Day 12 - Poitiers
Tuesday 5th September 2017
I am not familiar with this region of France at all. My normal routes to and from the Alps are a long way to the east of here. Many years ago when my children were small we had a holiday in Les Sables d'Olonne on the east coast just north of La Rochelle. But apart from that I have never visited this region before.
The R1200s is not the most comfortable bike for long road trips. It is great for jinking around on winding roads when you are shifting around on the seat for every corner, but sitting on the hard gel seat for mile after mile is another matter altogether.
So with a numb bum I pile on the kilometres in a mostly northern direction. I'm avoiding the autoroutes so I can appreciate the feel of the place a little more, but today I am not very impressed!
I recognise one or two of the areas I travel through as a result of my extensive research into fine wines. Bergerac for example .As well as being famous for a fictional Jersey detective Bergerac producessome very nice reds. Actually the roads around Agen are also pretty interesting as we gain some height but mostly it is a boring ride.
After six or seven hours I'm ready for a halt. I stay overnight in Poitiers at another Ibis Budget hotel near the railway station, found on booking.com. It is in a busy innercity area and the hotel has no parking of it's own, just a multistorey carpark next door. I don't fancy that so for the first time on this trip I use the chain on the bike as I park up at the side of the hotel. Not a very secure place but it is in full view of the front desk. The desk guy says the desk is manned all night and they will keep an eye on it.
I am not familiar with this region of France at all. My normal routes to and from the Alps are a long way to the east of here. Many years ago when my children were small we had a holiday in Les Sables d'Olonne on the east coast just north of La Rochelle. But apart from that I have never visited this region before.
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| Pi stop on the way to Bergerac |
The R1200s is not the most comfortable bike for long road trips. It is great for jinking around on winding roads when you are shifting around on the seat for every corner, but sitting on the hard gel seat for mile after mile is another matter altogether.
So with a numb bum I pile on the kilometres in a mostly northern direction. I'm avoiding the autoroutes so I can appreciate the feel of the place a little more, but today I am not very impressed!
I recognise one or two of the areas I travel through as a result of my extensive research into fine wines. Bergerac for example .As well as being famous for a fictional Jersey detective Bergerac producessome very nice reds. Actually the roads around Agen are also pretty interesting as we gain some height but mostly it is a boring ride.
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| Quite a climb |
After six or seven hours I'm ready for a halt. I stay overnight in Poitiers at another Ibis Budget hotel near the railway station, found on booking.com. It is in a busy innercity area and the hotel has no parking of it's own, just a multistorey carpark next door. I don't fancy that so for the first time on this trip I use the chain on the bike as I park up at the side of the hotel. Not a very secure place but it is in full view of the front desk. The desk guy says the desk is manned all night and they will keep an eye on it.
After a shower and change of clothes I'm ready for a stroll into the citadel. I get a healthy work out climbing the 300 steps up to the centre of town. This is a university town and very old, built on a hill with imposing churches, a cathedral and a traffic free centre with lots of bars and restaurants.
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| Imposing buildings in the cenrtre of Poitiers |
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| Hotel de Ville |
After an hour of rubbernecking I find a pleasant little restaurant in the narrow pedestrianised centre and have a dinner of pot-roasted chicken and mushroom with a side of baked potato wedges and mixed salad, washed down with a good Bergerac red. Very nice.
Then I head back down the steps to the railway station and a get a good night's sleep in my Ibis pod.
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| One of the churches in Poitiers |
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