Day 2 Morlaix to Hendaye

Covered over a thousand miles today. Pretty impressive with the bikes eh!! Fortunately they were on the train with us and only limited pedal-power was used to get us to and from the stations in Morlaix and Hendaye down on the Spanish border. Sadly we have to ride all the way back starting tomorrow!

First train from a Morlaix to Paris arrived in the station on time. I knew we were booked into an end coach and started running with the bike to the front of the train. A French chef du train shouted ‘no- bikes go in the last carriage’ causing a rapid turn around and a sprint the the back! Caused some Gallic disgruntlement as we had to shuffle a few people’s bags around in order the get the bikes into their allocated space. Sat opposite a 6 ft tall guy who had legs sprawled all over the place and invading my leg space. Harrumph!

Arrived Paris Gare Montparnasse which is currently under reconstruction amid a throbbing sea of humanity. Not a seat to be had anywhere in the station. Long Q for coffee and baguettes which had to be eaten standing up. Lunch completed we scooted to platform 8 for our TGV out of Paris to Hendaye and once again the reserved bike spaces are full of other travellers bags so we had to cause another international incident to get them moved before we could get the bikes into their correct place. By this time there is a big Q of angry French folk out on the platform trying to get into the train before it leaves muttering inexplicable things about Les Anglais et leurs velos!! We finally all get settled down when the conductor comes on the intercom to say that the driver can’t re-engage the pantograph with the overhead power lines and a new engine has to be found. ‘Desole pour le delai pour 30 minutes’. Merde – after all that mad scramble to get aboard the train is now going nowhere!

At last things all get sorted out and off we go topping 320kph through the rural cornfields of central France. Then I fell asleep and woke up somewhere near Biarritz.

Anyway all is good. Hotel in Hendaye found, beers ordered and tapas scoffed. We start the cycling in earnest tomorrow. Hope Ernest doesn’t mind!!!