Rolling on to Rocamadour

We decided on a slightly later start this morning, not leaving St Yrieix till 10am. We were only expecting about a 65 miler today, but with some significant climbing towards approaching Rocamadour, our destination for today. 

We had a wonderful start. A bright, pleasant morning, with a little sunshine & a light breeze. Good spirits all round as we eased across the rolling hills on some lovely quiet roads & drank in the beautiful countryside. Passed through a lovely little village, Segur Le Chateaux:

 

 

Determined to make the most of the best morning so far, we stopped after about 21 miles for coffee & excellent cheese sandwich at a little bar in St Bonnet la Rivière. 40 points (some mean scoring going on, but you know you're never gonna get much out of a Scot.....or a Squirrel 🤔)

The scenery continued to impress as we twisted through some impressive valleys, though the road surfaces proved 'interesting' at times. The weather held & we were nearly loving it 😜

A diversion into the city of Brive la Gaillarde to buy a chain (Ho hum) from Decathlon, added a few miles to the itinerary, and the subsequent long climb out, meant that we were soon ready for some nosh again. However, finding somewhere proved difficult amidst the ongoing map v Garmin contest. Confusion reigned, but we somehow progressed in the right direction and up a couple more long climbs, before finding a Relais with a food store adjacent. No contest! We sat on a picnic bench, IN THE SUN, and ate our fare al fresco. Bloody marvellous:

 

After lunch & with 20 to go, we got on with it along well surfaced roads. The scenery (and weather) continued to impress & we were soon into the Midi-Pyrenees region & then crossing the Dordogne:

 

The long climb out of the valley towards Rocamadour rewarded us with some great views:

 

 

We rolled into Rocamadour at 6pm on the dot. 71.5 miles & all very happy. Apart from a light shower entering Brive, it's been the first day in 8 when we've enjoyed good weather. 

Hotel La Chateaux is great. The walk down through the Sanctuary & into the Cite proved worthwhile, despite the protestations from our legs, and we found a reasonably priced restaurant that serves us well. 

 

Our bellies full & our thirsts quenched; the walk back up seemed easier 😛

Good night everyone 🤓😴