Jonathan

25th September 2020

Days 2 and 3 – Via Rhôna – Avignon to Lapalud to Le Pouzin Great God! This is an awful place and terrible enough for us to have laboured to it without the reward of priority. Well, it is something to have got here, and the wind may be our friend tomorrow. Now for the …

25th September 2020 Read More »

21st September 2020

Day 11 – Route des Grandes Alpes – Menton to Nice Arriving in Menton, four days ago, the lure of the Mediterranean sea and warm, sunny weather, persuaded us to stay and rest our aching legs for a while. We have had a great time, sea swimming every day, wandering around the old town among …

21st September 2020 Read More »

17th September 2020

We’ve made it! Ten days, 512.5km, and 13,022m of ascent later, and we have reached the Mediterranean at Menton! Needless to say, we are delighted, and plan to celebrate tonight in suitable style (ie, another beer). Today alone was another difficult day, climbing the Col de Turini, one of the steepest of the trip, then …

17th September 2020 Read More »

16th September 2020

Day 9 – Route des Grandes Alpes – La Bolline Valdeblore to Roquebillière Thanks to our unscheduled extra climb yesterday, today was a short and gentle day – and much appreciated for that. Cycling distance 26km, ascent 572m. Leaving the village we continued immediately on the climb to Col Saint Martin, stopping in a sister …

16th September 2020 Read More »

15th September 2020

Day 8 – Route des Grandes Alpes – Guillaume to La Bolline Valdeblore. Such an exhausting day! We finished the cycle so late, I’ve even had to write this blog a day late (that, and the chambre d’hôte had no wifi). Our decision, the previous day, to stop in the valley, rather than tackle the …

15th September 2020 Read More »

13th September 2020

Another day described as “moderate” in the guide, which turned out to be anything but… the numbers are similar to other days (52km, 1216m ascent), but we encountered some of the steepest sections yet, up to 10% percent gradient, sustained for at least a km at a time. I’m under strict orders from my physio …

13th September 2020 Read More »

10th September 2020

Day 3 – Route des Grandes Alpes – Termignon to Valloire Today is described in the guidebooks as “moderate”. It’s fair to say we found it at the extreme edge of moderate, and not on the easy side! I suppose our decision to detour off the main road and follow a “scenic” route was at …

10th September 2020 Read More »

27th August 2020

https://cateandjonathan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_0181.mov The picture tells the whole story! Back on the 18th of this month when I posted the last entry, we were sitting on the boat looking out at the rain. Here we are nearly two weeks later and it is still raining. In between we have watched Storm Francis come and go and spent …

27th August 2020 Read More »

18th August 2020

I’m writing this sitting on the boat, looking out across Falmouth Harbour through mist and rain. The forecast doesn’t look good: more rain to come over the next few days, and strong winds (40+mph tonight). On the plus side, all the outstanding work on the boat has now been finished, and we have picked up …

18th August 2020 Read More »

1st August 2020

With the weather getting hotter and sunnier by the day, we thought we’d enjoy a little break in Annecy. There is a well marked cycle path around most of the lake, so ideal for a good, but not too challenging, cycle, with plenty of opportunities to cool off with a quick dip in the lake. …

1st August 2020 Read More »