Thursday 12 June 1984
St Junien 98km total 694 km
Left early for another favourite misty river ride. Lussac les Chateaux was the breakfast destination although we saw no châteaux. The land becomes more hilly, almost sub-alpine in character.
At Brillac, there are rubbery croissants for lunch, in a deserted modern bar reminiscent of a New Town Community Centre. The ascents are larger, and longer with hairpin bends.
In a high village roadside piles of what I thought was salt which turned out to be hailstones from a recent storm. They were about as big as large grapes and useful for cooling down with. Narrow, flower filled lanes with trees give relief from the sun.
At St Junien we stay at the municipal campsite, where there are hot showers for a treat and the hot sun dries wet bodies. We join two Dutch cyclists for a drink and sit around the large bottle of wine talking about their cycle holiday, and what the different areas of France are like, and how people think they are German and overcharge them. People think we are German too, and I’ve noticed that if they discover we are from Great Britain they become more friendly and talkative. We have decided to put some GB stickers on the bikes so that people will be friendlier to us. The moon shone full all night long, and in the morning I watched it set through the net tent door.
not at home 