Touring Picture Collection

A collection of the best pictures from my cycle tour of France and Spain. 

These pictures bring back memories. When I took the first one I was crying because I felt very alone.. It was my second day out and I felt that for the first time in my life I had know one to help me in any way. It was a frighting thought!

I hope you enjoy these pictures. Click them to ZOOM in!

Carl

My House!

Long flat roads south of Bordeaux

My beach art

Mum visited for 3 days in Biarritz

Cycling hell in the Spanish mountains but you do get amazing views

Biarritz and Mad Camping

Am on holiday down here in Biarritz for a week. My mum is visiting tommorow so I am having a rest from the bike. I have a two day tour next week coming up through the mountains in Spain.

I met a couple of friendly young guys called John and Seb last week in Hossegor. I hung out with them for a few days whilst traveling through the south west coast. They didnt pay at the camp sites and I decided it sounded like a good idea to save money and get a shower so I joined in with them. It was all going well until one evening the campsite owner caught me alone and pushed me over whilst shouting "DEPARTE!" I was frightened and ran off back to the bushes to my free camping spot in the woods! John and Seb were poor students so had no money and needed to wash and such so I guess it was the only way for them.

I am in a campsite now that I have paid for and there are allot of friendly people around. It's nice to just spend time talking to new people and being myself. I feel like I have gone back to my basic self again and am happy just being around new things and relaxing.

I also have had to remove 2 ticks that decided I was a tasty meal and were clawed to my leg. Its yucky having to hold them with tweesers till they let go. I am watching the marks incase I get sick because a girl told me you can get very ill from some ticks.

It's nice to have a break from the endless miles.. I have been playing the guitar again and am singing and playing all day long. I wrote a new song yesterday and its a real gem.. my singing is going really well right now and really coming together. All the work I have put in over the years is starting to work out really well so I am happy.

Speak soon Carl x

Cold n Rain

Hello pps

I have made it to the coast. I am staying in a town called Mimizan for a day as its raining and have made good progress so thought a rest day was in order. I met a fellow tourer who I chatted to a bit this morning he was called Brian and had all the best kit that I couldnt afford. I think I should have stole his bike!

I made a clever move by bringing a waterproof that wasnt waterproof so have been really cold today because everything is wet.

So apart from three punctures on the same day the road has been fairly forgiving. The hills the first few days were like hell and I really felt like I was mad having a bike with only one gear! But as I moved forwards it flattened out and now its like an ice rink, its so flat here in the south west! I made it to the sea today and have been on the beach. Its a shame it isnt warmer as it would be really nice to be here when it is hot and dry.

Not many people speak english so I have been a bit lonely but I have quite enjoyed cycling because it seems to have evened out my thoughts a little. Life in England had not been going well since my girlfriend and I split up and I wasnt getting on well with my mum who I was staying with, so really its been an eye opener coming away because I have had knowone there to lean on or get angry at and just my thoughts to keep me company.

I only stayed in Bordauex a few hours I felt like it was to busy! The vineyards around the city are really pretty and made a change from the endless wheat fields I had seen before. They have so many wheat fields here it seems impossible they could use it all up!

I hope the weather improves soon! Will message in a few days

Carl

The Invisible Blog

Hey pps

I have been on the road for a week nearly and this is the first internet cafe I have come to. They have not invented internet in france it seems! I am down in Bordeaux and the keyboard is set up all wrong so cant really type much.. Everything is going OK though I am pretty lonely on the road. I have taken some photos and am going to put the best ones up here once I have some proper time! I have been covering about 80-100kms a day and mostly camping by the side of the road in bushes. Living off of choc quassants and self made sandwiches but still spending more money than planned! The first few days were hellishly hilly but now its alot flatter and much easier going so my mood has lifted somewhat. I got really lost trying to cross the river into Bordeaux then I met this nice french cycling man called Phillip who guided me all the way to the centre of the city. He droped me off at the tourist information how very nice!

Will write properly soon as I can

Carl

Packed n Not READY!

It seems like an endless list of little things I need to do or remember to do before I go. My ferry leaves on Friday morning at 7am so am going to sleep rough for a few hours in Portsmouth because the closest train I can get arrives at Portsmouth at midnight! Some people have asked me 'why are you not cycling to Portsmouth?' The reason is because if I didn't enjoy the cycle down to Portsmouth I might get frightened and come home. If I get the train down to the ferry I will be stuck in France once I realise how much I hate cycling and it will be to late to chicken out and go home! So it really is the best plan.

Here is a photo of my bike all packed up and ready to go. You can click on it to zoom in!

I still have boring jobs to do like fit some part on my bike to keep the chain tight and change some pounds into euros, but mostly everything is done now.

My next blog will be once I am out in the thick of it so wish me luck.

Carl

The Loire Valley

Am looking around trying to find some interesting things to do on my trip. I am planning to make a short stop in the Loire Valley which happens to be on the way and seems to be in all the tourist type books. They say it is the 'Garden of France', so should be low crime and no drug dealers. Might even do a tour around one of these Châteaux things, it would be really cool to be a real person interacting with the world, I can't wait!

Check out the Wiki..

Loire Valley Wiki

Am leaving work at the end of next week then will have a week to pack and get ready. I feel settled here in London with my job and have met some really cool people. I am a bit frightened about leaving and riding off into the unknown! I guess it's normal to feel like this when your life is going to change?

Carl

Basic Route

Have been looking at roads and routes. There are so many roads in France that I think it's not really possible to define a set route. Am going to stick to the baby roads so maybe will just follow compass SSW and make it up as I go? Here is a basic route I made on Google maps but it's one of many possibilities...

Tour Planning and Saving weight

Hello and welcome to my blog! I have been planing a cycle tour through France for the last month or so. It's the first time I have gone away alone and done something like this so I am a little apprehensive about it all! I have a ferry booked for 21st May and it's taking me to Caen in northern France. From there I plan to wild camp and cycle through the west of France to Biarritz where I plan to stay for a week and go hiking in the Pyrenees with some friends. This is where i'm going to put up photos and diary entries as I go along for anyone that can be bothered to read through it!

I have been buying all my bike kit this week and have done allot of reading about what I need to take and how I should setup my bike. I found this blog by a man who seems obsessed with weight saving and goes into great detail about how to save grams! It is a rather funny read at times just seeing the lengths that he has gone to to save absolutly as much weight as possible whilst touring. It seems like he has a kind of weird obsession! Check it out.

Weight Saving Guide

I am going to upload some photos of my bike soon when I have all my kit ready..

Carl