Etape 21 Josselin to Pontivy

Josselin is a chocolate box sort of place – old half-timbered buildings, a fine medieval chateau and a rich ecclesiastical collection of churches all knitted together on a steep slope leading down to the navigable canal. Of course, the first stop on our walkabout was to the gothic basilica of Notre Dame de Roncier in the heart of the town. The scaffolders had heard that the Nelsons were coming so immediately erected some elaborate scaffolding to obscure the view.

Very nice!

Next stop the medieval chateau which sits atop a sheer cliff overlooking the canal a hundred feet below. The chateau has been in the Rohan family for centuries and a branch of the family still lives there today. As a consequence, the visits have to be strictly guided, restricted to ground floor apartments only and, on no account, must you touch anything or sit on any of the furniture (a message that was repeated several times). After about half an hour of hearing about Louis somebody who married Margarite somebody else and some Protestants being forced back to the Catholic faith in order to marry and having lengthy explanations about the fading portraits on all the walls of foppish French aristocrats in ridiculously tall periwigs looking down their noses and being shown a gold-plated clock that weighed almost as much as me which was a gift from Louis somebody else, I started to get ‘museum leg’ and my eyes started to glaze over. Sitting down was out of the question so I tried to look as attentive as possible so that the authoritarian French lady guide wouldn’t pick on me to ask if I had any questions. I survived the tour manfully to the end and was let out for good behaviour to play in the sunshine. Interestingly this chateau currently has only four towers remaining of the original nine because in 1629 the infamous Cardinal Richelieu rode into town and ordered the destruction of five of the towers plus the keep over a Protestant v Catholic malarkey. He promptly came out with one of his famous quotes to Henry de Rohan whose towers he had just destroyed as follows:

“Monsieur Le Duc, je viens de jeter une bonne boule dans votre jeu de quilles”.

Loosely translated as:

“Monsieur Le Duc, I have just bowled a brilliant ball and knocked down half your skittles ”

What a guy! However the chateau still looks pretty fine today. (Although I was a little disappointed as there wasn’t a stick of scaffolding to be seen anywhere!!)

Arrived in Pontivy this evening after a slightly boozy afternoon in the saddle. (We we’re raising a glass or two of wine on a picnic stop to celebrate Brian Chapple’s 70th birthday). Well one small slip and we would have been in the canal with the waterboatmen. However, we made it in one piece and saw this lovely array of brollies in the town square.

So, following yesterday’s hugely popular ‘collective noun’ competition which was won by a Mrs Brenda McKay of Glasgow (prize – one week’s holiday on La Ile des Pies), todays competition is to come up with a collective noun for a large gathering of umbrellas. Exotic prizes are up for grabs to the winner. A starter for ten might be ‘ a downpour of brollies’?

Don’t worry- this trip and hence this blog will soon be over!