Day 25, Sunday 1 October
Buzeins to Sainte-Enimie via Sévérac-le-Château and Les Vignes
58k
Feeling: Good. Excellent day’s cycling
Before talking about today I want to say a few more words about last night’s B&B, Entre Dolmens et Fontaines. Hervé & Laurence Théry, and their whole family, inluding small son Alex (age 4?), plus grandmother and great-grandmother, made us feel soooooo welcome. They fussed over my cut leg, helped dry our sodden clothes, and treated us to wonderful home cooking. Alex insisted on carrying my cycle helmet to my room. They were just fantastic.
Before supper we were offered an aperitif, Banyuls, which I had not seen before. It’s a fortified wine, from Banyuls – near the Spanish border. It’s a little like port, but less alcoholic at around 16%. Recommended apero.
We set off in perfect conditions – dry, no wind, and rather cool with the sun trying to break through. We had a short delay while Doug bought this chateau just down the road from our B&B:
As he said, it’ll make the perfect base for cycling in France. Ticks all the boxes. Only thing is he can’t decide which of the four towers to live in. (Just kidding).
We cycled on until we reached the rim of the gorge, then went straight over the edge and descended 1500 ft in about 3 miles of switchback roads. Just spectacular:
Descending into the gorge
We lunched in Les Vignes on a deck suspended over the river, then set off for Ste. Enimie, with the occasional stop to admire the view:
And, just in case you think these are all fake news, without real cycling, here’s the evidence:
Arrived in Ste. Enimie about 4pm, quick beer, then checked into our B&B, courtesy of Michelle, delightful hostess at Barbier La Jasse. Both felt very tired. We walked at least 30 yards to get a pizza in a noisy bar occupied by locals on their Sunday night out. Great pizza washed down with a cinquante of Grand Chemin. Good night.