Friday, September 2nd – Day 17 Saint Nicholas de la Grave to Salies-de-Bearne – not all by bicycle!

Anyone with a smidgeon of knowledge of French geography will spot the unlikely chances of our getting from near Toulouse to the foothills of the Pyrenees by bicycle in one day – even after all this practice!

We had a shorter cycle from Borrett, where we stopped yesterday, and then motorway from Toulouse to our friends lovely home in Salies-de Bearn, but this didn’t let us off completely – there were still 40 kilometres to cover along a main arterial road into Toulouse.

There is a parallel mini motorway so we had some hope of there not being too many huge camions but there was nonetheless an endless stream of cars….which makes pull-ins to wait for Husbands more difficult – and more dangerous … And it was after a small town where I had pulled in to check John was on the right road that he had his fall – seemingly in slow motion, after he hit the kerb and then hit the deck!

I must say this for French drivers’, although they can be exceedingly rude to women lost on roundabouts, they do respect cyclists, almost to the point of reverence, and by the time I was out of the car John was being helped to his feet by two concerned motorists and two people from the nearby bus-stop who had rushed to his assistance.

Fortunately it was only a nasty graze on his right leg and his sore hands had been protected by his bicycle mittens, but it was a horrible scare nonetheless and we didn’t look forward to the rest of the journey into the town centre

…. And it got worse!

Yet again I took the wrong turn, lost Husband, and this time finished up on a motorway heading towards Blagnac, the airport of Toulouse, 12 minutes out of our way, leaving a hot,hungry, bruised and tired husband waiting by a roundabout looking, and justifiably feeling, exceedingly grumpy!

I am mortified!