BertAnd so it's starts. Start was cold and a bit wet.
#bikepacking
I will post more from the trip in this thread. Mute if you don't want to see it.
Due to over 1h delay I had to rush from the bus Station to the train Montparnasse.
Lets just say that perhaps Paris is trying to be good for bicycles. Currently it is the same nightmare as in Germany. Or worse. At least the little bit I have seen.
Lets just say that perhaps Paris is trying to be good for bicycles. Currently it is the same nightmare as in Germany. Or worse. At least the little bit I have seen.
At 13h I could finally get pedalling. On my selected route, the cycling infrastructure was amazing. They even have lots of water dispensers, but none of them worked yet. But they were in process of repairing.
Wetter was absolut stunning. 19 degree and blue sky. First day after weeks of rain, loks like I'm luky.
Once I left the city, the cycling way went in a straight line to the ocean. A bit boring.
had no Internet yester eve..
After about 70 km I reached the ocean. wanted to jump in, but could not get down, or better, I feared I could not get up the sand.
The last bit of the way was very enjoyable, small path through the trees.
Found a good spot for the #hammok . Was tempted to not use the tarp, but did put it up in the end. need to practise 😇
Went to bed quite early, needed sleep after the night on the bus
Good morning. #Hammock was ok, guess I need some practice. On the sides, where the hammock pressed against the sleeping bag, it was quite cool. Could be a problem in the mountains.
I'm 55 as of now, and happy I still do this stuff. hope I will keep this the next 30 years or so.
#bikepacking
Some updates. Still alive 😇. On the 2nd day I rode to the cap ferret? and took the ferry over to Archachon. Ferret was the most not interessting part so far. Rich people with summer palasts and oversised cars. Also the only place where french driver have been a hassard. guess money is not good for emphasy. After Archachon, I had to drive to a huge area where the forrest burned down 2 years ago 😓.
Ended up sleeping on a mostly empty caravan camp site.
It is pre-season. Most everything is closed
Ended up sleeping on a mostly empty caravan camp site.
It is pre-season. Most everything is closed
Next day my friend and colegue Marius joined for the day. Good timing as I normaly start questioning my live choices on the 3th day 🤪.
In the evening I knocked on a door to ask for water for the night and ended up getting invited by Bob and his dog to stay for the night. Bob has been living in different places around the world and traveled many others. Lots of stories to share. I repaid by fixing his printer.
In the evening I knocked on a door to ask for water for the night and ended up getting invited by Bob and his dog to stay for the night. Bob has been living in different places around the world and traveled many others. Lots of stories to share. I repaid by fixing his printer.
Fourth day was the time when finaly the unchanging pine forrest where starting to get boring. In the end I could not find a place to sleep in the forrest. Way to much under-growth. Just the idea to crawl through that got my skin itching. So, when it got dark, I decided to take a simple room in a pension
Crossed Bayonne today and with that switched direction towards the pyrenies, which I will now follow for the next days. Same problem again with the woods. So I ended up in an empty barn. Will include a picture tomorrow.
Also in Bayonne, I picked up a new charger. I lost mine on the first night? But Marius ordered a new one and I picked it up at an Amazon locker. cool. Energy again 😉
Also in Bayonne, I picked up a new charger. I lost mine on the first night? But Marius ordered a new one and I picked it up at an Amazon locker. cool. Energy again 😉
Sleep in a barn like structure. got up early to be away before the farmer might come. Quite night but for the little animal on the tin roof. mice or squirrel. Of course, starting off I found plenty of good places to camp by the river. but I guess it would have been wet and cold. So all fine.
Did a bit of touristic things. And Coffee. And Baguette/Sandwich. Live is good.
#bikepacking
#bikepacking
Thats one creepy tunnel. It is an converted train track a few hundert meter long and the light comes on in segments. but only once you enter the dark segment. Means you have to drive into uter darkness. And I mean darkness 😱
In the picture, the light is brighter then it actually was.
ff7@taseroth very cool. Reminds me of tunnel between Mâcon and Cluny.
1.6 km length (!)
@ff7 that looks fun as well. should have stopped before the tunnel and read the sign.
1 Dipl. fckng Ing.*I encountered some nice tunnels during my #mdrzaucf202406 (#mdrza with "detours") - first the one in #scotland:
The Falkirk Tunnel of the Union canal tow path (636 m).
With route 754 there is an entirely traffic-free cycle path from Edinburgh to Glasgow. It runs along the tow path of the Union and Forth & Clyde canals. Latter is pretty fast, the Union canal section could use some maintenance (roots).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Canal_(Scotland)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_and_Clyde_Canal
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The Union canal ends within the city centre of Edinburgh!
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The next one is one of the french just to add one more to both of your lists. It wasn't far from your route, @taseroth :) – it's the voie verte du canal du midi à Montségur and features automagic lighting as well. There's a 2nd tunnel too.
I was pushing that day to reach Montségur via a different route so I took only 1 pic.
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#voieverte #tunnel #mdrzaucf202406 #bikepacking #aude #france
And last but not least not a tunnel: The Avon Aqueduct.
Both – the Falkirk Tunnel and the Avon Aqueduct – are a bit scary. The tunnel because of "slippery when wet and slimy" (I managed to cycle through though but I wouldn't do it again). The aqueduct because the paving is so rough and the tow path so narrow that you risk to fall into the canal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avon_Aqueduct
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#aqueduct #unioncanal #towpath #cycling #biketravel #bikepacking #mdrzaucf202406 #mdrza
Addendum: The Falkirk Tunnel is also *very* dark - one section doesn't feature lights if I remember correctly. This exact section suffers from heavy water ingress through the ceiling which makes it even more adventurous. As with @taseroth's tunnel: the camera collected all photons available and made the situation seem much brighter as it actually is.
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