Vannes

We are here in another Kyriad. Not quite as fine as last night in La Rochelle but not bad. However, we will draw a veil over yesterday’s journey! It rained as we left Sarlat but we were in good spirits having had a nice meal in the old town the previous night and anticipating a good breakfast in Lalinde. Then the first of what proved to be a day full of Routes Barrées hit us. We were detoured 30 km over the other side of the River Dordogne through undeniably pretty countryside but so far off our route that really we should have rebooted! We didn’t but continued up and down through woods and valleys at one point passing the surreal site of the front section of an aircraft fuselage emblazoned Aero Lloyd, just plonked in a field. We later discovered via Google that it had been bought by some chap to display in his grounds after the plane was scrapped. 

Anyway onwards…Lalinde finally hoved into view and we parked up opposite the bar we’d previously visited on a warmer sunnier day when the market was on and all was bustling. Today it was wet, gloomy, everything not yet open, Boulangerie closed and only a dépot de pain at Casino. I bought four solid feeling croissants and we sat inside with our (very good) coffees. The place began to fill with men of a certain age all clustering round a large table and bunching up to make room as another appeared until finally there were about a dozen or so. All laughing, convivial, and served with seemingly no ordering by the stout proprietor bearing a cup of coffee for each new arrival. It is a rugby bar and we have conjectured that the owner was once a prop forward!

We had more coffees - loathe to go out into the downpour. But tempus fugitted and off we went into wine country between Bergerac and Pomerol. More routes barrées sent us into a maze of unclassified lanes with no signposts. I was getting a headache and feeling sick from peering at the tiny print of the map in a moving car. Tempers were frayed. 

At last we got to Lussac and bought vast delicious sandwiches from an amazing boulangerie full of breads of all description. This time we did reboot and I sent us straight to the top end of the Gironde estuary past the Escargot Roundabout and into Mortagne. Then rapidly bypassing Royan hoping for a speedy entry into La Rochelle. Ha ha! Another roadworks loomed up and we were lost in Saujon with signs telling us to go via Saintes!! Not bloody likely says I, and we wove our way onto the country roads through the marshes. Rochefort was signed, the transporter bridge was in view and we were soon in the Kyriad La Rochelle exhausted but triumphant. Lovely huge room, stylish. Two windows, wet room. And only two mins to del Arte for pizza and wine.

Today was much better. A fine morning as we crossed the marshes to Luçon. Cathedral bell tolling melodiously as we sipped yet more excellent coffee, this time with good croissants. And I found Adrian a new Héron and Héron lighthouse book in the bookshop!

Continuing up the coast we spent an hour or so in Les Sables d’Olonne strolling along the Prom in the sun though acutely aware of the oncoming bank of thick grey. 

People were on the beach and surfers surfing. All very jolly and bracing! Then we drove round to the other side of the harbour for looks at lighthouses before the final stretch.

Lunch was a bag of crisps and a clementine under le pont de St Nazaire in Brévin. Then an hour more to Vannes Kyriad. Not  as luxurious as La Rochelle but twill serve nicely. Just had crêpes down on the port and bonded with a French family over the arcane payment system at the Q parks underground carpark!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Lo7qXjXsjE5QccZK9