Events Blog

Auxerre to Agen

Another recumbent bike epic across France. There seems to be a theme developing, accidentally, but based on European Bike Express' collection points; the last one was B to B (Beaune to Barcelona), this one is A to A.

Having gone down the east of France and over the Massif Central last year this year I thought I'd explore the westerly area a little more. So, this trip went from Auxerre, followed the Canal du Nivernais to Decize, went west towards Chateauroux and Le Blanc then Poiter, followed La Vienne river skirting Angouleme, Limoge and Perigeux to get to La Reole, finally following the Canal Entre Deux Mers to Toulouse and a bit beyond before returning to Agen for the coach journey home.

About 1,500km in all.

Date of event: 7/5/2010

I couldn't find how to get onto the closed road from the West, the direction I'd come from, though eventually I did. It was by turning right after this Pont Canal and then first right again at the bottom of the hill towards the Garonne. This, by the way, is the extra long canal bridge that the man I'd met outside Moissac couldn't quite believe I'd not noticed when I first passed this way a week before. Come to think of it I can't think how I missed it either.

So, that's the end. I cycled to the Hotel Campanile, spent half an hour cycling round the empty, deserted car parks of the out of town shopping centre where the Campanile was located, a continuation of the post-nuclear theme, until the Bike bus showed up, 40 minutes early. My bike was loaded in 5 minutes and then I was being whisked away northwards, a cyclist no longer.

Until the next time that is.