Day 5 - Thursday 30 September

Château d’Olonne To Villedoux (Nr La Rochelle)

A comical start to the day, due I think partly to the fact that we were the only people staying on the campsite last night. Twenty past nine and no sign of any French chappies at site reception and the camp had a barrier which you needed to pay a deposit of 40 euros for on arrival.
Needless to say an Irishman, a Scouser and one with Scottish antecedents were not falling for that as we weren’t going off site that night and we thought reception would be staffed next morning. Was it buggery!
We tried calling the number on the office door with no avail. So the ever resourceful Smith sauntered off around the site to see if he could find a living person. Some 10 minutes later he reappeared with a little old French lady (still in her green dressing gown) who bless her cotton socks trolled all the way down to the front gate so attired to use her gate pass to open the barrier. If you carefully examine the start photo you can pick her out in the background.

On then to the cycling which they started in lovely weather enjoying better roads and conditions than yesterday. So engrossed were they that they became a tad too adventurous ignoring my previous directions and adding several miles to the day ~ not once but twice did I have to phone them with that choice phrase ~ “where the **** are you now?” Costing me a fortune as they also called me several times asking much the same question and of course I had to pay to receive these inane comments! In addition during one of their meanders Andy suffered a broken spoke. Fortunately this was only a short distance from meeting me and the chance to swap the front wheel with the spare bike ~ bugger that means there’s no bike for me to ride now!

All was sorted by mid afternoon and reunited in the van we crossed over the bridge to the Île De Ré. A lovely campsite found at the tip of the island in the village of Ars-en-Ré. However further travails then arose. A decision was made to do a mass lavage, token inserted, clothes loaded, door closed, button pressed and bugger all happened!! Much too-ing and fro-ing but monsieur in reception (who insists on gabbling in French) had gone walkabout off for the night, so young Smith with the dexterity of a master safe cracker (courtesy of friends and family up north) managed to retrieve the clothing comprising 60% of the cycling kit. We do have a laugh!

Must dash now as first glass of red stuff just appeared in right hand! Oh a quick message to Mr B in North Devon ~ saw a fantastic kayak at an Intersport in Les Sables-D’Olonne ~ reduced to 590 euros but it did have a glass bottom!