La Bastide Clairence
127.5 Kms
Vertical metres 597
Mechanicals nil
Medicals nil
Misadventures nIl
Cup : Simon and Tony for gite,restarant and taxi organisation
Wine : 5
On a fast smooth cycle trail through pine forest out of Mimizan . Very impressive! A lot of it near the coast.
First cork trees . 78 Kms by lunchtime. Lunch at Alice's Restaurant at Seignosse...huge salads...thankfully we had a decent lunch as the day was longer than planned . Cycled through places like Capbreton which are pretty trendy and upmarket.
Got to Urt where we planned to stay and found all accommodation full ...just after 5 pm and 115 Kms by then. The Office de Tourisme was shut but there was a list of gites and chambre d'hôtes . Simon (assisted by Tony did some phoning) and off we headed for another 9kms ( which turned out to be 12.5 Kms) to our gite.This of course was part way up a steep drive too ! All was forgotten when we got inside. Tastefully redecorated 18th century home with big rooms, nice bath rooms and a pool. We can recommend the gite Le Clos Gaxen 0033559291644.
We have learnt that restaurants in villages often aren't open at night so had checked out the dinner situation in the village on the way through. A lovely woman agreed to cook for us even though her restaurant would normally be closed.We think this may have been because the young guy working for her is a keen cyclist and had passed us on his bike while out for a long ride. La Table Gourmande de Ghislaire Potentier is the name of the restaurant .Our lovely young hosts at the gite ferried us by car to and from the village. We have been on the receiving end of some incredible French generosity today including the two lovely old French women who were in their garden and refilled our water bottles .( They reminded Tony of the Baradene nuns).
Not sure what our legs will be like as we tackle the Pyrenees on day 18!
