D 'n A tandem encore
 It's now thirty five years since Australians Anne and Declan first took their bikes to Europe for two months touring in the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Germany. In 2012 they revived the experience, trying life on a Bike Friday tandem in Germany and France. In 2013 they rode the tandem from Burgundy to Bordeaux and in 2015, via a very circuitous route from Avignon to Vichy.
In 2017 the tandem will be in France again. This time their plan is to start in Bordeaux and travel down the west coast to San Sebastian, in Spain. From there, they will join the Eurovelo 3, towards Paris.
Eurovelo 3 is known as The Pilgrims’ Route and Pilgrims would have traditionally travelled in the opposite direction, towards Santiago de Compostella in Spain. There are many routes that lead to Santiago de Compostella in north-western Spain. The one chosen for EuroVelo 3 starts in Norway and heads diagonally across Europe, passing through France before heading due west along northern Spain.
Declan and Anne intend to retrace the EV 3 from the Spanish border as far as the Loire Valley with some deviations to take in places such as Cognac and Oradour sur Glane. |
Our latest 5 diary entries
| 7th Jul 2017 - 9th Jul 2017 | ||||
| In Tours as tourists | ||||
| Friday’s priority task was dismantling the tandem and shoehorning the pieces into one suitcase and one bike bag (for subsequent transfer to the second suitcase). That done we were free to wander as touri... | ||||
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318 Words | 5 Reads |  | Read more | |
| 6th Jul 2017 | ||||
| Epilogue: Chaumont International Garden Festival by bike (58 km) | ||||
| A little further upriver from Tours there is a Chateau Chaumont which each year in its extensive grounds hosts an international garden festival. There is a competition amongst professional landscaping firms to... | ||||
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356 Words | 5 Reads | | Read more | |
| 4th Jul 2017 - 5th Jul 2017 | ||||
| Étape finale: to St-Maure-de-Touraine (58 km), to Tours (45 km) | ||||
| Our final two days of riding passed smoothly enough. We left the Vienne Valley (which will join the Loire some way downstream from Tours). Late Tuesday afternoon we happened by the "Maison de ... | ||||
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376 Words | 25 Reads | | Read more | |
| 29th Jun 2017 - 3rd Jul 2017 | ||||
| To Confolens (18+45 km), Lussac-les-Châteaux (56 km), Vouneuil-sur-Vienne (52 km) | ||||
| These last few days have been planned around the predicted string of rainy days; the stops, like Exideuil, are on the Vienne river, and all in B&B’s.Thursday was just a short, wet hop to Confolens and ... | ||||
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437 Words | 16 Reads | | Read more | |
| 28th Jun 2017 | ||||
| Oradour-sur-Glane (76 km round trip) | ||||
| After heavy rain all night we set off during a break in the weather on Wednesday morning to get to Oradour-sur-Glane. Without trailer or panniers we seemed to fly up hills, of which there were many.Orado... | ||||
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368 Words | 10 Reads | | Read more | |
