Thursday June 1st L'Orient>Kerinhet Hot road a secret village

Distance 133
Time 5:55
Climb 796
Weather Sun

http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/france/lorient/198494255

Had a good breakfast at the hotel before leaving.

Funny feeling at the start of the day. This was to be the first of four days riding some 500km to make the jump from the end of TDF stage 8 to the start of 9 in Bordeaux. Sort of mixed feelings about this as on one hand it feels like a waste of effort riding all this distance when the pros won't be. On the other hand the route will take me down the west coast of France where I have spent many happy holidays camping with the family. In particular the area around Royan was one where I spent time training many years ago when I last rode a bike in anger.

Good start to the day as got over the hardest part early. Getting out of a large town on a bike is often difficult but fortunately the route out was pretty much the same as the one I took to the restaurant the previous evening.

Took things relatively easy on country roads. Looking at the guidebook there seemed to be a place in near St Lephin called "Kernihet" that looked particularly interesting so I rang ahead and booked myself in.

After an easy days ride in the sun I arrived at St Lephin but could not see any sign of a Kerinhet hotel. So I checked at the tourist office and found the hotel was actually in a nature reserve 15km or so to the south. I did mind this too much as it simply meant cycling a few more km in the evening and a few less the next day.

So head south and turn off when see Kerinhet signposted. Cycle a few km and still no hotel so retrace my path and just before the main road see another Kerinhet signpost I have missed. Cycle along this road and am then bemused to see another signpost pointing back the way I have just come. So I pull into a large carpark, which I assume to be for the nature reserve and phone the hotel to get directions. What follows is a bit bizarre as I speak to someone who asks me where I am. I explain that I am in the car park and he says fine thats for the hotel. I tell him I cant see the hotel and he says not to worry he'll come out and gets me. Next thing a chap pops out from a small gap in the hedge surrounding the car park. He is on a phone and I realise it must be the guy I am speaking to. So I wander over to him and he says follow him back through the hole in the hedge.

This is all starting to feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland and the feeling continues when, going through the hedge, I dont see the hotel I was expecting but rather some quaint old houses with footpaths running between them. It turns out the "hotel" is actually an anci village. The cottages date from way back and are now rented out as "rooms". Nearby is a large building which serves as reception and restaurant.

The whole scene is completely idyllic and was one of the highlights of the whole trip, all the more so because it was so unexpected.

I down a couple of ciders then head for my room/cottage to change and return for a very nice meal.


http://www.parc-naturel-briere.fr/


http://la-loire.net/visites/parcs/briere/briere-photos-1.htm

http://la-loire.net/visites/parcs/briere/briere-gastronomie.htm