Another day on the Via Rhona. Not such a nice one, ther were long stretches of fairly boring flat featureless road.
The first 40km were through farmland, the valley here is dead flat, the cycle route zig-zags through the farmland on farm tracks, but these have had tarmac surfaces added – from the EU money provided for the cycle route I assume.
I went off the route to go into this town across the river, to get supplies for lunch. But that involved crossing the river on a busy bridge – oh the traffic! I am becoming obsessed and paranoid about traffic and the noise it makes – it just makes me jittery – I just hate it.
After 40k the path rejoins the river, this is a particularly tedious 30km, just steadily progressing along. It was a warm afternoon and today the wind died down as the heat increased, so in the cool morning I was being blown along with the wind behind me, in the hotter afternoon it required more effort from me.
I had lunch sitting on these stones under some power lines – not an ideal spot, but the best one that turned up.
More tedious cycleway.
Until Avignon appears between the bushes on the horizon. You enter the town through the old castle walls, very pretty, but FULL of tourists. The town is stuffed with tourists. They follow guides in crocodile groups through the old streets. I know I’m a tourist myself – but when we outnumber the locals – it’s time to go somewhere else.
I got to the apartment, had a shower and collapsed.
But had dinner outdoors in rather a nice square in front of a church.
The starter was sardine tarte tatin, arriving after the sun went down. Very nice. The local wine tasted strongly of peaches.
Which is where the cycle trip ends. I am heading back to the London by train and ferry, via a day in Paris, to go to the opera. It has been a good trip.