So we've reached day 37 on the trip! We are now nicely settled on our first farm linked with WWOOF and are located close to the city of Carcasonne. I must start by expressing my delight to see the great man himself Mark Beaumont has been following the journey; me and sam have often laughed about how this machine could do 226km in a single day, and maintain similar distances for half a year. In my hours on the bike I sometimes contemplate whether his world record could ever be beaten, and my conclusion is simply, no. He didn't give the rest of us even a chance. Its just too fast. His link from twitter also brought in a few comments and quiries regarding cycling touring which I shared just a few weeks ago and which I'll happily answer in the comments section. My main advice with a trip such as this is to not get bogged down in minor details, worrying too much about the 'what ifs' can change a mindset from positive to negative. Once you get out on the road you quickly realise what has to go into achieving a sustainable routine on the bike and all the worries quickly dissipate.
Back to the journey! I have to go back in time again for this post, but already its making me smile in the knowledge that its been by far the best week we've had on the bike.
We really lucked out with our hostel in Nimes, an English host greeted us and shared in our passion for football, this meant that we enjoyed the champions league match on an enourmas pull down projector high def screen - something he saves for rainy days. We enjoyed a few beers with him and met a few characters along the way. We also stopped by at the Nimes ampitheatre - the best preserved ampitheatre in the entire Roman empire. It really was fascinating. An audio guide takes you back to the gladitorial peaks of these spectacles. I had no idea how brutal an affair it really was. The core of the shows are based on pure animal cruelty, I can't sympathise too much in the human elements that much as (I'm told) most gladiators had a choice to fight, and only when the 'sport' lost its popularity would slaves be made to fight. They gave a few shocking examples of the animal cruelty which I could not believe, "A bear would be chained to a lion in a fight to the death with punters betting on which animal would win". I felt relieved that this sport didn't last for as long as you might think, but then I quickly remembered bull fighting is still in existance.
Once out of Nimes we really just aimed in the general direction of Carcassone. We were once again blessed with incredible weather for the following 3 days, and I began to realise that its no coincidance why so many people are obsessed with the South of France. The climate for one is enough reason to visit, however, we never really ventured far south enough to see the spectacles of Monaco, Saint Tropez, etc. I can see the appeal of the sunshine, sea and sand found at these places. But we've had that in abundance in the form of lakes and rivers, and we don't have to feel out of place next to the millionaires with their yachts, I mean look what we found at the side of the road.
Sam was happy too.
This was exactly what we needed at 2pm with the temperature will into the mid 30s. It was the first time on the trip where I've really had to think about properly managing my body. I was probably sweating just as much as I was drinking, and I had to keep eating peanuts to put back in the salt that I would lose. One of the worst things is sweat in the eye, its blinding.
A few days with this heat and our routine had to change. We decided to get up earlier, cycle until 1pm, then take a siesta till 3/4pm and go on till 7pm. We would try to revolve the siesta around a nice river or waterfall. With this change in routine we put in some good miles and were well on course to reach the farm on the proposed date of April 10th.
When it came to getting to the farm, we spoke to the hosts and arranged a time, we only had to cycle 60km so we thought by saying mid afternoon we would have plenty of time. It turned out to be one of the hardest days of the trip. We cycled into a relentless headwind all day. Our mindset of just getting to the farm didn't really help, it was brutal and not enjoyable in the slightest. I suppose at this point I must mention how hard it has been at times; I tend to write about the highlights of the trip, but on the bike there is some major low points. When it takes everything to keep going, the muscles are screaming, you feel as weak as a kitten, no energy, cyclists refer to it as hitting the wall, and when this happens it isn't fun at all. Thats why I feel a great sense of pride and achievement in this trip, I think subconsciously this has already made me a stronger person, both physically and mentally. It has also made me hate the wind more than I ever thought would be possible for a graduate of geography.
Anyway, by about 4pm we made it here and we are very happy with our current living situation. All our worries about whether WWOOF would work out have been completely dismissed. We really didn't know what to expect. The scheme is simply: a few hours work on a farm will be rewarded with accomodation and food. Obviously the variables with this can get the mind racing.
Upon arrival we were fed straight away, then we had a much needed shower. Our hosts couldn't be more welcoming; Peter and Laila, originally from Switzerland had moved here 19 years and have set up an ogranic farm producing goats cheese. After a delicious meal with the family we then had a tour of the farm. Set in the rolling hills (a nightmare to cycle through), its such a picturesque landscape. They have 67 goats, which we have to milk in the morning, then a selection of donkeys, horses, dogs, cats and fish.
The main building expands far further than I can fit into a picture, but you can just about see our appartment through the bushes (the balcony leads into it). We really couldn't ask for more. Me and Sam have been given our own appartment for the stay, complete with double beds, Tv - with french sky, internet and much more to make us run around like giddy kids when we realised how lucky we had been. You can see for yourselves below...
If all of this wasn't enough, they have given us a car! Check out this bad boy. A vintage ford mondeo estate! Because Sam was silly enough to have his wallet nicked in Brussels, complete with his drivers license, I have to do all of the driving. What an unfortunate pleasure that has been.
The final jewel in the crown of this farm lies with their dogs. A mother and daughter working pair of Border Collies. I think they are the bubbliest, smartest and cutest dogs I've ever come across. On our first morning milking goats we were shocked when without cue, they kicked into action and rounded all of the goats up for us. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I naively thought they were just pets. But look how cute...
I plan on doing a post every 4-5 days from now, although we are now in one location for the next 6 weeks, we plan on taking full advantage of having a car and exploring the area to the full extent. But for now, we have stumbled across a french channel showing the football. Sam is Manu obsessed and screamed like a little girl when he found a channel that was showing the match, we had planned on using a crappy internet link. But for now, Come on Chelsea!
Back to the journey! I have to go back in time again for this post, but already its making me smile in the knowledge that its been by far the best week we've had on the bike.
We really lucked out with our hostel in Nimes, an English host greeted us and shared in our passion for football, this meant that we enjoyed the champions league match on an enourmas pull down projector high def screen - something he saves for rainy days. We enjoyed a few beers with him and met a few characters along the way. We also stopped by at the Nimes ampitheatre - the best preserved ampitheatre in the entire Roman empire. It really was fascinating. An audio guide takes you back to the gladitorial peaks of these spectacles. I had no idea how brutal an affair it really was. The core of the shows are based on pure animal cruelty, I can't sympathise too much in the human elements that much as (I'm told) most gladiators had a choice to fight, and only when the 'sport' lost its popularity would slaves be made to fight. They gave a few shocking examples of the animal cruelty which I could not believe, "A bear would be chained to a lion in a fight to the death with punters betting on which animal would win". I felt relieved that this sport didn't last for as long as you might think, but then I quickly remembered bull fighting is still in existance.
This was exactly what we needed at 2pm with the temperature will into the mid 30s. It was the first time on the trip where I've really had to think about properly managing my body. I was probably sweating just as much as I was drinking, and I had to keep eating peanuts to put back in the salt that I would lose. One of the worst things is sweat in the eye, its blinding.
A few days with this heat and our routine had to change. We decided to get up earlier, cycle until 1pm, then take a siesta till 3/4pm and go on till 7pm. We would try to revolve the siesta around a nice river or waterfall. With this change in routine we put in some good miles and were well on course to reach the farm on the proposed date of April 10th.
When it came to getting to the farm, we spoke to the hosts and arranged a time, we only had to cycle 60km so we thought by saying mid afternoon we would have plenty of time. It turned out to be one of the hardest days of the trip. We cycled into a relentless headwind all day. Our mindset of just getting to the farm didn't really help, it was brutal and not enjoyable in the slightest. I suppose at this point I must mention how hard it has been at times; I tend to write about the highlights of the trip, but on the bike there is some major low points. When it takes everything to keep going, the muscles are screaming, you feel as weak as a kitten, no energy, cyclists refer to it as hitting the wall, and when this happens it isn't fun at all. Thats why I feel a great sense of pride and achievement in this trip, I think subconsciously this has already made me a stronger person, both physically and mentally. It has also made me hate the wind more than I ever thought would be possible for a graduate of geography.
Anyway, by about 4pm we made it here and we are very happy with our current living situation. All our worries about whether WWOOF would work out have been completely dismissed. We really didn't know what to expect. The scheme is simply: a few hours work on a farm will be rewarded with accomodation and food. Obviously the variables with this can get the mind racing.
Upon arrival we were fed straight away, then we had a much needed shower. Our hosts couldn't be more welcoming; Peter and Laila, originally from Switzerland had moved here 19 years and have set up an ogranic farm producing goats cheese. After a delicious meal with the family we then had a tour of the farm. Set in the rolling hills (a nightmare to cycle through), its such a picturesque landscape. They have 67 goats, which we have to milk in the morning, then a selection of donkeys, horses, dogs, cats and fish.
If all of this wasn't enough, they have given us a car! Check out this bad boy. A vintage ford mondeo estate! Because Sam was silly enough to have his wallet nicked in Brussels, complete with his drivers license, I have to do all of the driving. What an unfortunate pleasure that has been.
The final jewel in the crown of this farm lies with their dogs. A mother and daughter working pair of Border Collies. I think they are the bubbliest, smartest and cutest dogs I've ever come across. On our first morning milking goats we were shocked when without cue, they kicked into action and rounded all of the goats up for us. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I naively thought they were just pets. But look how cute...
I plan on doing a post every 4-5 days from now, although we are now in one location for the next 6 weeks, we plan on taking full advantage of having a car and exploring the area to the full extent. But for now, we have stumbled across a french channel showing the football. Sam is Manu obsessed and screamed like a little girl when he found a channel that was showing the match, we had planned on using a crappy internet link. But for now, Come on Chelsea!
