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Escorted Cycling
in Bordeaux, France
Cost: Double
$1890 Cdn
Single Supplement
$ 315 Cdn
Includes transfers from Anguoleme TGV Rail Station and to
Bordeaux TGV Rail Station
If you will share a room the single supplement will
not be added.
Tour dates 2008: June 28, July 12, Aug 2, Aug 16,
Sept 6, Sept 20
Duration: Seven nights.
Grading: Moderate
Tour profile: Paved back roads -
some uphill
stretches.
Daily distance 25 - 35 miles. Fitness level required: Moderate.
Bicycles: Hybrid bikes. For those who prefer road bikes with drop
handlebars we have them available (you must choose when booking). Gel
seats are available with prior notice. Choice of frame sizes is also
available.
Groups: We usually cycle together although
sometimes people choose to go ahead on their own. Everyone has
instructions re the next meeting point. Maximum group is 15.
Accommodation: Good quality
2 star hotels with private bath. Many have a swimming pool.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner included. Vegetarians okay with advance notice.
Included: 7 nights hotel, breakfast and dinner daily, luggage transfer,
six days of escorted cycling, bike rental including panniers, repair
equipment, locks, transfers from Bordeaux Rail Station/to Angouleme Rail
Station.
Not included: lunches, entrance fees, drinks. Van support is not
provided but taxis are usually available for anyone who wishes to
take a day off.
Pick-up: Angouleme Rail Station.
Tours ends: at Bordeaux Rail Station
Getting there: If you fly to Paris you can take
a train to Brive.
Itinerary:
Saturday: Pickup at Angouleme Rail Station and transfer to Les Eyzies
in the heart of the Perigord.
Sunday: This isn't wine country but it is beautiful.
Cycling over the "Cingle de Tremolat" we have great views of
the Dordogne Valley and we take a lunch break at the lovely
Bastide town of Limeuil where the Dordogne and Vezere rivers
meet. WE end the day at Lalinde, another Bastide and once an
important town where the canal took boat traffic past the
rapids of the Dordogne.
Monday: Today we enter the wine country. We head for Ste Foy
La Grande, just the other side of Bergerac and en route we
visit two very special areas within the Bergerac vineyard
First is Pecharment, locally styled as the "St Emilion of
Bergerac". In the afternoon we cycle through Monbazillac,
home to exquisite sweet wines. We end the day at Ste Foy,
one of the best preserved Bastides in France..
Tuesday: Today we follow along the Dordogne. We pass
the Monument of Talbot where the English Admiral Talbot
finally lost the Hundred Years War in 1453. Then on through
Castillon to arrive in St Emilion where we have a chance to
visit Chateau Belair, one of St Emilion's top wine estates
for a tasting and a tour. St Emilion is wonderful with its
medieval cobblestoned streets and ancient church.
Wednesday: From
St Emilion we leave the Dordogne at Libourne and enter the Gironde
passing through St Andre de Cubzac - birthplace of Jacques
Cousteau. We continue through Pomerol on our way to the
Gironde port of Blaye. This town boasts a huge citadel that
used to protect the town from the English.
Thursday: This is a lazy day - we cross the Gironde River
by ferry to Cussac and make our way to Chateau du Raux in
the Haut Medoc.
In the afternoon we have a
chance to visit the museum at Mouton Rothschild and tonight
we stay in Pauillac, the world centre of fine wine.
Friday: We
descend from the Haut Medoc to the Medoc (a drop of about 10
meters) and cycle amid many famous vineyards. It is flat easy
cycling. Our final stop is at Vendays Montalivet at the northern
tip of the Medoc. From here it is an easy 5- mile cycle to the
Atlantic ocean for an evening swim.
Saturday:
Transfer to Bordeaux Rail Station. |
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