The Vendee

Oh CRAP !   That was meant to be secure parking but someone managed to get in and pinch my seat.

Looking for a bike shop is no joke when you have to ride like this. Finding one that opened earlier than 10am was the trick. This one was well out of town 

Now ! How to find our way back to Eurovelo 1 . When you're peering at a map someone eventually will stop. Sure enough, this kind gent took us at least 5kms back to the canal and the route

This canal from La Rochelle to Maran is a mess and was in the process of a massive clean up

I guess every job has its perks

Maran is about 10kms from the sea but there are lots of yachts up here. 

And then we had to follow the canal for 5kms west straight into a strong wind

This part of the Vendee is all flat with huge farms. Animals kept inside mostly though

Hey, our first gate

Can you spot the one that's gone to seed?

  It's been a hard day, what with the bad start and the head winds so we were glad to find this little pub in a tiny village, St Michel en L'herm

The only eating place in town ,

        A demain 😃