France - Nouvelle Aquitaine

EV Cycling Day 26 (2 June): St Jean de Luz - Biarritz - Saint Girons 110 km

So now we are in France and have to adjust a little - the drivers are less considerate, the beer and coffee are much more expensive, it seems more confusing, there is not much cultural to expect, but we have a better command of the language. And there are many good campsites.

After her great solo tour from Basel to St Nazaire, Dominique wanted to continue on the Velodysee to Hendaye at some point. Now we're doing it together in the opposite direction. Let's see if we can make it to St Nazaire!

We are still on the Bay of Biscay, which is very popular with tourists. The best example is Biarritz with its sophisticated hotels on the rocks and now a surfing hotspot. The section to Bayonne is demanding and arduous by bike. On the one hand, there are steep ramps, similar to Portugal, then there are many pedestrians and cyclists on the narrow cycle paths and ultimately we have to constantly cross the roads, which means constantly getting on and off. It feels like an eternity until we get to quieter and flatter areas in Bayonne via the Adour. The Velodysee, here identical to the EV 1, is well signposted and we finally make good progress on the asphalt. In the early afternoon we stop in Capbreton and think of the many friends in Denkendorf who vacationed here when they were younger. The stop is a little too long because we have to wait for food, so we hurry to get going. The landscape changes little, we cycle through pine forests on the asphalt cycle path, the Atlantic to the left but not visible. We cover kilometer after kilometer and decide to stop 10 km earlier for a coffee break because of the better opportunity to get supplies. The campsite is mainly used by surfers because they have direct access to the sea and its waves. In the high noon village of Saint Girons there are at least two restaurants that are open.

EV Cycling Day 27 (3 June): Saint Girons - Dunes du Pilat - Gujan-Mestras 125 km

It continues as it ended yesterday. Asphalted, well-signposted cycle paths through pine forests. We pedal as hard as our legs can take us and still we don't really warm up. In Mimizan we take a short break before we find ourselves in pine forests again. It's commendable that an asphalted cycle path has been created here for hundreds of kilometers. This is obviously very popular with both day trippers and long-distance cyclists. We move away from the sea, cycle all the way around the Etang de Biscarosse and realize that we have made a detour of more than 8 km. This unnecessarily increases our daily performance today. We approach the Dunes du Pilat, which are even more powerful and larger from our side than we remembered from our last visit. The consequences of the terrible forest fires of 2022 are also clearly visible.

https://www.stern.de/panorama/weltgeschehen/waldbrand-bei-bordeaux--campingplaetze-zerstoert--16-000-menschen-fliehen-32553610.html

Luckily, it is now not far to a campsite and to oysters and moule frites.

EV Cycling Day 28 (4 June): Gujan-Mestras - Cap Ferret -Montalivet 110 km

In Arcachon we have a small but expensive breakfast before the ferry takes us to Cap Ferret. Ferry is a huge exaggeration though. It is a simple boat that at least takes bicycles that have to be lifted onto the roof. We don't stay long in Cap Ferret but instead take the next 40 km to Lacanau-Ocean. The route is the usual - well-signposted, asphalted cycle path, pine forests and relatively many long-distance cyclists. The Velodysee is obviously a popular long-distance cycle path. The last few kilometers before Lacanau-Ocean are arduous; it is difficult to pedal when you are starving. A nice rustic snack plate (as Miehle would say) helps a lot. After the break on the beach at Lacanau we cycle the next 20 km on a car-free road. The pine forests are a few meters further away and it rolls better. There is nothing going on in Houtin-Plage, so we decide to cycle another 20 km to Montalivet. There is a very nice campsite by the sea where we can do laundry and charge all our devices. There is not much going on in the resort either - it is the off-season. At the end of the day there is a beautiful sunset.