The Bikepacker: Bikepacking 2024 - La Rochelle to La Tremblade

Day #

State of Legs

:-)

	Distance (miles)	Distance (km)	Ascent (feet)	Ascent (metres)	Punctures
Today	64.6 miles	km	620 feet	metres	1
Trip Totals	694.3 miles	km	17198 feet	metres	1

Today's Route

Route So Far

Travelogue

First thing this morning, M1 walked around the corner from our rented studio apartment to the nearest bakery to obtain the usual pastries for breakfast. We knew we had quite a long ride ahead of us, so loading up on freshly baked PaC and PaR was not just sensible, it was our duty!

We checked out and said goodbye to our Airbnb host and set off south through La Rochelle. The old part of the town was only about 2 minutes away and we were glad to pass through it as it's very nice indeed.

We cycled along the coast for a while and then, having turned to follow a path that ran alongside a railway line, hit a major obstacle. A "Route Barrée" sign! DISASTER!

Well, not exactly. More like SLIGHT INCONVENIENCE! Because there was of course also a "Deviation" sign which we followed and were soon past the maintenance work that was the cause of the path being closed. To get back on the planned route we had to cross the railway line of course. Just as we reached it, barriers at the road crossing came down and a minute later an SNCF train whizzed by.

Back at the seafront, we stopped at a bar in Châtelaillon-Plage and had our usual mid-morning coffee. It was in a lovely spot and therefore extortionately priced by which I mean it was comparable to your average Starbucks in London. Gulp!

We passed lots of moored boats and some of those photogenic fishing cabins with the nets that are lowered and raised on a pulley. Some of them very much put you in mind of Jules Verne and War of the Worlds!

Our route took us a little away from the coast for a while and we cycled by what looked like irrigation channels. Every now and again we'd hear a very weird noise. M1 recorded the noise on his phone. You can hear it by clicking the Play control below. Hint: if it doesn't work for you, try reloading the page. It's a little temperamental.

We'd heard the same weird noise before and that time too it was by water. On the previous occasion, M1 had assumed it was a waterfowl of some sort and tried to identify it from the sounds we were hearing using the birdsong recognition capability of the Merlin app. Merlin generally declined to identify the species of bird although once it did suggest it was a Magpie, which it clearly was not!

This time though, we were a bit luckier because M1 saw one of the sources of the strange noise. It's assumed it had a bunch of friends lurking in amongst the foliage on the bank based on all the noise being made!

FROGS!

Bridges featured quite a lot today. We cycled under a fairly enormous modern road bridge at one point only to be even more amazed literally three minutes later when we encountered the Martrou transporter bridge. We'd never seen anything like it before and apparently it was first opened in 1900. Quite remarkable.

In Rochefort we left our route to find lunch, passing a large moored and apparently Scandinavian boat. A patisserie was located and we ate sandwiches outside in the sunshine.

And speaking of weather, today's was more or less perfect. Warm, sunny and with a nice cooling breeze that ensured we didn't overheat.

Back on the planned route, we came upon the third interesting bridge of the day. This was a suspension bridge but it sat in the middle of what must have been an impressive viaduct. The end of the bridge was formed by the viaduct but presumably the remainder had collapsed or been demolished, to be replaced by the suspension bridge. It was unusual to see two bridges combined in this way.

Onwards we pedalled, cycling a lengthy section of trail through woodland that was never far from water. This was soon replaced by wetlands which did not disappoint, with plenty of wildlife including the usual birds and surprisingly, a ~~beaver~~! Correction: Since returning home, a learned friend pointed out that the animal we saw was almost certainly not a beaver and more likely was a rodent which goes by a variety of names, the formal of which include Nutria and Coypu. We stand corrected but it was still a thrill to see the animal.

About 10 miles from our destination we stopped at an Intermarche supermarket and bought essential groceries and equally essential treats.

At about 4 miles from the end of our journey, we met with our final bridge of the day. This was the Seudre Bridge which crosses the river of the same name. It's quite large though not as large as the bridge connecting La Rochelle to the Ile de Ré that we'd cycled across yesterday. With over 60 miles cycled, it was big enough though!

Finally we arrived at the Airbnb house we'd booked. And what a lovely place it is as well. We will be here for three nights in total, having decided that after cycling nearly 700 miles (1100 km) with only one rest day, it was time we took some time off and relaxed. So, we're having two rest days in a row. We're within a short walk of the seafront but in a quiet spot, far enough away from the action. We have a terrace we can relax on. It promises to be a very nice stay indeed.

Despite having a full kitchen available to us, we opted for a deluxe version of camping mush for dinner for the simple reason that we like it. Lentils, cherry tomatoes, avocado, radishes, tuna and red pesto. Very tasty.

Here are the photos we took today.