| Day # | 42 | State of Legs | :-) |
| Distance (miles) | Distance (km) | Ascent (feet) | Ascent (metres) | Punctures | |
| Today | 28 miles | km | 2480 feet | metres | 0 |
| Trip Totals | 1958 miles | km | 79210 feet | metres | 0 |
| Today's Route |
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| Route So Far |
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Travelogue
Today was the second of two short days, the intention being that I get to Laruns at the foot of my intended Pyrenees crossing with legs still made of something with more substance than jelly! The plan was to stay in Laruns, take one day of rest and then head up and over into Spain.
Plans. They don't always work out quite the way you'd like. Yesterday, I spent ages trying to find somewhere to stay in Laruns itself or somewhere before it earlier on my route to the small town. I only got through to one campsite by phone, which was full. I emailed half a dozen others and got no replies. There's one hotel in Laruns. It's fully booked. There is only one Airbnb apartment that met my criteria. It looked perfect. But on trying to book, the host told me the apartment was not available. Arrggghhhh.
So, staying in Laruns or on the approach to Laruns so I didn't have to make a detour proved impossible.
I eventually found an Airbnb apartment about three miles away, partway up a Tour de France (TDF) climb called Col d'Aubisque. It's on the fourth floor of a block and has no elevator. Not ideal. What about The Mule. Where will The Mule sleep?! But it was the best I could find, so I booked it and requested a 12:00 p.m. check-in via the Airbnb messaging system. The host was responsive initially but never actually confirmed my check-in time. Hmmmmm.
That was yesterday.
Today, I set off on yet another lovely day and passed through more remarkable scenery. The fact that I had at that point, no information about how to get into the apartment I'd booked was on my mind though.
I stopped at Bruges-Capbis-Mifaget for coffee and sent the host a message, explaining that I was on my way and requesting access details for the apartment.
I continued on my way, enjoying the ride on quiet roads immensely. The mountains, which had been ever-present in the distance on my left since Perpignan were now much closer. Periodically, I checked for a response from the Airbnb host. Nothing.
I managed to get a photo of one of the local birdies and Merlin identified it for me as a Barn Swallow. There are loads of these birds around, but they rarely keep still long enough to get a photo with which to feed the Merlin bird identification app!
I continued, getting ever closer to Eaux-Bonnes but still with no response from the Airbnb host. I'd heard nothing from her now for 14 hours. I was beginning to wonder whether there was a problem and didn't relish cycling the 800+ feet ascent from Laruns only to find that I was not able to access the apartment. Meanwhile, not one, not two but three of the campsites I'd emailed yesterday, all replied saying they could accommodate me! One was only 2.6 miles from Laruns as well and from that point of view alone, seemed perfect. Of course a tent in hot weather isn't necessarily the best place to get some rest ahead of a big climb. But I was beginning to think a campsite might in fact be the better option.
After turning south, I passed through various villages such as Arudy, Izeste and Aste-Béon before arriving in Laruns itself.
When I reached the centre of Laruns, I parked The Mule and sat outside a cafe with a cold drink. It was now after 12:00 which as far as I knew was the agreed check-in time for my apartment. It's what the Airbnb app was telling me anyway. I went through the Airbnb app's help function, which presented me with the host's mobile number. I called it and went straight to voicemail. Another discouraging sign! So, I contacted Airbnb support who I have to say, were excellent. I was immediately given a $5 credit to my account so I could enjoy a beverage whilst I was waiting. And I was told that if the issue wasn't resolved within one hour, they would cancel the reservation and regardless of the fact it said that my payment was not refundable, Airbnb would refund me in full. Great. This is customer service. Worst case, I would get my money back and go and camp at the nearby campsite. Alternatively, the issue would get resolved and I'd be in an apartment soon. I relaxed and enjoyed a couple of cool drinks.
A few minutes ahead of the one hour deadline, the Airbnb host reappeared and engaged properly with me using messages. She has hundreds of positive reviews so this must just have been one of those things. I learned she was out of the country so I'm guessing time zone issues played a part. She promised me I'd get into the apartment as soon as I reached it and so I started cycling up Col d'Aubisque towards Eaux-Bonnes.
The part of that climb that I did turned out to be quite easy and I really enjoyed seeing the views of Laruns below me and the mountains above.
I was soon at Eaux-Bonnes and found my apartment block easily. It's a very small place, centred around a very nice park area.
I gained access to the apartment block and secured The Mule in the courtyard behind it. The Mule seems happy enough there and I can see it from the rear window of the apartment. All good.
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| View from my window |
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| View from my window |
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| I'm on the fourth floor. If you look carefully you can see my washing drying! |
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| Around the square/park on foot |
So that was today. I've had a few changes to the plan forced upon my on this trip but so far, every one of those changes has turned out to be a positive one. Eaux-Bonnes is lovely and the apartment is exactly what I need to get my legs ready for the next stage. I'm in danger of becoming an optimist!
Here's today's profile. Lots of climbing and some of it pretty steep. It's almost as if I was in a mountain region or something :-)
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