Channel 2 Med Vajrin 2016: Day 9 – Mende to Vallon Pont d’Arc

We travelled south into Rhone-Alpes, one of the largest regions in France. It stretches from the Rhone valley in the north to Provence in the south, the Massif Central west and Lyon to the east.

Celts used to live here. It then became Roman territory following the invasion of Julius Caesar, Lyon becoming a major Roman city.

The area is prosperous due to tourism, high tech industry, farming and wine-growing.

Galette des Rois - 'Crown of the Kings' - this cake was out of season but still tasted good

Canadian Charlotte at the first brew. Fine cup of tea and chat and useful tips about good Netflix dramas.

The day was very cloudy. Showers ahead. Some were more prepared than others.

Shortly after leaving the brew stop, the winds began to howl, almost stopping our descent. A tempest worthy of the bard.

The heaven's then opened fully, sheets of rain angling into our measly peloton. In the most exposed area, San was cowering under a tree.

We joined him in dribs and drabs.

Hail descended.

We phoned for the van which stored extra layers.

Others had found shelter in nearby buildings. Peter emerged bringing the sun.

Debbie, suitably attired

And then the van arrived with much needed clothing

I was well chilled to the bone. Teeth chattering despite four layers of high tech clothing. It's weird when your core temperature drops a little. Takes quite a long time to recover.

However, the tea did the trick - and Bruce's duvet!

...and Nigel's jacket!

There were a few moments of sun but the day was mostly cloudy with a little drizzle later on.

The area is prosperous due to tourism, high tech industry, farming and wine-growing

The scenery was stunning. Winding roads and undulating terrain taking us through limestone gorges.

Foods include la bombine, a garlicky potato gratin served as an accompaniment to delicious red wine-based stews, pâtés and chestnuts from the Ardèche, creamy goats cheeses, the most famous being Picodon, other cheeses such as Tomme, Beaufort and Reblochon.

Wines include Ardèche’s Grenache, Syrah and Merlot varieties (Côtes du Vivarais and Coteaux de l’Ardèche) as well as the much better known Beaujolais and Cotes de Rhone.

Our destination was Vallon Pont d'Arc

Aromatic bushes, pines and other woodland. Fabulous scent when pausing to take in the view or a brew.

Fabulous scent on the air when pausing to take in the view or a brew.

The Gorge of the Ardèche river (can take a boat from Pont d'Arc to Saint-Martin-d'Ardeche).

Fabulous natural limestone arch.

The nearby town celebrates both lavender feast and the olive feast.

There is also a cave at Vallon-Pont d’Arc.. It is the site of the oldest paintings in the world.

In 1994, three local cave explorers discovered paintings, engravings, and prints that had been forgotten for over 36,000 years.

The light is very fetching

The route was very gravelly. I developed a puncture just as I arrived.

Nigel kindly repaired my puncture. You can see him picking out bits of flint embedded within the tyre.

Rob, our guide of three.

Coy in front of the camera, "Where shall I look?"

Lovely room overlooking the canyon

At one point I became seriously worried by severe dehydration, a problem for cyclists in the heat. A tell tail sign is dark yellow urine. However, I was waring my glasses!