Wow. What a storm. It seemed to go on all night and we could still hear distant rumbles at first light. The rain however had passed and we got packed away amid puddles and fallen branches. We were on the trail by 8am as today was to be the ‘big climb’ up to the summit of the Nantes-Brest Canal. It was a different kind of climb to what we’re used to and to the naked eye looked almost flat, but the gradual incline was felt by our legs if not seen by our eyes.
We passed lock after lock until, having stopped only a couple of times for some croissant sustenance, we finally reached the ‘summit’. Admittedly, it was only just higher than the altitude of The Cottage, but it was still the high point of the Canal. Given the weight of our bikes and kit, we were unable to get a classic summit glory shot, with bike held high above our heads as seems to be the custom on alpine passes. We were still pretty chuffed.
From here we enjoyed the rewards of our efforts - some downhill cruising. As with the uphill, the gradient is barely noticeable, but the ability to freewheel at a steady pace while watching the sights drift by was a wonderful feeling and not dis-similar to beginning the down hill run on a ski tour. After an hour or so, we said goodbye to our final lock. The canal continues from here out to the sea at Brest, but to continue onwards would be too far for us to get back in time for our tunnel train. Instead, we headed north on another’Green Way’ which follows a disused railway line, directly to Carhaix-Plouguer.
There’s not a great deal to shout about in Carhaix-Plouguer. To be fair, it was a Sunday and there was barely anyone about. I did ask the train driver when we reached the old station, but didn’t get much of a response.
In the town square, there are some fantastic sculptures of some of the local hero’s who have taken part in the Tour de France over the years.
I tried by best to keep up, but was beaten in an exciting sprint finish, so found a bench and had some lunch instead.
We were just about to tuck into a baguette, when these three ladies suddenly burst into song and belted our ten minutes worth of Bretagne traditional song. It was torture on the ears, but we were too tired to move.
A little way further and stopped at this village for a quick snooze. There have been big clouds around all day, but we seem to be managing to keep the blue sky with us. When we need a rest like this we usually aim for the village church or green, spread out the blanket and just crash straight out for twenty minutes. I even got the tent hung over my bike to dry before my eyes closed. It’s a great feeling when you body knows it needs to shut down for a bit. You know you’ve worked hard.
We’d decided to camp at a place called Huelgoat, which, it turns out is twinned with St Just in Cornwall! It’s a 3km detour from the track, but looked worth the extra effort. Although 3km isn’t far, it seems it when you’ve already ridden over 65km and off the cycle route, we suddenly had a few hill climbs to contend with. We arrived at the lake side village feeling pretty exhausted. Pulled over at the lakeside hotel terrace and immediately ordered Tarte du Pomme and coffee, which helped a bit.
It was worth the ride. The town is pretty and the campsite is modern, virtually empty and pretty affordable at €8 for us both to stay. Our good fortune continued, as we were able to get everything dried out, get showered and dinner cooked just before the evening rain arrived - we just had time to dive inside to eat it as the deluge arrived.
Ideally, we wanted to walk back into town around the lake to get more food. (Yesterday’s pizza was not enough to sustain 73km of cycling!), but the rain carried on until quite late. Just before dark, it cleared but for an hour, so we enjoyed the last of the light before eating through the last of our stores rather than hike into the town.
Total Ride: 73km (450m ascent)
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