Day 14: 44 miles (560) to Figeac

Neil has suggested on this blog that I’m addicted to coffee and he may well be right, BUT!!!! There wasn’t any! We left at 6.40 in the cool morning air, meandering up and down small country lanes feeling like we were cycling through Devon, but didn’t pass a single boulangerie/cafe/coffee stop. We’d left before breakfast and had run out of our picnic supplies, so scavenged our last titbits of old toast we’d saved with only good old Werthers Originals to keep us going. The day was heating up towards 30 (hence our early start) and we had made a few navigational errors adding some miles and rocky farm tracks. We have to be careful with these as Neils super duper bike could easily break a spoke. Then at midday we reached Assier with the most wonderful sight. A pretty village restaurant, popular with the locals, with an outdoor terrace shaded by large Indian bean trees. It was far too late in the day for my coffees, but we both enjoyed the most delicious meal ever! 3 huge courses! Heaven. Thoroughly satisfied, we could barely get back on our bikes.

And then on to Figeac where Neils cousin Alan was waiting to drive us to their home near Martiel. He and Heather have lived in this beautiful French farmhouse for 19 years and are the most generous and fun hosts.

So here we will stay for 2 nights, enjoying their company, chilling in their pool, using their washing machine and enjoying their delicious cooking. Ahhhhhhhhh. We really hope we get the opportunity to repay their wonderful hospitality to Devon.