30 May – to Remoulins and the the Pont du Gard

30 May – to Remoulins and the the Pont du Gard

A long ride today in the heat.We started out heading to Orange to see the amphitheater there. Couldn’t really find a suitable bike path – at one point we road along a path by the river, where I got my bike all muddy, but it was too rocky to ride on for long. Eventually we gave up and rode on a busy road. Passing Mornas and seeing a castle overlooking it on the edge of a huge cliff was impressive.

Orange was crowded with traffic, so after examining the amphitheater, we headed out along quieter roads as advised by the tourist office. We crossed the Rhone again and went through a perfect little town called Cordolette – very prosperous looking with lots of hanging flower baskets and cobbled streets.

We made our way to St Laurent des Arbres; mostly through vineyards now and very hot. There we found the tourist office (which was in a small castle) closed until 3pm. The whole place was very quiet – maybe they were all having a sleep. We had a small picnic of bread and cheese and decided to head on to Remoulins to find accommodation. At Lirac we tried to get onto a rural road again and found ourselves on another rocky road and then in a vineyard. Looking up we saw a monks cell built into a cliff; which is probably where the road was heading. So we backtracked and went on the busy road again – it was ok for a while but unpleasant as we came into Remoulins.

Our accommodation is bed and breakfast just outside town – ok except there are mosquitoes!

So a longer than planned ride at 95km, but no spokes broken three days in a row now!

Highlight:

  • Evening picnic on riverbank at the Pont de Gard  – only about a km away from where we are staying. This is a Roman aquaduct built in around 50AD to carry water to Nimes. It was amazing with huge arches – as big as any modern bridge. It was lovely walking over it at dusk and seeing all the swallows fly around it and into holes where they nest. The river was still and beautifully reflective.

Lowpoint:

  • Prostitutes blatantly working on the road coming into Remoulins at 3 in the afternoon. Very high heels and skirts so short you can see their crotch. Must be very unsafe for them getting into trucks and cars on the roadside.

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