By Maggie LaCoste
The early morning ride back to La Rochelle across the Ile De Re bridge was really quite a way to get your heart pumping. There was a 20-30 mph crosswind that made keeping the bike steady a bit of a challenge. The good news for me was that I was so intent on keeping my bike on track that there was no time to think about fear!
In almost no time we were back in the busy, bustling town of La Rochelle, ready for a strong cup of coffee and to pick up picnic supplies for the day’s ride to Rochefort. As we enjoyed our coffee overlooking the famous La Rochelle harbor, I was approached by first a German man, and then a Belgian who saw our bikes and wanted to know if we could help them find their route. It appeared that the La Rochelle tourism office had no information on local bike routes. Fortunately I was able to share some limited route information with them, but as the day evolved for us, I wondered whether they ever found their way.
We took some time to wander through the streets of the old town, one of my favorite parts of La Rochelle, and of course we took photos by the famous harbor. As we headed out of town, I thought it interesting that there were no bicycle direction signs heading south to Rochefort. We were using Ouest-France’s book, De la Loire a la Gironde guidebook which has quite good maps. I could already see that this route along the Atlantic was nothing like the Loire or Burgundy routes with route signage everywhere, making it easy for touring cyclists.
The ride this day was pleasant, but unremarkable. Route surfaces were generally good. Road signage was spotty at best, definitely nothing comparable to other top routes. And no signs yet for La Velodyssee.
Thanks to the navigation skills of my husband, we found our way to the town of Rochefort, just as the winds were beginning to intensify. I was very disappointed that I had not been able to get a reservation at a small B and B that I wanted, so we made our way to a small hotel recommended by TripAdvisor, Hotel Roca Fortis. Our stay at this hotel was a highlight of our trip. Stay tuned for more about this tomorrow, but in the meantime, here are some photos from today!
