized milk
Semi-skimmed or whole,
Remember Louis Pasteur
Cause he was born in Dole.

Sancerre to Dole - 372kms

Well, what a week it's been, and this is the first chance to update you.

They call La Loire Europe's last untamed river, and in the eastern section you can see why. She's wide and strong, depositing sand where she pleases creating islands, then sweeping them away at her will. She is unforgiving in her path, and swimming is strictly forbidden due to strong currents.

We were amazed to see our second canal bridge - almost as spectacular as the first although nothing was made of this one at all.

However, we soon lost count of the number we crossed, and now we barely raise an eyebrow - oh how familiarity breeds contempt!

I won't go into detail of the first 3 long, hard, cold days in the saddle, but just know that a lot of detouring took place looking for shops that were closed and campsites that didn't exist. Very short lunch breaks were taken to avoid fingers freezing onto camembert as the icy wind blew head-on.

We said au revoir to La Loire, and followed the Canal Lateral de La Loire for 3 days. One whole day climbing with the locks, and one day downhill all the way.

It is wide and meandering and full of large, interesting barges; some holidaying, some homes and some businesses.

The eurovelo 6 trail can be sketchy at times, especially with distances; sometimes halving or even doubling what the signs say, so we've taken a mixture of long, straight, endless roads, canal paths and the trail.
The weather continues to be horribly unsettled, so has also had a bearing on whether we take the shortest route or the scenic one.

After a freezing night under a canal bridge the skies cleared and the sun came out.

The wind was behind us for a change and we decided to make the most of it as the next day was forecast rain again. It was our fourth long day, but as we crossed La Soane river, our sweaty, pounding hearts leapt at the thought of a campsite, finally, a hot shower and a cold beer.
Our sweaty, pounding hearts didn't imagine the campsite hadn't opened for the season yet!
We holed up under a huge weeping willow, sad in the knowledge that tomorrow wasn't going to be the pleasant rest day we had planned.

We managed to stay fairly dry for most of the 30kms to Seurre, and the next campsite, but had to shelter for 2 hours in a cafe until the rain eased enough to venture to the campsite.

Again today we arrived in Dole, just as the rain started.

It's not been all bad though, we've been luck enough to see beavers in the canal, and black bass, and have experienced 2 incredible acts of kindness that lifted our spirits:

1) Whilst having lunch one day a man came up to us carrying a box. It was a strawberry tart he'd bought that morning. He patted his tummy, said we looked like we needed the calories more than he did, and selflessly handed over his scrumptious cake. OMG it was DELICIOUS!

2) After walking half an hour from a campsite to the supermarket in heavy drizzle, we finished shopping and looked with dread at the now torrential rain. A woman approached us, babbling in French something about a boat. When we told her we we're camping she ushered us into her husband's car and they promptly drove us all the way back to the campsite. Neither party understood the other, but we parted like old friends!