Well with all the lovely weather we’ve been enjoying over the last week, I’ve decided to start cycling to the village every day to get the bread (in my mind this is a cunning plan to spend the calories BEFORE I top them up over lunch!).  

When I arrived in the Vendée, it didn’t take me long to notice that, everywhere you go, there are always lots of cyclists around…  Now that’s hardly surprising given that the Vendée counts over 750kms of dedicated cycling trails!  We’re very lucky to be living by such a trail at La Ruette and so we often see clubs, families or « silver riders » cycle past our house at the weekend.   The tourists are also easy to spot – they invariably have a look of relief on their faces when we offer to help them (in English!) find their way back to the local campsites!!!

This year is particularly exciting for all two-wheels lovers as the world’s largest spectator event is coming to the Vendée…  Yes, if you haven’t heard already, the Tour de France will indeed start on the Atlantic Coast on 2nd July and follow the Côte de Lumière from the Gois (island of Noirmoutier) all the way down to Talmont Saint Hilaire before heading back to the North Vendée.  After a time-trial stage on 3rd July in Les Essarts, Le Tour will be back on the coast Monday 4th July for a third stage start in Olonne-sur-Mer.

Luckily for all our UK cycling friends (and sadly for our lawn!), our garden can easily be turned into a make-shift campsite for the weekend but, for all of you bike enthusiasts out there, I wouldn’t delay booking some accommodation if you want to stay somewhere near the coast on those days…

I’ve included the full Tour route in the Vendée below but you can download your own copy on the Vendée Tourisme website, where you will also find accommodation details (by the way, one of our B&B rooms is still available on those dates so feel free to drop me a line if you’re interested!).

Allez, allez!!!!