The main navigation tool we use is Komoot, which is generally brilliant but sometimes painfully flawed. So it was as we set out on the next leg of our journey. We’d imported the file for the route from one posted online by another rider. He had taken the journey in the opposite direction but we used the ‘reverse route’ function in Komoot so that we could use it to go south to north. What we didn’t realise was that after quitting the app for the evening and then switching it on again the following day, it reverted to the original north-south route. We were a little inland so did not have the sea on our left to guide us and we finally realised the error after riding six miles south before turning around to get back on the planned route. Most of the day was then spent riding through the forest on traffic-free paths. We had a crosswind, rather than a headwind, which made things easier, and once again the route was mostly flat and largely deserted.
Traffic-free, smooth tarmac and the temperature getting up to a balmy 12 degrees C
It was an uneventful day and towards the end of it, we found a hotel in the town of Mimizan, a few miles inland from the coast. We’d covered 76 miles, including the ‘wasted’ 12 when had to retrace our route, so had again worked up a bit of an appetite. After a quick change of clothes we strolled into the small restaurant next door to the hotel and had the best meal of our trip so far. Amazingly, the whole place was run by one guy who was the chef, waiter, and sommelier. While we were there he served 26 covers with amazing dexterity and little delay. The food, drinks, and service were all outstanding.
The atmospheric Mimizan restaurant where the owner did everything, and all of it well
While we were eating, we looked up the weather forecast for the next few days. It was not good. Heavy rain was forecast and there was an orange storm warning for the west coast of France due on the third day. Once again, we decided that the train might be a good option for the next stage of the trip, even though the nearest station was 18 miles away. With that in mind, we retired for the evening.
Pedalitis 